pets allowed or not allowed in multi-family rental?

[Rachel Feng]

Hi, fellow MA investors! I just purchased a two-family in Watertown and plan to rent them out. I am trying to decide whether I want to allow pets or not. I have done a bit of single-family rentals and have always allowed pets, no breed restrictions. I personally found no issues with that. As a dog person myself, I hate to rule out pet owners as prospective renters. However, I am surprised to find that very very few rental properties in multi-family buildings allow pets, often times, at best some cats or small sized dogs. I was just wondering whether I miss something. I understand the risk of wear and tear, dog bites, and also potential complaints from other tenants if the dog barks excessively (up and down two-family). However, this risk also exists for single family, but you would see much more single family rentals allow pets. Is it just that the risks for two-family are greater, or is there any law that I am not aware of I need to take into account? Do you typically restrict size if you do allow dogs? Please shed some lights. Greatly appreciated!