House Hack Room to Married Couple with Dog??

[Tyreek King-El]

Team,

What types of things would you be cognizant of before renting a room to a married couple, with a dog? Do I charge more because it's two people? Pet rent? Stay away altogether?

[Bryce Jamison]

My immediate gut instinct is to say "stay away all together", but the fact that you're even considering this option tells me you're willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead in life, so maybe don't rule it out immediately. 

My biggest concern is the dog. I don't want to live with hair all over my house, constant barking, and of course, it using my house as it's restroom. If you love dogs and can "interview" the dog to get a feel for it's temperament maybe it's acceptable. I'd have them pay a non refundable pet fee too (~$500 depending on the dog and cost of remediation in your area) to take care of any carpet cleaning and odor removal you may need to do after they leave.

I'm also concerned about having a couple in the house. I don't want to have to be around any domestic arguments in the home I'm living in. If they're in a separate area of the home where you won't have to interact with them much maybe this isn't as big of a concern. I would charge more too ($50-100ish) because 2 people will increase the utilities bills more than one.

If you can wait until you can find a single person without pets that's what I'd do though.