what are the disadvantages of allowing pets in a mid rental.

Question

A prospective tenant is requesting to bring a 3-year-old dog into our space even though we do not allow pets.  Can anyone please share their experience with pets in a midterm rental. Thanks

Jamie Banks · Answer

I've had a good experience with pets in my MTRs. The times where the property has needed an extra deep clean after guests with pets moved out it was more-so because of the guests cleanliness and not the pet. I always ask for two landlord references when screening potential tenants with pets and I ask the previous landlord about the pet's shedding, any damage, etc. In the markets I invest in, over half of the inquiries that come in are guests traveling with a pet.

Joshua Gordon · Answer

Hi Ann,

My wife and I have a medium term rental in Lake Tahoe and are pet friendly. We've been renting out our cabin for roughly a year now (minimum 29 day stay) and every guest except one has had a pet with them.

Tahoe is a very pet friendly location and I believe we'd shut the door to the majority of our guests if we weren't pet friendly. We're the typical millennial dual income no kid family, have a dog and cat and travel everywhere with them. Our pets are our children and we treat them as such.

That's also the kind of clientele we target. We have been very fortunate to have not run into a single pet related incident yet. To date, the cabin has been booked solid over the last year with roughly seven dogs and one cat visiting.

We do offer a large collapsible crate for the owners to use in the event that their animals experience separation anxiety when they are away to protect both their pet and the cabin.

I'm sure our day will come when we have to deal with pet damage. So far the reward of accepting pets has far outweighed the risk.

Hope this helps,

Josh & Christina

Mario I Fernandez · Answer

Hey Ann,

These days anything can be considered a support emotional animal. Usually, dogs are messy and the ones with not good behavior will cause some damage to the property.

You are in your right to deny them if you said not pets.

Now you should check the laws and regulations of your state regarding pets and tenants.

Account Closed · Answer

Before considering pros and cons, it's important for you to know if the animal is an ESA or service animal. If they are, it will be hard for you to deny their request, though this could vary on how tenant friendly your areas laws are.

Ann Mclean · Answer

Thanks to all that took their time to share their experiences with me. Some allow pets and some don’t. I am still leaning on not allowing pets unless I have a good system and materials in place to deal with it.  I don’t own pets myself and therefore clueless on what to put in the apartment to help.

Ann Mclean · Answer

Thanks for sharing

Bonnie Low · Answer

All of our properties are pet-friendly (we have LTR, MTR and STR) and we've had no issues so far, knock on wood although we're new to STR so we'll see how that goes. Making your place pet friendly for MTRs is a significant bonus so I encourage it if you're looking to keep your place filled. It can be really hard for travelers to find places that allow pets so your place will fetch a premium, no pun intended. The biggest concern I always have is with travel medical professionals who work long shifts and leave their pet indoors. I have found the best way to deal with this is to have a conversation with them about what they expect their pet to do while they're gone and how they'll handle potty breaks. I've been pleasantly surprised that most of them will make arrangements to have a local gig worker of some kind come by and walk their dog once a day for potty break and exercise. I've contemplated putting in a doggy door to the backyard so the dog or cat can come and go, but haven't done that yet. So far, so good.

Tanner Pile · Answer

@Ann Mclean

I have had both good and bad experiences with pets in my furnished rental. The ones with a crate for the dogs have been well mannered and left it smelling better than when they came. The ones with out a crate for the dog did not let it out to the bathroom and it peed all over the rug and carpet causing multiple stains.

A owner with a crate may be a better pet owner overall is something to take from my personal experiences...

My property is in need off an update and has carpet from the 80s still. This is why I allow dogs in my unit but once I remodel it, I do not plan on allowing pets. You will stand out in a market like Colorado where owners bring dogs with them for vacation often but I think there is too much risk if you want to have a well maintained property.

Yael Lederman · Answer

As long as its a pet and not an ESA you may be able to charge pet rent + have tenants pay for any damages. It may make you more money.

Ben Einspahr · Answer

@Ann Mclean There are many advantages to allowing pets in your MTR, but sounds like you are well aware of the disadvantages. From my personal experience, here are a few:

- Navigating ESA and Service Animals. Understanding the do's and don'ts for Denver.

- If you rent on a platform like Airbnb, you will have to take off auto booking if you have specific restrictions (pet type, size, breed, ect.) on pets. Essentially airbnb only has a yes or no if you allow pets.

-Allegories for future guest. Carpet is not the best for pet friendly rentals.... but can be done. If you do have carpet, it should be shampooed. That requires about a day for it dry. Will not be able to have check in, check out on same day.

-The obvious, additional wear and tear.

But.. with every challenge is a solution!

In all, I am lucky to say me experience with pets is MTRs has been good. Notice how I did not say STR :)

My answer, do not allow pets until you have your process + systems in place.

what are the disadvantages of allowing pets in a mid rental.

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