House Hacking w/ Pets

[Evan Bunce]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently looking to do my first house hack and I have a cat. Has anyone rented out rooms while having pets? Do you allow tenants to bring pets? What experiences have you had? 

Thanks,

Evan

[Leo R.]

@Evan Bunce yes, I've house hacked while owning a pet, and I've house hacked with a tenant who had a pet.

Based on those experiences, I usually don't allow pets at my rental properties anymore--it's just not worth the headaches and liability. This is 100x more true with a house hack (compared to a traditional single unit rental).

With a house hack, a pet can deter other would-be tenants (for instance, if there's a cat in the house, that automatically disqualifies any would-be tenant allergic to cats). Pets can also be a source of innumerable problems with housemates; for instance, a dog might make noise that bothers the housemates...if a pet damages belongings, or bites a tenant, you're liable...tenants with cats often flush cat litter down the toilet, which can block the sewer main...housemates might start to complain about the dog crap in the back yard, etc., etc.. Some of these problems are relatively minor (tenants complaining about the pet's fur on the furniture), and some could be major (the pet attacking a tenant), but all of them make your job as the landlord more difficult.

When househacking, one of the TOP issues you'll face is preventing housemate disputes (I could write a whole book on that topic!) Unfortunately, a pet can easily be a source of all types of housemate disputes--so, it's easiest just to avoid those problems from the get-go. Since you already have a cat, I'd suggest considering how to prevent your cat from creating disputes--for instance, keeping the cat in a part of the house where the tenants aren't staying, putting the litterbox somewhere the tenants don't see, etc.  ...basically, minimizing the potential impact of your cat on the housemates...

In a nutshell, all the potential problems and liabilities a pet brings are not worth the small additional pet fee you might be able to charge.

I should point out that I have a dog, and he's my best bud--I'm a huge fan of pets--so, I definitely understand why a tenant might want a pet...but, I'm operating a business, and I have to do what makes business sense; and tenants with pets just don't make much business sense in my experience.

Good luck out there!