Tenant wants to build fence

[Amie D.]

I've got prospective tenants that want to build a fence for their dog, at their cost as they've got a friend who builds fences for a living that could do it for them.

My prop mgr thinks it is a plus since a fenced in yard adds to prop value esp. since I allow pets at this house.

I don't mean to be negative but I'm leery of it. They could build the fence improperly, as well, without a survey I don't know where the exact boundary lines are, which could cause issue upon a sale.

Am I being too negative or? Their full application hasn't been processed yet so this is still preliminary.

[Matt Devincenzo]

So like Bill Gulley said you will be opening yourself up to their claim of equitable interest, but what if you work around it.

Tell them if their friend will quote what he would charge ($600 for argument sake), and you will pay his company directly and the increased value of the rental is now $50/mo. So in one year the fence is paid for the tenant got their fenced yard and you protected yourself.

If the fence has a tangible value to you this isn't bad, and actually is ensuring a positive income stream for the cost of the improvement. And for the tenant you can say this way the cost is spread over a longer period of time so it's not as big of a hit to the wallet.