Pet Policies to Ruff?

[Paul DeSilva]

Hey BP fam,

Firstly, let me say that I am an animal lover who has grown up with and still has pets, heck my wife is in the process of opening up a non profit animal rescue. That being said I have seen the havoc that pets can wreak on a rental property and have had a no pet policy for the past few years. I have realized that we lose a lot of very qualified potential tenants because of our policy, so we are thinking about amending our policy. 

- What are your pet policies?

- Do you charge additional security deposit? Is it refundable?

- Do you charge a one time fee or additional monthly rent?

Just thinking about changing our pet policies so any info would be appreciated. 

Thanks,

[Adam Martin]

I add 600 to the security deposit that is refundable as I want them to have more skin in the game to want to get it back at the end and don't want to be limited to using the funds for just pet damage.  My lease is also worded that if they break it they loose the deposit so that's an extra 600.  I also charge an extra 35/month/dog.  I haven't had any problems as of yet and feel it opens a much wider pool of tenants and will hopefully make it less likely they will sneak one in.  I do not allow cats though.  I am biased since I am allergic and may be overly sensitive but I think the damage they do by smell is far worse than the damage you are likely to encounter from a dog.  I actively seek dog owners due to the extra income and add a fence if there isn't already one to help attract them.