Would you rent to a renter with four dogs

[Flora Granter]

We closed a single family house last month. The house is move-in ready with fresh carpets. One potential renter contacted us that she is selling her house which closes Dec 31. She is looking for a 6-month lease and she has four dogs. Would you rent to a four-dog owner? My husband said we can kiss the carpets good-bye. But on the other hand, rental in winter is a tough business. 6-month will take us to June when it is much easier to find quality tenants. We are working with an agent/property manager to list our property on mls., which means we will lose two-month rent for listing alone, after the 6-month lease expires. What is your advice? New investor needs your insights.

[Marcia Maynard]

Nope. We have a NO PETS policy. An untrained dog can cause a lot of damage in a brief amount of time. Especially if the tenant is not a responsible pet owner.

However, there are many landlords who welcome pets for extra rent and/or extra security deposit. If you can verify the tenant is a responsible pet owner and the dogs are well trained and have a history of not causing damage, then you could consider it.

Although we don't accept pets, we have grandfathered in a few over the years. We now require tenants with pets to adhere to a Pet Agreement which becomes an addendum to their rental agreement. Best practices as defined by the ASPCA, AKC, and the Humane Society are written into our agreement. Also, be prepared to charge for damages as they occur, as it is easier to collect at that point.  If you don't, you may find the security deposit is not enough.