Opinions of no-smoking and no-pets?

[Matt M.]

I'm really on the wall about this one, because lots of people smoke (eww... absolutely hate it...), and lots of people have pets and refuse to separate from them. And I think not allowing those 2 might narrow my potential tenants. I am pretty positive I will NOT allow smoking, because it stinks, its messy, it makes everything dirty, and its a bear to clean out. And Pets destroy stuff, create liabilities, trash the yard, and can destroy the house.

Some of the properties I'm looking at I've noticed have huge fenced in yards, so that would be a GREAT selling point for tenants... but I dont think I want to deal with cleaning, messes, pooh, and the liability of bites....

Input?

[Tracy Royce]

Absolutely no smoking allowed. Ever.

Pets, yes, but with restrictions. Put a lb limit on them, make them list the breed, name, and keep a picture on file. Plus a NON-refundable pet fee. Only allow a certain amount (2 pets max?) and any other pet found in house can be up to $xxx.

Allowing pets tends to keep people in place since it's harder to find places that do allow pets, but definitely filter what you allow and be strict about a damages policy.