So many ESO applications, should I just allow pets?

[Scott Lewis]

It seems about 90% of my inquiries on a rental include a “ I have one or more ESO’s”. It used to be a trickle here and there, but now it’s just about everyone. It’s more the college age crowd where everyone has an ESO.

It’s gotten so bad—- I have 1 property where I allow pets and do not charge any pet fees, but still the tenants lay it on thick with their cats being ESO’s and this and that hoping I will not try to charge them more when the lease comes back up for renewal.

This seems to be the new normal. Would I save myself a bunch of texts and aggravation if I allow pets within reason and just charge higher rent to avoid people trying to get out of pet deposits and such? I did have a property destroyed by a dog ($8000 in damages) once so that’s why I’ve been spending a lot of effort to try to deter the fakes, but it’s getting tiresome.

Anyone have a strategy with just allowing pets with a few exceptions and charging more rent on the front end?