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When renting your home, should you take pets?

When I go on a listing presentation to list a home for rent, I always use my checklist. Toward the end comes the question, "HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT PETS?"

The answers I get are as varied as the houses. Here are the most common? My thoughts are in italics.

"What is your recommendation?" See below.
"Absolutely not." OK, but what about this 100lb. shepherd mix of yours I am petting?
"Dogs are ok, but no cats. I hate cats." I hate cats, too. Let's kill 'em all.
"No cats, I'm allergic." Ok. Anything else you are allergic to? Peanuts? Gluten? Let me make a note of those...
"I will consider small dogs." I agree, small dogs are always well behaved.
"Fish are ok." Hehe.

Ok, I kid. But seriously, some of these answers just don't make sense. Sometimes I hear arguments based on past experience with a pet, or a friend's pet, or a friend's tenant's pet. Or a story read in a magazine while waiting at the doctor's office. Those just aren't good ways to make decisions about investment property.

SO, HERE IS MY PERSONAL OPINION. I FIRST LEARNED THIS FROM ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INVESTORS I KNOW.

That's my boy!

THE MORE PETS AND KIDS THE MERRIER!

What?! John, you are crazy.

Maybe, but listen to this. In our market, over 50% of all potential tenants have pets. Over 75% have kids. Most owners don't want pets. And most owners, although they don't admit it, because it's illegal, don't want kids. If you get a renter WITH LOTS OF KIDS AND PETS, THEY WON'T LIKELY MOVE. Turnover is an investment property owner's nemesis.

One more tip. CHARGE PET RENT IN LIEU OF PET DEPOSIT. Most tenants like it better because they feel as if you are extending them "credit", and you DON'T HAVE TO GIVE IT BACK AT THE END OF THE LEASE. Do the math on $50.00 a month pet rent over 5 years compared to a deposit.

I know there are considerations for damage. But, if you have long term tenants, you are going to be replacing the carpet and painting anyway.

Hope you enjoyed this tip from Johnny's Twisted Views. See you next time!

BTW, do my dog and I look alike or what?

Posted by John Evarts on 05/23/2007 11:50 AM

Comments (15)

john evarts, classic property management, rental, santa clarita, pet, dog, cat, lease, rent

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15 Comments on When renting your home, should you take pets?

MAY

2007

John,

That is a great post. I like the idea of pet rent and haven't heard that before.

Hi John!

This is a good suggestion and could come in handy! Thank you for the good suggestion ! Keep posting !

Nalliah Thayabharan

Commercial and Residential Building Inspector

Expert Building Inspections Ltd

My ex-wife just had the interior of her rental home destroyed by a pit bull puppy. He even chewed up the base moldings and ruined the carpet throughout the home. The tenant was only there for about a year. The older dog that they had when they moved in was great. This pet died and the tenants got the little pit bull. The home was kept clean and well-maintained with the first dog. Then, the tenants couldn't understand why they didn't get their damage deposit back.

We tell our Owners that if they prohibit ANY pets, they are cutting way down on the prospective renters. Some people would give up their kids before they would give up their pets. I like the "pet rent" idea, right now we charge a pet deposit- but there's no way it can replace carpet.

We don't rent to pit bulls, chows, rotweillers, akitas, or wolf hytbrids, some insurance companies here will cancell the Homeowner's insurance on the property if we do.

A lot of Owners will say "well, maybe a small dog..." and we tell them that the small ones tend to be the worst. Tenants will leave them in the house when they wouldn't leave a big dog as long. And the little ones tend to pee on the carpet MUCH worse. A big dog, if it's well behaved, will tend to just lay down and sleep when the tenant is gone. We try to meet the pets (AND the kids) before we rent, if the pet is well behaved and friendly there isn't usually a problem. IF they tell us "we don't need a fence- we walk the dog all the time." we ook at what shape they are in. If they look like couch potatoes, don't believe it.

Ron, thanks for stopping by. I take pet rent over deposit any day. Of course, in CA, you can't earn interest on the deposits. If you can (I think you can in Idaho), it might be different.

