1st time advertising a rental, and need help with 2 things

[Shawn Stiteler]

Ok, this is my first forum post (on any platform) so hopefully this comes out clear.

I just advertised my first rental and we have been getting calls and I have come across 2 things I was not prepared for.

1. We have a no pet policy, but I should have had the service animal exception figured out earlier. If we are to accept service animals what is a good policy to have (one time fee plus monthly fee?). It’s a 3/2, completely renovated and appraised around $160,000 if that helps determining cost, rent is $1,500 a month.

2. The home is located in an area with a lot of Spanish speaking people. We have been getting calls from prospective tenants that speak no English. I don’t want to discriminate, but I also don’t have the ability to always have a Spanish speaking person to translate. So how does some one handle this? Is it the tenants responsibility to have everything translated and explained to them?

Thanks for any advice.

Shawn Stiteler

[Anna Sagatelova]

Charging for support/assistance/service animals is not a state law issue, it is absolutely and definitively prohibited by federal Fair Housing law, as it would be discriminatory against persons with disabilities.