ATTN: People who rent to Pet owners *Newbie seeks advice* Thanks!

[Michael Wegner]

Hi Everyone, 

So after countless hours of listening to podcasts, surfing these forums learning from you all, and reading tons of articles/books I am super pumped to finally be closing on my first property in about a week (house hacking a 4plex)! 

I have done my research and have heard countless arguments re the pros/cons regarding renting to pets and I am about 99% sure I am team PETS!! I am fairly set in stone as far as being willing to risk damages in order to increase my potential tenant pool and my rent potential. I do plan to charge an up front pet fee and then to also charge monthly pet rent per pet to hopefully offset some of the inevitable damages :D 

My biggest worries pertain to the personal liability component (Tenant A's dog bites Tenant B, the mailman gets bit by Tenant B's Cat, etc) and I want to make sure I am doing my best to protect myself. I am hoping to get advice pertaining to the verbiage you use in your pet addendum/leasing agreements and am also interested in any other precautionary measures you may take in order to limit your liability. 

I will be not allowing certain "dangerous" breeds (per my insurance) but again I want to make sure I am wording this correctly to ensure I don't get sued for "discrimination". Any other advice/tips etc. pertaining to renting to pet owners are greatly appreciated! 

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my huge wall of text and for helping the new guy out. Once again, I appreciate it! 

- Mike 

[Wendy Brockman]

I've not had any damage over the years when I've rented to tenants with pets, perhaps I have been lucky.

Allow small dog breeds and cats. Most of the damage will likely be on your tenants own furniture. Worst I've seen is friend's dog chew trim. Though this is easily fixed out of security bond.

Include in your ad that nuisance pets (barking, aggression) is not acceptable, include this also in your agreement. If this is legal in your area to do so.