One of the great debates among landlords are whether it’s a good idea to rent to prospective tenants that have pets. On the one hand, there are so many landlords that do NOT allow pets, there is a definite marketing advantage to those landlords who do. On the other hand, buy not having a good pet policy, you run the risk of added damage, legal issues and other problems. So, what should you do? And, if you do decide to them, how can you protect yourself? Read on… and also share your views…
When I first started renting my apartments, I didn’t want to accept pets. My feeling was that the potential damage, liability and nuisance of having pets in my units was not worth the aggravation. However, at one point I had some vacancies that I found difficult to fill. The problem wasn’t the number of calls that I was getting for prospective tenants, it was that they weren’t qualified. Either their income level wasn’t high enough, or they had bad credit, or they had pets, etc.
So, I made the leap. If a prospect had good income, good credit and met my other criteria– but they had a pet– I decided that I would still show them the apartment. Since then, I’ve had some good experiences and some bad ones. And, I’d like to share some of them with you and also get your feedback, if you have experiences that can help your fellow landlords out.
Here is my personal experience, yours may differ:
1. Tenants that own pets are generally just as neat, and sometimes neater, than those who don’t own pets.
2. My best experiences are with small pets, as compared with big ones. But, it depends on the particular pet– you must “meet the pet.” Like there are good and bad tenants, there are good and bad pets. Check out their personality before you agree to rent.
3. Again, in my experience, small dogs have been less of a problem than cats, who have more often sprayed the walls and carpets to mark their territory.
4. Dogs and cats should be spayed/neutered and property licensed/registered.
5. Dog and cat urine smells are VERY difficult and sometimes IMPOSSIBLE to remove– especially from flooring.
6. Pet owners should be willing to sign a PET AGREEMENT ADDENDUM to the lease. While not being overbearing, it should enforce very strict rules and consequences to protect your property, other tenants/guests and minimize your liability.
7. Pet owners are usually willing to pay a PET DEPOSIT and/or an ADDITIONAL RENT for the privilege of being able to live in pet friendly buildings.
8. Some studies show that, on average, tenants with pets stay longer than those without pets.
9. Accepting pets potentially reduces the time it takes to fill a vacancy.
10. Renting to tenants with pets may increase your liability, and therefore, liability insurance– make sure you speak with your insurance company.
11. Check the laws and know who you can and can’t refuse. For example, in most cases, you cannot refuse to rent to a person solely because they have a “trained helper animal.” This would include pets like a “seeing-eye dog”, or a dog that helps the tenant “negotiate” with a physical or mental disability.
Based on my personal experience, I rent to pet owners selectively, on a case by case basis. I have found that most of the time, renting to a tenant with an animal is not a problem. However, when there is an issue regarding the pet, unfortunately, it is usually a more costly problem by comparison than a tenant that doesn’t have an animal. For example, I have had tenants that were slobs and when they moved, I had to get the carpets professionally cleaned. However, tenants that in addition to being slobs also allowed their pets to use the carpet or hard flooring as a toilet have caused me more angst because I have actually had to replace relatively new flooring and even padding that was ruined by pet urine.
When I do accept a prospective tenant with an animal, I always institute a strong PET AGREEMENT, which is made part of the rental agreement. Given the choice, I still prefer tenants who do not have pets over ones that do have them. However, I have had enough positive experiences not to automatically rule out this group of renters.
What are your thoughts and experiences? Do you rent to pet owners? Why or why not? If you do, how do you protect yourself?
Steven Boorstein
Landlord & Author
The Landlord Business Insider
How to Buy Your First Rental Property & Beyond (http://www.howtobuyrentalproperty.com/)
Manage Rental Property.com (https://www.managerentalproperty.com/)
One issue that I didn't bring up in this blog post that I just thought of and I think is also relevant… what do you do if a good tenant, who previously did not have a pet, gets one or wants to get one? That has happened to me at least a couple of times.
So, what did I do? Well, I either denied the type of pet or I informed them if they wanted that particular pet, they would have to sign a Pet Agreement Addendum to the Rental Agreement. In one case, I collected additional rent in return for their ability to keep the pet on the premises. In the other case, the tenant decided not to get the pet because they didn't want to pay the Pet Deposit or Additional Rent for the pet.
Whatever you do, have a Pet Policy. In my case, just like added tenants increase the overall expenses and "wear and tear" of the property; the same goes for pets.
Many tenants don't even realise that pets aren't allowed and bring them into the property without the landlord knowing. Little do they know that this could result in a huge problem later on.
Good point and that puts a big emphasis on making sure that the Landlord goes over the Rental Agreement, section by section, with all adult tenants on the Agreement. In my Rental Agreement, I specifically have a section on pets, even if the tenant doesn't have a pet. Under this section it states that the landlord has to approve all pets and that no pets are allowed prior to written approval by the landlord (which would be a signed Pet Agreement Addendum).
If a couple renting from you had a baby you wouldnt charge them aditional rent even though a child would cause alot more 'wear and tear' as you put it then a small animal so why should you charge more for responsible pet owners?
All I've read in this post is oh they have a cat I will institute a way of making more money out of them. The wear and tear of a property will increase! What rubbish a cat or dog will not make a differance to the property unless the owner is a slob and doesnt clean up after there animals.
You allready have sizeable deposits which in most cases you make damn sure you keep using any excuse to tart the place up every year or two with tennants money.
If the dog is the size of a small house in a rented flat then yes there may be issues. Yapping dogs do cause some annoyance to neighbours but this is the same in owned homes. I own a small cat who is neutered in a property with Hard wood floors. If a landlord decided to charge me additional rent for a pet I would sue. Also if I decided to get an animal whilst living in a property with no pet clause I would be perfectly entitled to do so without informing you the property is owned by the tennant during the period of lease and what the tennant does is there business aslong as it isnt ilegal or causing damage to your proeperty and even if it is you have a deposit to safe guard against any repairs.
Anonymous,
Thanks for your comments. I appreciate your passion about the subject, as it seems you are a tenant that probably has or had a pet in your rental at one point in time. I understand your feeling that pets don't cause more damage than babies, but I would respectfully disagree. I have had bunch of rentals for many years now and when there is pet damage, it is generally much worse than the damage I seen caused by children.
I have had tenants' cats urinate on hard wood floors, as well as carpets. Hard wood floors stain and the smell soaks into the wood. I have had cats spray walls of my rental units, causing me to have to scrub them and repaint them with Kilz to get the smell out. I have also had dogs ruin carpets and chew up floor moulding and scratch up doors. In furnished units, I have had the additional expenses of cleaning up massive amounts of pet hair and replacing furniture (fully furnished units) that was ripped to shreds by a cat's nails.
I have never had that much damage from a child.
The purpose of the additional rent or pet deposit is to take care of this added wear and tear, not for the landlord to make more money. It is simply about charging for the additional risk. By the way, by having a pet on the property, the landlords insurance rate does go up in many cases… so, why should the landlord have to cover the added costs of a pet?
I see that you mentioned about renting a "flat", which indicates to me your not in the US (probably the UK?). You should check your lease. Many leases in the US specifically require the landlord's permission in order to bring a pet onto the property. I don't know if it is the same outside the US.
Again, as I mentioned in my post. I am not opposed to renting to owners with pets. But you have to realize that pets add another equation into the rental… increased potential for insurance costs, increased potential for wear and tear, and increased problems in "de-petting" the unit for the next renter who may be sensitive to cat or dog smells.
Fortunately, just as I can potentially refuse to rent to a tenant with a pet; you can choose not to rent from an owner who wants to charge you additional rent or a pet security deposit.