As a landlord, one thing that you have to do is decide whether or not you’ll allow pets on your property. These animals are different than emotional support or service animals. These are pets that people have simply because they like having animals around.
If you decide that you want to allow pets on your property, below are three tips that you can use to help with protecting yourself, other tenants and your prospective tenant.
Verify the Pet’s References
Make sure that you are checking references from the previous landlords. Call up the landlords and ask about the pets of your prospective tenant. Focus on these questions below:
- Was there any trouble caused by the pets? Did the neighbors complain due to damage or noise?
- Can the landlord describe the behavior and personality of the pet?
- How would the landlord assess the responsibility of the tenant as an owner?
Did the prospective tenant not provide references? If so, you should be careful. There could be a reason that they didn’t give references. Someone who has nothing to hide should always be glad to provide references from a former landlord, unless of course this is their first apartment. In that case, you might ask for personal references.
Highlight any Legal Restrictions
A lot of owners don’t know any legal regulations about pets. It’s important to spell out any relevant restrictions, such as the maximum pets that are allowed inside a property and exotic pets that are prohibited.
Look for any health codes that specify hygienic disposal of pet waste and make sure that this is included in all rental agreements. it’s going to benefit both of you.
Examine the Personality of the Pet
As a landlord, you want to meet the animals that are going to be staying there. Doing an assessment first-hand is the best choice. They are going to provide you with a lot more information than oral or written accounts.
You want to see if it’s a well-socialized pet. You also want to think about the fact that the property needs maintenance and repairs regularly. Animals that are aggressive toward strangers might be a huge problem.
Get a Deposit Specifically for the Pets
When you are charging the security deposit, it’s also important to factor in the extra risk that results from pets on the property. That’s not to say that you are going to have more damage because of the pets, but you are covered either way.
These are four tips that you can use to help ensure that everyone is happy and healthy in the apartment with the pets. They’re not all-encompassing, of course, but they will help you to get started.
Thank you for reading our blog. We hope that you will come back on a regular basis, as we are always adding more blogs to our site to help landlords such as yourself. If you are looking for a property management company in Tampa Bay, give us a call! We’re always happy to answer questions.
