And these Guppies can reproduce, they're like bunnies. Does that mean non-stop pet deposit income?

Sorry 'bout that; but I was just visualizing the LandLord's Monthly Pet Audit . . . . coming in to count all them Pet Fish.

Reminded me of an ancient Leave it to Beaver Episode where to brew up a Pet Shop's Business, a prize was offered to who ever could correctly guess the number of fish in a Tank.

They wouldn't hold still to be counted, and people would go cross-eyed.

And Guppies are continually reproducing (right there in Public !) . . . . like Rodents. I think Martha Stewart would say "It's a Good Thing !"

I know this is an old thread, but as a newbie I am reading a LOT of old threads !! As a previous renter that had dogs I can tell you I was always grateful to find a landlord that allowed my dogs. I can also tell you from 15 years of parenting that my kids (and my husband for that matter) made more of a mess in the house that my dogs ever did, lol !!

Nothin' wrong with "Old Posts". Most of them talk about the same issues that plague our business today. They're caused by Human Beans, who change very slowly . . . . or not at all.

This subject will always be with us . . . . like most other subjects that have been brought up since this Forum was created.

Thanks for reading!

People with pets usually have a harder time finding a place to rent, so if you have a 'pet-friendly' building you can usually charge a higher amount of rent and collect a pet deposit.

The amount you can collect varies by state, so be sure to check with your local HUD office on deposit requirements.

I usually don't rent to people with pets in units that have carpets. I have personally found that having hardwood floors is much more conducive to pets.

If you choose to, you can also set the parameters for size and breed of dog you accept.

You must spell all of this out in your lease however. It will not be enforceable if you don't write it in.

Pets..ugh. A nightmare to a landlord. Usually charge a $250 non- refundable fee for pets. Should be more like $2000 because when a pet has done it's duty in the home it's unlikely that cleaning the carpets will be sufficient to make the unit rentable again. Most times I have found the carpet has to be replaced. That costs way more than $250.

Pets are OK. You just have to be sensible about it. Don't let someone with a Saint Bernard rent a condo. You will have issues.

We don't allow Pitbulls and Rotweilers. I know that will upset many pet lovers.....Oh well. Those are the breeds that we have had 99% of our problems from.

Yes, charge a pet deposit. We usually charge $300/dog, $400 for two. We never allow more than 2 dogs and 2 cats, which is a tall order in and of itself.

If you do allow Pets, we always perform a 1 month move in inspection to make sure things are savvy.

Good luck,
Patrick
Rents2Riches.com

In my personal rentals I do not allow any pets unless they are for a medical reason such as a seeing eye dog. I am a huge animal lover but there is too much potential for damage when its your own property!

The only rentals that I have allowed pets in are week vacation rentals. Have not had much trouble with this. I just figure that if they are taking a vacation with a pet then they should be able to have them with them. But then again this is not low income housing - its beach front property so probably a bit different than if renting to a family of low income.

I find tile flooring to be the most pet friendly. That way the tenants can furnish their own drop rugs and take them away when they move out. About the only damage then is to doors and woodwork. It's a good idea to photograph the woodwork before leasing to a pet owner, then you have proof of the condition at move in.

Ken of the www.Home-PropertyManagement.com Blog

Scott, good to see you on this forum. I only allow dogs in my single-family rental properties. I had a terrible experience with cat urine in one of my properties, and since then I cannot look at cats in the same loving way! Now I charge a simple $300 non-refundable dog fee, and if the dog is larger than 60 lbs, I will tack on a $25/mo rent premium. My tenants think that this is very fair, and it has worked out nicely for me since then.

We recently had to address the pet issue with a property we just acquired. The building is a mix of residential and commercial and one tenant had been allowed a dog (a large, gentle and very well-mannered Akita) by the previous owner. Our preference is no pets at all, but this happens to be an excellent tenant who occupies one residential and one commercial unit.

Our solution was to first contact our insurance agent and have him check out the implications. The insurance company was okay with the dog (they had insured us in part based on a no pets policy originally) and once they had information in hand about the breed, age, etc. they gave us approval in writing so we were not violating our insurance policy by allowing the dog. We then came up with a written agreement with the tenant requiring her to carry her own insurance policy and agree to some basics like keeping the dog on a leash in public areas, cleaning up after the dog and paying for any damages.

Definitely most important for us was keeping the insurance company informed.

We do allow pets in vacation rental properties because we get more business that way and we see less/no damage during short term stays.

Great call to the Insurance Company, Bossy! Getting the approval in writing is critical!!

I'm glad you allow dogs in your vacation rentals....we like to vacation as often as possible. After all, it wouldn't be a vacation without Oscar and Oliver!!

You would think people who take their pets of vacation would be very aware and mindful of others property...but there I go thinking again:)

We allow pets because so many people have them, and we want our Tenants to feel at home. That said, we charge a $500. pet fee. People always say, "Oh, a deposit." and I say "Nooo, a pet FEE, never to be seen again." That's the cost of the privilege of having a pet.

If the pet causes damage, that comes out of their security deposit.

To give you an idea of the pet fee in relation to rent.. our houses lease for about $1,400-1,600 per month.

I've been renting out properties for 10 years. My rules have evolved during that time. I allow all pets over 8 months of age that are spayed/neutered and vaccinated. I do NOT allow outdoor only pets. I've installed doggie doors in all of my rentals. When carpet needs to be replaced, I tile all of the home except bedrooms (carpet).
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I've found that people that spay/neuter and vaccinate, are, in general, more responsible than those with intact animals. (If I had someone with a show dog actively showing, I'd waive that requirement w/proof of show activity.). I've also found that the people that have an outside dog (not on a farm/ranch), tend to not be very empathetic towards their pet, and certainly not to their landlord, so they tend to trash the place. People that treat their pets like family, generally seem to be grateful for a nice place to rent, and take care of the place. I honestly think that having a property be in very clean, well maintained condition, with some updating, and allowing pets and having a doggie door, ensures longer term renters that take care of the place.

I currently have renters with 2 120 lb Rottweilers, a pit bull, and an Austrailian shep. I just bought 2 more houses and have already rented them out...one with a pit bull, and the other has 2 mixed breed large dogs.

I charge a 200.00 non refundable pet dep for the first pet, and 100.00 each for each additional pet.
I do not put in any ads that I don't allow outdoor only pets, but ask them if their pet is an indoor pet. If they say no, I tell them sorry, I don't allow outdoor only pets. If they then try to say, "well, I didn't think you'd take an inside dog", I still don't rent to them because they've just shown that they lie. I want renters who will tell me, "My pet is part of the family and is an inside dog" Or something like that. It tells you a little about their character.

I've only had 1 property trashed, and that was with someone that had outdoor dogs, and then would bring them in, only if it was freezing. Their dogs peed everywhere and chewed up the kitchen cabinets. I changed my rules to ban outdoor dogs after that and haven't had any problems.