Setting pet policies can be difficult considering. Restrictions on pets can be dealbreakers for potential tenants, but allowing them can cause damage to your property or become a nuisance to your other tenants. While the latter circumstance may be risky, there are ways you can prevent pets from causing any trouble.
Benefits of Allowing Pets in Your Rental Property
Allowing pets in your rental property can attract a wider range of tenants, especially pet owners willing to pay more for rental units that allow pets. This can ultimately lead to more rental income and lower vacancy rates.
You can include this in your marketing campaign or have Green Tree Property Management create one for you to make tenants aware of your pet-friendly rental. However, you should consider certain limitations in your pet policy to ensure that the pets won’t cause trouble for you or your tenants.
What You Should Consider When Adding a Pet Addendum
Adding an outline for a pet agreement will provide your prospective tenants with terms and conditions to follow, along with the consequences and penalties that they may incur upon violating the pet policy. Including a pet section in the lease agreement will allow you to enforce these rules, as their signature will serve as a legally binding acknowledgment.
State and Local Law
Each state or city has its own regulations and fair housing laws regarding pets. In Nashville, for instance, landlords are legally allowed to restrict pets from the property, except if it’s a service animal. Rosser Law Firm, PLLC states that the federal government only recognizes trained dogs or small horses as service animals. The same legal recognition can be said for emotional support animals under federal law, as per Nolo.
Breed Restrictions
You may place restrictions on certain breeds you allow on your property. With dogs, some breeds are known to display signs of aggression and may be high risk in terms of safety. Some that are considered dangerous breeds for dogs include:
- German Shepherd
- Pitbull
- Rottweiler
- Akita
- Siberian Husky
- Chow Chow
- Doberman
- Great Dane
- Boxer
- English Mastiff
- Cane Corso
Mandatory Pet Screening
Whether it’s for a new pet once they rent out the place or one they’re bringing with them once they move in, it’s important to screen the pet to identify its breed, size, and temperament. Including pet screening with tenant screening will ensure that the pet is well-behaved and can help you prevent potential property damage. You should only approve pets that pass your pet policy, except if the pet is a certified service animal or ESA.
Including Pet Rent
Pet rent is an additional fee to the regular rent tenants pay. It has become a common practice for pet-friendly rentals, and it can help you cover some damages like wear and tear, messes in your property, or other severe damages. Just be sure to charge pet rent accordingly, as an amount that is too high could dissuade pet owners from renting your apartment.
Charging a Pet Deposit
Unlike pet rent, pet fees are one-time fees and can be larger in amount. You’ll be getting a non-refundable pet deposit upfront which you can use for all damages and cleaning. The downside to this is that it might not be enough if the tenant’s pet consistently causes damage, and you might need to charge them a pet deposit again.
Amount for Pet Fees
Setting an amount for the monthly pet fee should be just enough to cover potential costs with pet damages, but not too much that the prospective tenant would back out of the deal. It’s a competitive rental market with only about half allowing pets, and you may find that some landlords charge a smaller pet fee for pet-friendly housing.
Responsibilities of Pet Owners
Many pet owners already understand they are primarily responsible for their pets in a rental property, but it’s better to set a pet policy for them to follow such as preventing disruptive behavior that affects neighbors, keeping them on a leash or in a crate when outside their rental unit, cleaning up after their messes, and more. You can even go beyond and require proof of vaccinations and licensing for the pets, just to be sure that they cannot cause severe harm to your tenants.
Pet Restrictions in Certain Areas
If you wish for some areas in your property to remain pet-free, you should indicate it on the pet agreement. Some landlords don’t allow pets in pools since it would be harder and more expensive to clean it up if they made a mess. You might also want to consider tenants who could have allergies and require pets to be in a carrier when brought into the lobby.
Determine What Species are Considered Pets
You can indicate specifically which types of pets can live in your rental property in the pet policies. Most people would consider dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and fish to be pets. Exotic animals, on the other hand, like spiders and snakes might cause distress to other tenants. If you do allow more types of pets, you should consider various pet fees or additional costs. For instance, dogs can be more disruptive than hamsters.
Limited Number of Pets Allowed
The tenant should disclose the number of pets they're bringing with them. There's only so much a pet owner can control, and more than three animals might be too much. The pet deposits might not be enough to cover the potential pet damage, even for well-behaved pets. If you do allow tenants to have more pets, consider increasing the amount for pet deposits.
Regular Unit Inspections
To make sure that the tenant is being responsible for their pet ownership, a regular inspection of their rental may be necessary. Include the frequency of inspections in the lease agreement. While this sounds like a tedious task, you can hire a company like Green Tree Property Management, which can conduct regular inspections for property maintenance, prompt repairs, and provide regular updates.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Much Should I Charge for Pet Deposits?
A property owner will usually charge around $100 to $500, depending on the unit. Since the pet deposit is a one-time payment, make sure it will cover all potential damages the tenant's pets may cause.
How Much Should I Charge for Pet Fees?
Since pet fees are charged monthly, you can set a lower price. Property managers usually put the price around 1% to 3% of the monthly rent.
How Often Should I Conduct Rental Inspections?
That's your personal preference, but the ideal frequency would be monthly. It's not too often to inconvenience the tenant, but just enough to resolve any issue that you may find. Be sure to provide contact information where renters can request repairs.
Which Pets Should I Allow?
In some properties, only dogs are allowed especially since service animals or assistance animals are mostly canines. Just be wary of the breed restriction you include in the pet policy and that their vaccinations are up to date. According to American Humane, about 9% of rental properties allow companion animals without too many restrictions.
Should You Hire a Property Manager Instead?
While you can take care of all of this on your own, it might be a better idea to hire a property management company instead. Companies like Green Tree don't just offer regular inspections, they also provide services like marketing, tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance, eviction, and other basic operations that can take over most of your time. You can try our free Rental Analysis to get started.
