Pet free while owning a pet?

Question

Hello everyone!

I'm not sure if this question has been asked before but I am in quite a predicament when it comes to my rental property. I just bought a property and will soon be house hacking away. Currently, I own a dog as a pet. However, due to the horror stories I heard about tenants with pets and the damages they can cause, I am reluctant to accept tenants with pets and keep my units pet free. I understand and am willing to pay for damages or issues my dog may create but I am worried that my tenants will not do the same. For example, if the banister is chewed up, i'm left with damages their pet cause and will be the one to foot the bill. Is it fair or legal (i'm in NYC) to advertise and put a policy in place when the units are pet free but I, myself have a pet? I can see how it can seem unfair in some people's eyes but at the end of the day, if damage were to occur, it will fall on me and not them. What seems reasonable and how can I go about this in a fair and understanding manner? Thank you for your responses and feedback.

John Underwood · Answer

You make the rules. You can have a pet and not allow tenants to have pets.

I like allowing pets for the following reasons:

I have found that people do damage and not their pets

If you get good tenants they don't let their kids or pets damage your property

75% seem to have pets, I don't want to exclude that many applicants

People with pets stay in my property longer

Pet fee is extra income

Max T. · Answer

Don't think too hard.

Advertise the rental unit as "no pets allowed."

Your personal unit doesn't have to follow the same rule.

Why describe the building as pet free?

John Underwood · Answer

A good tenant is one who pays their Bill's on time doesn't have to much debt, doesn't have a bunch of accounts in collections, doesn't have any evictions, has a stable job and makes 3x the rent or more.

People who manage their financial word and has a decent credit score typically will take better care of your property and will not allow kids and pets to do damage.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

@Kevin Ha Depending on your market, 50% of applicants or more will have a pet. If you do not allow pets, that means you are cutting out half your market. Other considerations:

1. Pet owners are willing to pay more because it's hard to find pet-friendly rentals;

2. Pet owners tend to stay longer;

3. If you are smart, you can make more money with pets than without.

Did your dog crap all over the house? Did it scratch up the doors and chew up the bannister or window sill? Did it dig up the yard and bark at the neighbors all day?

There are good pets and bad pets, just like there are good tenants and bad tenants. Your job is to screen them and ensure you are getting a good pet. But you can't run a credit check on pets so how do you screen them? By screening the owner!

People with strong credit, stable employment, and good Landlord references tend to have well-behaved animals. The stronger your screening for the people, the more likely they will have good pets. You can also set limitations on the number of pets you will accept, their size, type, and breed. For example, some owners will only accept a single dog under 20 pounds while others are OK with three black labs. Some take dogs but not cats or vice-versa.

Once you determine what you'll accept, there's still a level of risk associated with animals. How do you mitigate that risk? An increased deposit? Pet rent?

My personal process is to screen the animal using PetScreening.com which is free to the Landlord. It requires the tenant to upload a picture of the animal, vaccination records, etc. It even requires them to renew every year. After the animal is screened and approved, I increase the rent based on the risk level of the animal. For example, a 6-year-old Shitzu will increase the rent $50 a month because they are very low-risk animals. A larger dog may increase the rent $75 a month. PetScreening.com can be set up to award each animal a "Fido" score that determines the level of risk and you can increase the rent based on that score.

My point is, animals present a level of risk but you should learn how to mitigate that risk, open your rental to a wider market, and turn this into an opportunity to generate more revenue.

Jason D. · Answer

@Kevin Ha I dont know about the laws regarding the situation, but I dont think its unreasonable. Its your property, and you are financially responsible for it.

Jonathan W. · Answer

@Kevin Ha this question has definitely been asked a lot here but if your rental market is hot you shouldn’t have a problem finding a renter without a pet. But you’d be losing out on revenue and a lot of pet damage is small/easily fixable if the owner isn’t negligent with their pets. The fact that you have a pet is irrelevant.

Do you want to risk it? It’s up to you, it’s your place but you could also get a tenant that sneaks in pets so your not closing off yourself off completely from the risk of a pet causing damage.

You’ll get some great answers and find some great info on why you should allow pets on the forums for sure. Good luck with your rental!

Peo

Margaret Johnson · Answer

Will you be self-managing or using a property management company?  Because I can see the tenants reporting you to the management company as violating the no-pet rule if they don't know you are the owner.

We have househacked a fourplex for four years and haven't had a single extra expense due to pets, other than normal wear and tear.  We specifically advertise that we are pet-friendly because each of our units has a small fenced in yard which makes them preferable for dog owners over regular apartments that don't have that feature.  Most of our flooring is luxury vinyl plank so there is not much there that can be damaged.

I agree with what everyone else has said in that the pet is as good as the owner.  Good tenants tend to have well behaved pets.  Honestly the worst problem we have had with a tenant, so far, was the only tenant in the building who did NOT have pets., at the time.

Hal Fitzgerald · Answer

@Kevin Ha You have the right to decline tenants with pets of course. This is your property. Putting the clause of declining pets may decrease the candidates number. But will protect your appliances from damage at the same time. Or you can charge a guarantee fee and put it down in the lease. You have the right to do it.

Kevin Ha · Answer

Wow, thank you for so much insight everyone. Super helpful. I will take everything into consideration and I will post a follow up if you would like, once I have chosen tenants.

Jennifer Rysdam · Answer

I say to do whatever you want. You own the building. If people question it just tell them that you are responsible for your dog and you don't want to be responsible for other people's pets. If I were to move into your rental I certainly wouldn't question what you do. You own the property.I've been very wishy-washy about my pet policies. I used to allow them, but then had a crazy cat lady whose apartment smelled like a litter box. Then I had a lady with a really nice dog whose boyfriend moved in. He passed all of the checks and had a "really well trained" German Sheppard. Well, they locked each of the dogs in bedrooms during the day and that German Sheppard tore the door to shreds, along with the carpet under it. It also peed and pooped all over the apartment. Apparently it was really upset about the move. They were there 3 months and then moved out (month-to-month lease). Their deposit and pet deposit covered the damage, but I had to put in a new bedroom door and carpet, along with lots of other carpet cleaning. After that I outlawed dogs and cats.Now I'm starting to think I should reconsider and accept small dogs under 20 lbs. I think they might come with residents that will stay longer. I will charge a $25 pet rent and $300 pet deposit, as well as be very clear that all rules must be followed. When I had bought the building 2 years ago it was winter time and the entire back yard was dog crap from someone's emotional support animal. He told me he'd clean it up in the spring when the snow melted. I think not!

Pet free while owning a pet?

Most Popular Reply