What dog restrictions should I have?

Question

I have a someone interested in applying for one of my units. They have a 2 month old rescue dog, Boxer "mix". I'm wondering if I should allow a dog so young into the property and if Boxers are an ok breed to have for insurance purposes. The unit is on the top floor of the building, so people will be living under them if that matters.

CJ M. · Answer

@Byron W.

I generally allow dogs in all of my properties, for a non refundable pet fee ($250), and additional monthly rent ($50/mo). That said, I do not permit dogs on the 2nd floor of my duplex. The risk of noise and ticking off my tenant on the 1st floor is not worth it, and I don't want to end up with 2 unhappy occupants at the property

Bjorn Ahlblad · Answer

A two month old dog will be peeing on your floor several times before sufficient training has taken place. Not the dogs fault it is just life. 'Boxer mix' is very indefinite; I love my dog but I would be very leery of a dog with that description in a MF. I'm suspecting the dog might be more of a 'pit bull mix' since statistically that is the most numerous dog needing to be rescued. I see too much risk for me to approve the tenant.

John Underwood · Answer

Your policy should state "No Agressive Breed Dogs as defined by my insurance Company" This was you are not the bad guy, your insurance company is.

Then get a list of these breeds from the insurance company.

I have no carpet in any of my rentals. This helps with making them pet friendly.

Dick Rosen · Answer

We don't believe in restricting any breeds, we'd rather screen both the tenant and the pet to make sure they are a good fit and meet all of our criteria. And honestly, we use a Pet Screening service that screens the pets for us, any breed, any age, service animals

Patrick M. · Answer

In my market I see the concerned landlords/managers state "contact manager" "small breeds" "1 cat ok, dogs on case by case." This is good because what you really need to do is evaluate the dog owner and not so much the dog.

I would only add that in my general life experience, the small breed, foofy dogs have a tendency to bite/nip more, it is just that they don't do the damage of a Pitbull. So you may not see them on a list, but if they nip the wrong person- be ready.

Jonathan Greene · Answer

In my area, rentals that accept pets, especially larger dogs, can get a premium up to $100/month more and also collect a non-refundable pet fee each year. I always take dogs, but I always meet them. I would be more leery of a puppy, but I've found that most one dog owners treat that dog like a kid and you can tell when you meet them. Once you see how they treat their dog, you will get an idea of  how they will treat your apartment. Dog owner renters often lose time after time with a dog so you can be careful and get more rent, but I always meet the dog and would make sure if there is a shared yard that they know they need to pick up and use only part of it.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

No puppies! In fact, your policy should be, "Tenant must have evidence of owning the animal for a minimum of one year." I use this because puppies are bad but also rescue animals can be bad. Many tenants get an older rescue animal and then have all kinds of problems with scratching doors, digging, barking, etc. I want to see they've owned the animal for at least a year and have control of the situation.

Kenny Dahill · Answer

@Byron W., yes puppies will cause more wear-and-tear and potential damage.  Consider having pet rent and a pet deposit.

Do not do a pet deposit if you state requires and limits damage expenses from pet deposit only.  Some states say once you've used all of your pet deposit, you cannot use security deposit.  If you're in one of those states I would consider increasing the security deposit.

What type of flooring do you have through the rental?  Carpet, hardwood, LVT?

Lastly, I do not think Boxers are considered an aggressive breed.  They're generally happy-high-energy goof balls.  Fun fact: Pit Bulls are ranked as the 3rd highest for kindness.  Don't let 'aggressive breed' fool you.  That is why it's important to meet the dogs.

What dog restrictions should I have?

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