Allowing Pets in your Rental

A lot of landlords are faced with the dilemma of allowing pets in their rental property. They want to keep your tenants happy, but avoid any troubles the pet may cause. If you are renting to students, it is a good idea to avoid pets as tenants.

Pets can be very comforting and provide lots of enjoyment for their owners. In a college environment however, it is very easy for the pet to be neglected causing trouble in your rental property. Some of the issues you may face include how well all of tenants get along with the pet. If a dog is barking when someone is studying, this may lead to ill feelings toward the animal. Students typically do not want to clean up after a pet, which you may have to deal with if not addressed by the tenant. Also, if pets are left alone too long, they can get anxiety and cause damage to your house. A dog can chew or claw at a door or windowsill, or break through a screen. Sometime they try to dig inside the house and can scratch the floor.

Other issues you may face are that some tenants be be alergic to the animal and have a negative reaction. Pets such as a Pitbull could be considered dangerous and may require a change to your home owners insurance. Also, allowing one pet in your rental may be an invitaion for friends and neighbors to bring their animals for a visit. You may wind up with more pets then you expected or excuses that damage was caused by another animal and not the one covered in the lease.

There are some good sides too allowing pets. A dog can be an aid in security and ward off unwanted guests. Also, you may develop good rapport with your tenants leading them to renew their lease with you. Pets can also make a renter feel more at home, and compelled to take better care of your property.

If you decide to allow pets in your home, make sure you go over all of your terms with the tenants. How many pets are allowed, which ones, where they are allowed to go, who will clean up after them, what happens if there are complaints, and anything else you can think of. It is a good idea to collect an additional security deposit for the pet in case of damages. Check with your local housing office to make sure this is allowed. Remember, once you allow a pet into the house, it is going to be very difficult to get it out without a big issue with your tenants.

In some cases you may have to deal with a pet after it is already moved in. Make sure you address this with the tenants and don't look the other way. By just allowing a pet without discussing your terms will leave you to deal with any damage or other issues caused by the pet. Make sure you inspect your property often to see that there is no damage caused by the pet and communicate any concerns to your tenants.