Ahh, pets. We love them, don’t we? Those cuddly balls of fur that make our lives complete. But as a landlord, you know that they can cause a lot of damage and headaches too. If you still want to be a pet friendly landlord and allow your renters to have pets, there are some things that you can do to help make things easier for everyone.
Don’t do a Blanket Rule – The first thing you want to do is to consider your potential tenants and pets individually. Instead of setting rules that are predetermined that limit the breed, size or number of pets that you allow, assessing each of your renters and their pets is going to help with ensuring an outcome that is a lot better both for your property and you. for instance, Great Danes are huge dogs, but they don’t need a whole lot of exercise and they are good for apartments.
Get References – Now, not everyone is going to have a prior landlord. But if they do, ask for references. Reference checks are going to let you find out quickly if they had a good history with renting and they kept their other apartments in the best condition.
Require Fixed Pets – When the pets are neutered and spayed, it will prevent unplanned litters and help with eliminating a lot of undesirable behaviors which can cause liability or property damage. Animals that are neutered won’t be as likely to dig beneath fences, spray or be aggressive.
Require Vaccines – This should go without saying but you should require that the pets are vaccinated against rabies and distemper. Most states require the rabies vaccine and a pet being updated on their vaccinations usually will indicate that their pet owner is responsible.
Have a Pet Deposit – This should be fully refundable and reasonable. There isn’t any reason to assume automatically that pets will cause damage to your property enough to warrant a deposit that’s nonrefundable or additional rent. Both people and pets can cause damage. If there is any damage, the costs, no matter what caused it, should first be assessed. Then subtract the amount from the tenant’s deposit when they vacate.
Meet the Pets – One of the best things that you can do is to meet a tenant’s pets before you make a final decision. This will help you with seeing how they behave and how friendly they are. After all, you meet your tenant. Why not meet their pets, too?
These are six tips that you can use to help your tenants and their pets have a much better and easier time in your rental property and save yourself a few headaches in the process.
We hope that you enjoyed this blog and that you’ll keep coming back to our site. We have many more helpful and interesting topics coming up in the future. If you are in need of a property management company in Tampa Bay, we are ready to serve you. Contact us today.