how do you deal with tenant dog poop?

[Carol Venolia]

Howdy,

I'm happy to allow approved pets in my rental properties, and it's all been fine until lately...

I use a Pet Agreement form offered by Leigh Robinson, in his (wonderful) book, Landlording. It includes the clause "Tenants agree to clean up after their pet and to dispose of their pet's waste properly and quickly." Wow, I had no idea how many ways there were to interpret those words!

I have a half-acre property with 3 rental units. Currently two dogs live there, one for each of two tenants. I see dog poop in various places around the property, and sometimes have to be careful not to step in it. I've had more than one conversation with each dog-owning tenant, gently reminding them of the "pet waste" agreement, and saying that I basically don't want to see, smell, or step in dog poop anywhere on the property, pointing out that it's a health-and-safety issue, not just about pleasing me.

Still, I see dog poop when I'm visiting the property--and I don't go looking for it. It doesn't seem worth kicking out tenants who are otherwise good. But I'd love to hear how you enforce dog-poop rules without creating bad blood. In particular, how do you deal with it when there are two dog owners, each saying it's all the other guy's dog's poop?

Thanks!

[Derek B.]

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

Poop DNA!  Charge the offending party the costs of the testing.

http://mrdogpoop.com/crimelab.html

A friend with a large multi took this concept one step further. He did the dna program but installed bags and depositories around the property. Residents who spotted poop could write their apt # on a bag, clean up the poop and deposit it. He had them tested and charged the offending party the cost of testing plus $25 for first offense, + $40 second offense, etc.  My friend didn't keep any of the fines above his dna cost and passed them on to the resident who picked up the poop. Within a few weeks all of the kids that lived there were cleaning poop as soon as the owner left it behind and the place was spotless.