Allow Dutch German shepherd dog in rental property?

[Lara Thatcher]

Hi all, I’m in a bit of a predicament. I have very qualified prospective tenants but they have a Dutch German Shepard dog. Female, 54 lbs, vaccinated, potty trained and “very sweet”. I’ve only ever rented to people with small dogs in the past, so I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not. The prospective tenants themselves are lovely and have no issues qualifying, but I am seeing online that the general consensus is to never rent to people who have a German shepherd, because those dogs are prone to biting and aggression. I was wondering if this is different because it’s not a pure German shepherd, or if it’s all the same. My insurance said they don’t cover German shepherds, but said the tenant can always get renters insurance. BUT, they also said that if the dog were to injure someone, I could be sued too regardless if the tenant has insurance.

I’m not sure what to do. I would hate to lose great, qualified tenants just on the *what if* scenario of their dog injuring someone. They say it’s a sweet dog with no history of bad behavior. What has been your experience renting to people who have a restricted dog breed?

Should I rent to them? Would you? Also, does anyone have experience with mixed shephards? 

[Colleen F.]

@Lara Thatcher The other point I would make is if you go with this decide how much liability you want on the renters insurance.  Consider do you have a fenced yard and is the property suited to the dog(high enough fence). I turned down a similar situation a few months ago.  I had an unfenced yard and an adjacent property so while I felt bad for them I had to manage the risk. 

I don't accept dogs in most units but its the little ones that are the biggest problem, very yappy, noise complaints.  As for tenants with animals I do understand they are part of the family but why if you are a renter do you choose a dog that is an aggressive breed?  And also although not relevant in this case I question why tenants who can barely pay their bills go out and get animals.