Accepting Pets In Your Rental Property

Many landlords have heard stories about terrible pets, destructive dogs, and cats that pee everywhere.  These things can and do happen but you shouldn't let it scare you into refusing pets.  The latest statistics I have seen show that approximately 50% of tenants have a pet of some type.  Most caged pets are not an issue but what about dogs and cats?  Before you can decide how you want to handle pets in your property you need to know the laws in your area.  Some areas don't allow particular breeds whereas some covenant controlled areas may not allow pets at all. 

Once you have deciphered what's allowed by law, zoning, and covenants you should decide and make clear what pets you will or will not accept but remember that each time you add stipulations to your tenancy you decrease your options for tenants.  The fewer tenants you have to choose from the less likely you are to get top dollar for your property.  Your property will sit on the market longer and your return on investment will decline.

The key to accepting pets is only renting to responsible, reliable, quality tenants!  If the tenants is a responsible pet owner the wear and tear on your house will be minimal.  I manage many properties where a person wouldn't even know a pet is in the unit if it wasn't visible.  I have managed hundreds of rental properties and the worst damage I have seen has always been caused by people not pets.  If you are concerned about the way a tenant maintains your property (AND YOU SHOULD BE!) then whether they have a pet or not you need to do your homework and make sure you are selecting the right people.  You can refer to my blog about properly vetting tenants here.

If you are going to accept pets, and you should, then you will need a pet addendum that outlines the type of pet, number of pets, and any special stipulations for owning that pet.  Examples are: Special carpet cleaning, increased deposit, pet rent, ect. 

I hope this post was helpful and feel free to contact me if you have questions about accepting pets in your rental property or any other property management related topics

Sincerely,

Daniel Muldoon
Muldoon Associates, Inc.