Pets are overwhelmingly popular with renters. In fact, 90% of all renters currently own a pet, according to a 2009 report by the California Apartment Association, and most of those who don’t have a pet now would like to get one within the next year. In 2008, apartment seekers logged more than 11 million searches on Apartments.com for rentals that allow cats and dogs.
This means that landlords who allow pets can greatly increase the number of potential renters for their houses or apartments. In times when good tenants are hard to find, accepting pets can make the difference between successfully renting a unit or having it sit empty.
Damage and Liabilities, the Down Side of Renters with Pets
Allowing pets in rental properties also carries significant risks. Online landlord bulletin boards such as mrlandlord.com abound with horror stories from landlords who allowed a dog or cat into a rental property and ended up losing thousands of dollars from pet damage. One small dog or cat can easily cause enough damage to eat through even the largest security deposit. Frequently reported pet damage includes:
- Urine stains and smell on carpets, wood flooring, drywall, and trim. Carpets are most vulnerable to urine, but in bad cases it may be necessary to pull up and replace the padding and subflooring or remove drywall to eliminate the odor.
- Claw scratches or chewing damage on floors, doors, and trim. Birds or rodents that are allowed to roam around the rental can cause costly chewing damage.
- Shredded carpet, mini blinds, or window screens.
- Damaged or destroyed plants and landscaping, or holes dug in yards.
The biggest risk of accepting pets, though, is the possibility that someone could get bitten or injured by a tenant’s animal and file suit against the closest person with deep pockets. That person is usually the landlord. Landlords who allow pets need to make sure they are well protected by liability insurance.
Reduce Risk with Renter Screening for Pets as Well as Humans
Some pets can live in a rental for years without causing the slightest problem, but others can do hundreds of dollars of damage in a single day. Landlords who accept pets must learn to tell the difference between the good pets and the bad pets. Here are some tips for successful pet screening.
- Check the “banned” list. Many insurance companies have a list of breeds they will not cover. The typical banned list includes breeds with a history of aggression, such as pit bulls, Chows, Akitas, Rottweilers, and others. Reject applicants whose pets are on the list or who refuse to disclose their animal’s breed.
- Set limits on age, size, breed, and neutering. An energetic puppy that isn’t house trained is much more likely to cause damage than an older dog that spends all day sleeping on the floor. Some breeds are also much more active and tend to bark more than others, which could disturb neighbors or tenants in nearby units. Neutered animals have fewer behavior problems than unneutered ones. Unneutered male cats, for instance, will often spray walls with urine to mark their territory, while unneutered female dogs and cats both attract males when they go into heat. Many landlords also set limits on pet size, only allowing dogs of 25 pounds or less.
- Interview the pet together with the owner. This allows the landlord to see whether the animal is friendly and seems well controlled by the owner. Aggressive behavior should lead to automatic rejection of the tenant.
- If possible, visit the pet’s current living quarters. A pet owner who keeps a clean house and empties the litter box is likely to be a responsible pet owner at future houses or apartments too. Signs of damage or poor housekeeping at the current place are bad omens.
Warning – Service Animals Are Not Ordinary Pets
In the United States, animals that perform tasks for people with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities act and other state and local laws. Landlords are not allowed to screen service animals the way they do other pets. For instance, a landlord can’t reject a potential renter because the person lives with a service animal. Landlords are also forbidden to charge extra rent or pet deposits for service animals. In some locations, landlords are also required to accept companion or comfort pets if the renter has a doctor’s letter demonstrating a medical or even emotional need for the pet.
Landlords can ask for documentation that the applicant has a disability and that the animal is required for the disability, but they are not allowed to ask for details of the disability, medical records, or certificates of training for the service animal. It’s important to become familiar with local laws about service and comfort animals.
Reject the Applicant if the Pet Doesn’t Pass Renter Screening
Applicants with problem pets will often promise to get rid of the pet before moving into a new house or apartment. Experienced landlords find that these promises are almost never kept. The pet inevitably appears in the rental a few days or weeks after the tenant moves in. If the pet doesn’t pass screening, the prudent thing to do is to reject the applicant and move on to find someone whose pet will make a pleasant resident.
If you liked this article, you may also like these other articles about successful renter screening:
- How to screen rental applicants over the phone - Asking the right questions during a prospective tenant's initial phone call can save landlords a great deal of time by screening out unqualified applicants right away.
- How to set minimum requirements for potential tenants- Avoid mistakes in tenant screening by making a written list of the income, credit record, employment and other requirements applicants must meet to qualify for a rental.
Christine Mann - Christine Mann writes about quilting, home decor sewing, and creativity in daily life.
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