Do you allow your tenants to keep a pet?

[lillygilmore]

If yes, how many? Have you increased the rent of the property?

If no, why not? Many landlords have been closing clients because of this practice.

[davewindsor]

If yes, how many? Have you increased the rent of the property?

If no, why not? Many landlords have been closing clients because of this practice.

Neutered cats yes, dogs no.  Reason being is that a barking dog will interfere with the reasonable enjoyment of other tenants and cause them to move.  You may get a vacant apartment rented by allowing dogs and get a small premium for it, but if it costs you two other tenants, is it worth it?  If a tenant brings a dog in, they get an eviction notice right away as far as I'm concerned.  It's not worth a half empty building. 

[Bluemoon06]

The reason people rent single family houses is that they want a family situation.  This almost always comes with pets.  My lease says that if they have a pet they need to give me $100 additional deposit and $100 more a month.  But if they sign a pet agreement with me I charge them an additional $200 deposit and then the rent stays the same.

This is important because any pet needs to be identified.  For example I had a tenant that had a fish in a fishbowl.  Not even an aquarium but a simple goldfish that I didn’t know anything about.  The garbage disposal broke.  I cent in and changed it out and when I looked into it there was these little blue pebbles stuck in it.  They had cleaned out the fishbowl and s few of those little pebbles got caught in the disposal.  Lesson learned is that all pets increase the cost of maintaining a house.  Always take additional deposit. 

[lillygilmore]

What do you mostly suggest then?  The pet agreement with the charge of additional $200 deposit or $100 additional deposit and $100 more a month?

[Bluemoon06]

The $100 more a month is if I walk in and find an unauthorized dog in the house.  They all do a $200 pet deposit.

[lillygilmore]

Oh I see. But what if the pet did a major damage to the property, do you immediately kick them out?

[Bluemoon06]

I also have to approve the pet.  It is part of my system.  I always meet the perspective tenant at their present house to sign the lease, not at my rental house.  When I walk in I can see how they are living because that is going to be how my house will look after 6 months.  I take that time to meet the animal and if there is major damage I give them the deposit back and keep looking.

If that all fails I use the deposit to correct any damage the animal causes.  The kind of person that will live in a house destroyed by their dog will be living like that all along and will be caught in the screening.  In general if the house rents for $1,100/month I take $1,100 deposit and if they have a pet I take an additional $200.  I can make any of my houses just like new for well under $1,000.  I can have the whole house painted inside for $700, carpet cleaned for $200.  If the dog eats down the fence I can replace the affected boards for $2 a picket.

As with any tenant if the damage amounts to vandalism, I call the police and make a report and file with my insurance company.  It has to be really bad for that but it is an option.

[davewindsor]

carpet cleaned for $200. 

Just curious.  How do you clean carpet for $200?  I've had to replace all my carpeted units with black commercial carpet because any other colour had to be torn out and replaced after a tenant moved out because I couldn't get the dirt out.  I've bought that spot remover and also rented the $50 carpet steamer from Home Depot and the carpet still looked dirty.

[Bluemoon06]

I use a local carpet cleaning company.  They can do a $200 clean that works most of the time.  They also have a ruejuvination service (scotchguard, color retouching spot removal etc) for about $400.

[dreamsocialmedia]

some allow pets but pets that only got breeding...not just ordinary pet.

[lillygilmore]

Why is the breed an issue?

[justin0419]

Some insurance companies won't insure properties with certain breeds on the property that they've deemed as dangerous.  For our company, those breeds are:  Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Chows, Dobermans, or any mixed breed with any of those other breeds listed.

Insurance companies don't want to pay out in general so they're not going to tolerate dogs that are generally considered to be a dangerous breed and therefore a greater liability.

[lillygilmore]

Oh I see. Thanks, Justin. Will keep that in mind. Shame though for some families I know love Chow Chows.

[Bluemoon06]

Ask your insurance agent to get you a list of dangerous animals.