Vetting Applicants with Pets
Rental Property Investor · Rogers, AR · Member since 2018 · 25 posts · 19 votes
Good morning, BP Community.
I have been reading the forums about allowing tenants with pets. It seems the community is about a 50/50 split between allowing pets in rentals or not. I was originally leaning towards allowing dogs in our rental home, but not cats. However, we have had several applicants reach out about allowing cats, so now I am reconsidering. I know there are certainly good pet owners that take care of their animals. I have bought properties that have been trashed from animals (specifically cats), and I have seen the damage they can cause. I know many charge a pet fee + pet rent, but often that does not always cover the damages that could be caused by an animal. I have read that many landlords verify that cats are fixed, and also check previous landlord references, but I know there are some other ideas out there from this experienced community.
So, my question is, how do you vet an applicant(s) pets when considering them for your rental? I feel confident in my ability to vet the actual tenant, but not so much the pets. It's not like I can just walk in their current place and see how meticulous they are about their pet's health and hygiene.
"how do you vet an applicant(s) pets when considering them for your rental?"
petscreening.com is our brokerage's tool for this. We charge the tenant a $299 pet admin fee at move in, and also require a $95 home inspection every 6 months. We have found that by systematizing our screenings, we are able to maintain a solid non-discriminatory process.
You could ask to see the vet bill or a copy of the vet records for the cat that shows he/she (they) are fixed.
Price can be an issue for some applicants, in which case most areas offer low cost spay and neuter by local Vets. Look online for low cost pay and neuter for your area, and you can learn about this if you want.
Good Luck!
"how do you vet an applicant(s) pets when considering them for your rental?"
petscreening.com is our brokerage's tool for this. We charge the tenant a $299 pet admin fee at move in, and also require a $95 home inspection every 6 months. We have found that by systematizing our screenings, we are able to maintain a solid non-discriminatory process.
For me vetting them mostly means trying to figure out whether they have a pitbull or something else I don't want during prescreen.
In my ads I just say "some pets accepted". When I ask them what pets/breed they have during pre-screen, if they don't give me a straight answer -- if they say "its a mutt", "oh we don't know what it is -- we found it on the side of the road when it was a puppy" -- I simply don't deal with them because they aren't cooperating with me.
I also ask them to text me a photo of the dog once they are approved and going forward, to avoid the off chance that they lied about what it was so that they could sneak an aggressive dog in.
Good morning, BP Community.
I have been reading the forums about allowing tenants with pets. It seems the community is about a 50/50 split between allowing pets in rentals or not. I was originally leaning towards allowing dogs in our rental home, but not cats. However, we have had several applicants reach out about allowing cats, so now I am reconsidering. I know there are certainly good pet owners that take care of their animals. I have bought properties that have been trashed from animals (specifically cats), and I have seen the damage they can cause. I know many charge a pet fee + pet rent, but often that does not always cover the damages that could be caused by an animal. I have read that many landlords verify that cats are fixed, and also check previous landlord references, but I know there are some other ideas out there from this experienced community.
So, my question is, how do you vet an applicant(s) pets when considering them for your rental? I feel confident in my ability to vet the actual tenant, but not so much the pets. It's not like I can just walk in their current place and see how meticulous they are about their pet's health and hygiene.
Our fees vary depending on the property and the owner- for our small, cheap apartments, I require a $150 non refundable pet fee per animal, due upon lease signing. For our single family homes, we require between a $300-500 Pet Deposit that is refundable. While we have had some terrible pet/tenant experiences upon move out, most pet owners who are already paying $2k plus to rent the nice house they are in, do take proper care of their animals. The best way to vet certain animals(namely dogs) for us, is to impose a size limit - "No pets over 25lbs" . I also require a photo of the prospective pet and the applicant to fill out a general "pet application" then get approval via the property owner.