Nalliah. Thank you.

Mott, some associations are like that. Nothing you can do there. We have one that allows cats, but only on a leash.

Roger, those do happen. They suck, but they do happen. It's a numbers game. But, that can happen even when you tell someone no pets, and they agree to it.

Leslie, we can't rent to pit bulls, german shepherds, or rotties. Same thing, insurance. I've seen big dogs be bad, small dogs be bad, and everything in between. Again, its a numbers game. If they stay 10 years, who cares? Thanks for the comments.

MAY

2007

John

I have 4 dogs, 4 cats, 2 birds, 6 fish, 4 hamsters and 2 very quiet snakes.

Do you think you have a place I can rent for a while?

Noah.

Sorry, the only pet we don't take is hamster. They get lost too easy.

JUN

2007

Very-Interesting, good to consider in each market. I am in a military market and most tenants don't have time to take care of their pets. I alway ended up with mess that return. but is is very interesting to consider an additional rent? I will re-consider it in general. but most of our lease are 12 months and they don't stay that long because of PCS.

Ken, thanks for stopping by. There are instances when it isn't the right decision, but I think that pet rent will normally put more in your pocket at the end of the day.

JUN

2008

Gee you guys! I was googling to see if there was anyone working to make pet rent illegal.

I don't have a problem with the idea of paying a pet cleaning fee when I move in, knowing that I won't get that back. But I'm a responsible renter, single, quiet, 47 years old, with two declawed cats. And the idea that you'd like to bilk me for an extra $50/month leaves me speechless.

I mean, it's a numbers game with any tenant, whether they will be responsible. In my chats with the maintenance staff here (I've been around seven years so I've gotten to know them) they tell me how many non-pet apartments are completely trashed when people move out.

I can't afford to own a townhouse. My feeling is that it shouldn't be legal for a landlord to punish me because I have pets. I do see the rational behind a one-time cleaning fee and/or behind a deposit. But to have to pay a monthly fee just so my cats can live with me galls me.

Newest critters at Springer Lodge.....brother/sister puppies at 10+ weeks.

I always take pets unless I know the owners are coming back and they prohibit - then I think twice about taking those owners as clients.

Families almost always come with pets. I prefer dogs to cats and only take animals "currently with the family".

I get an additional $200 in security deposit and rarely have to take care of any type of pet damage.....

Owners who don't take pets are at an extreme disadvantage * applicants will lie and bring pet anyway OR go out and get a new dog/puppy and train them at the rented property...

JUN

2008

We just limit the number and types of dogs. No dangerous breeds. Otherwise pets are smart to accept.

Anne, I apologize, I certainly didn't mean any offense. I believe, however, that you are probably the exception to the rule. We manage several hundred single family home and, almost without fail, when someone who has a pet moves out, there are urine spots from the pets. A small cleaning deposit just doesn't usually cover it. However, there are also other considerations. For instance, A single person with two declawed cats? That is a great applicant. A family of five with two dogs? It depends. Does that make sense.

I certainly agree with taking pets. (As you can see from my post). But it is simply one part of the equation.

This post was actually written encourage owners to take tenants with pets.

JUN

2008

Interesting....I find many tenants who have pets so I suggest landlords be "open" to the idea. It is surprising to me how many renters own pets. When I was a renter in my younger years, I never owned a pet because I knew pet-friendly apartments were very hard to find.

For my clients, we take a hefty security deposit, and add an addendum to the lease specifying rules on the pet (clean up, damage, barking, owner responsibility etc.) Once a tenant moves in, I tell my landlord to watch the property carefully and do a few walk throughs early on to ensure you have responsible pet owners living there. I have found 90% of tenants with pets are excellent owners. But those 10% who aren't.....they can be a big nightmare! It's definitely a risk!!

JUN

2008

Wow! Great blob! You'd be surprise how many people can't afford to pay their rent but can buy a $1,800 dog. My point is we tend to be able to afford what we want to afford. The pet rent is wise and as a manager you get a % of it monthly vs. the pet deposit. This makes sense to me because we are managing the tenants and thier pets as well anyway.

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