Pet Deposit/Pet Rent

[Trey Mattox]

I am in the process of renting out a unit and will allow pets.  I have been back and forth about how much of a non-refundable pet fee to charge.  I have also been trying to decide whether and how much to charge for pet rent.  I have been leaning towards a $200.00 non-refundable fee and $10/month for pet rent.  I am curious what is typical for the Richmond market and what you folks are currently charging.  

[Charles M.]

I'm not sure about others but with my rehabs I make sure to use materials that won't scratch and are waterproof so I can be pet friendly. I also look for smaller homes that I can fence in the yard and I add a doggie door. I think you'd be surprised how much more money a dog owner will pay to make sure their pet has nice accommodations also. I have a rental that is $150/mo over market value simply because there is the dog door, fenced yard and is pet friendly.

When it comes to the deposit I have a $250 refundable pet deposit and no extra rent. As a customer, it absolutely pisses me off when a landlord requires me to pay more for the same amount of space, especially when their building/unit is undamageable (like my concrete flooring in my loft).

I would just charge more for the unit and if they have a pet then that's included and if not its just extra money.

One thing with pets is to make sure your landlord insurance covers it in case of bites etc.