Renting to Tenants with Pets: Pros & Cons + Questions to Ask

Renters with pets often consider their furry friends to be a part of their family. After all, they are responsible for feeding them, walking them, and most importantly, loving them. So, when it comes time to move, these renters have a keen eye out for pet-friendly properties that will welcome their entire family, four legs and all.

As a landlord or property manager, you might find yourself in the age-old debate of whether or not to make your property pet-friendly. Before you go making any final decisions, you must know your options, weighing in on both the pros and cons in doing so.

Here at Apartment List, we want to lend a helping hand. That’s why we’ve put together this detailed article to help you answer the question, “should you allow pets in your rental property?”. Keep reading to get a better idea of the pros and cons of allowing pets and how to screen these tenants for your rental property.

Pros & Cons of Allowing Pets

First things first, it’s time to take a look at both sides of the argument. Let’s take a deep dive into the pros and cons of allowing pets in your rental property.

Pro: Larger Applicant Pool

One of the primary reasons property managers will make rentals pet-friendly is to open up the applicant pool. Landlords know that finding the best tenants is a numbers game, which means the more applicants one has to choose from, the more likely they’ll be to find a perfect one in the sea of masses.

Allowing pets in your rental property means you will have more tenants interested and more options for you to choose from.

Pro: You Can Charge a Higher Rent Price

Another upside to allowing pets in your rental property is that you can charge a higher rent price. Since the ultimate goal, as a landlord, is to make as much money as possible from your rental, you can see why this can entice people to make their properties pet-friendly.

The number of pet-friendly rentals is limited, and renters seeking them out are well aware. Since the supply is low and the demand is high, naturally, you can charge higher rent in pet-friendly properties.

Best of all, it is entirely reasonable to charge more rent for pet-friendly rentals. In addition to a higher rent or pet rent addition, you can also charge a pet deposit. These additional costs help ensure that your property will be kept clean and well maintained by your pet-owning tenant.

Pro: Pet Owners May Be Likely to Renew the Lease

Once again, the fact that pet-friendly properties are hard to come by works in your favor if you decide to allow pets in yours. Because of this, a pet owner that finally finds one that they like will be more inclined to stay there and renew the lease when it comes time.

While this is not necessarily a guarantee, some studies have shown that pet owners stay in rentals longer than renters without pets.

Con: Pets Can Cause Damage

Without a doubt, the number one reason landlords and property managers across the country are hesitant to make their rental properties pet-friendly is due to the potential for damage.

It’s no secret that pets can do serious damage to a rental property. Between rips and tears in furniture or scratches on the floor, the ways that pets can destroy homes is a nearly never-ending list.

Property managers can help soften the blow of property damages by increasing monthly rent prices, charging a pet deposit, reaching out to rental references about the pet, and screening the pet themselves ahead of time.

Con: Pets Can Be Loud and Noisy

Another downside to having a pet-friendly unit is allowing a potentially loud animal to inhabit your home. While this might not be a concern in single-family units, it can become a problem in apartment units with shared walls.

Dogs that bark excessively can become very disruptive to neighbors. It is challenging to anticipate how a dog’s behavior will be in a new environment, but you can try your best to screen the dog on the property to get a better idea.

Con: Pets Aren’t Allergy Friendly

Even though many people have pets, allergies are also prevalent among renters. Any time you allow pets in a rental, you’ll have to thoroughly clean the apartment deeply to ensure all the pet hair and dander are gone, especially if any prospective tourers have allergies.

Ridding your apartment of pet hair or dander adds to the move-out expenses. Requiring your renter to professionally clean the home, including the carpets, and making sure that it is clearly stated in the lease agreement can help cover some of these costs.

Questions to Ask When Screening Tenants with Pets

As a landlord, it is in your best interest to screen your tenants before entering into a lease agreement. When you have a pet-friendly rental property, there are a few additional steps you’ll need to take to ensure you have found the best pet owner for your property.

Here are a few questions you should always be asking to screen prospective tenants with pets.

How many pets do you have?

You always want to specify with your prospective renter how many pets they have and ask for detailed information on each. While you might assume that a renter would disclose all pets, they plan to keep them in your home. You should always specify.

You should have a place in your lease agreement where the renter can detail out each pet. Additionally, you should have a clause stating that they must seek your approval before bringing an additional pet into your home. That way, you can prevent an excessive pet situation from occurring before it begins.

What kind of breed do you have?

Similar to size restrictions, there may be breed restrictions in your area. It is not uncommon to find that insurance providers have breed restrictions as well. Make sure you check with them and the local legislature to see if there are any breed restrictions for your rental property.

Even if there are no breed restrictions, you may still choose to implement some of your own. For example, some landlords won’t allow certain dogs with aggressive tendencies for safety concerns.

Do they match our size restrictions?

Depending on your area, there might be specific size restrictions for pets. Also, if you are renting out smaller apartment units, you might want to consider implementing a size restriction for safety reasons.

Make sure you discuss with your prospective renter what the size restrictions are for your rental property. You may even ask for pictures of the pets to ensure that they meet your requirements if you cannot meet them in person ahead of time.

Is your pet trained?

If you verbally ask any prospective renter if their pet is trained, more than likely, they will tell you that they are. Whether or not that is true is a different ball game. However, to cover your bases, it’s best to have something in writing.

You can have them sign an agreement that says they acknowledge that their pet is trained in your lease agreement. That way, should any issues arise later on, you can use the document to protect yourself, saying that to the best of your knowledge, you renter to someone who claimed their pet was, in fact, trained.

How old is your pet?

Another question that landlords and property managers ask applicants is how old their pets are. Young pets, especially puppies, may not be potty trained. As you can imagine, this might be a bit of a nightmare for a landlord who just put in brand new carpets in their home.

Older pets tend to be better trained and are more docile, in general. Some landlords might even have age restrictions on pets in place if they have a pet-friendly rental property.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are several considerations that come into play when you are deciding whether to allow pets in your rental property or not. As much as you might love the idea of welcoming all family members into your home, as a responsible landlord or property manager, you need to do your due diligence in weighing your pros and cons first.

If you decide to move forward with making your rental property pet-friendly, there are additional screening steps you should take before entering into a lease agreement.