As a pet owner who does take care of my animals and they DONT cause damage to the property I live in, Im grateful that my broker does not require that I charge a monthly pet rent to our tenants. We cant charge people extra when they have 8 kids living at the property (who do far more damage than any pet), why charge monthly for a pet?
Good morning, BP Community.
I have been reading the forums about allowing tenants with pets. It seems the community is about a 50/50 split between allowing pets in rentals or not. I was originally leaning towards allowing dogs in our rental home, but not cats. However, we have had several applicants reach out about allowing cats, so now I am reconsidering. I know there are certainly good pet owners that take care of their animals. I have bought properties that have been trashed from animals (specifically cats), and I have seen the damage they can cause. I know many charge a pet fee + pet rent, but often that does not always cover the damages that could be caused by an animal. I have read that many landlords verify that cats are fixed, and also check previous landlord references, but I know there are some other ideas out there from this experienced community.
So, my question is, how do you vet an applicant(s) pets when considering them for your rental? I feel confident in my ability to vet the actual tenant, but not so much the pets. It's not like I can just walk in their current place and see how meticulous they are about their pet's health and hygiene.
Our fees vary depending on the property and the owner- for our small, cheap apartments, I require a $150 non refundable pet fee per animal, due upon lease signing. For our single family homes, we require between a $300-500 Pet Deposit that is refundable. While we have had some terrible pet/tenant experiences upon move out, most pet owners who are already paying $2k plus to rent the nice house they are in, do take proper care of their animals. The best way to vet certain animals(namely dogs) for us, is to impose a size limit - "No pets over 25lbs" . I also require a photo of the prospective pet and the applicant to fill out a general "pet application" then get approval via the property owner.
As a pet owner who does take care of my animals and they DONT cause damage to the property I live in, Im grateful that my broker does not require that I charge a monthly pet rent to our tenants. We cant charge people extra when they have 8 kids living at the property (who do far more damage than any pet), why charge monthly for a pet?
This is some great information, thank you for replying!
I understand where you have empathy for pet owners, and therefore decide not to charge pet rent. However, I disagree with not charging pet rent. This is my opinion, and I have a dog that is treated like a princess. Yes, children and large families can cause far more damage than pets, but they are a protected by law (and rightfully so). To answer your question "why charge monthly for a pet?" For me, it is because they often cause more wear and tear/damage and I (landlord) should not be at fault. It is because they are not protected, and you can charge for them. Pets are a luxury and privilege.
"how do you vet an applicant(s) pets when considering them for your rental?"
petscreening.com is our brokerage's tool for this. We charge the tenant a $299 pet admin fee at move in, and also require a $95 home inspection every 6 months. We have found that by systematizing our screenings, we are able to maintain a solid non-discriminatory process.
I will have to check this out, thank you!
I mean, you could actually ask to see the pet and residence via zoom...
So some properties a small pet fee, some not. We are moving away from it. All under 25 pounds and certain breeds restricted.
But our biggest change is in the lease:we let them know that for any animal (note: not pet) the assumption will be 1) the unit is returned to a state where a person allergic to the animal would be able to rent the apartment and 2) a professional cleaning will be conducted at the landlords discretion and the tenants expense, up to and including wall wash, hi powered vacumn for dander, enzyme treatment, killz etc. 3) The expense will be taken out of the security deposit.
We haven't had it tested in a dispute yet, but I think it keeps good pet owners careful, rather than prevents bad apples, but it also gives you the ability to do a very thorough job, which should work with most pet damage, horror stories aside. And every prospective tenant I've shown it too has thought it very reasonable and is relieved to not pay up front.
We think it helps us to offer it. Most problems seem to come from multiple animals over many years, which hasn't been an issue. So far so good and fingers crossed.
Put me in the pets camp - eliminating 70% of potential applicants because they have pets seems crazy.
There is greater demand for my rentals, which means less vacancy and more applicants, which I believe offsets any upkeep costs.
I've yet to have pets damage the furnace, roof, or any other big ticket items. I'll replace carpet - it's just not that big a deal.