Tenants want to move in with their Sheltie puppies and their Siamese cats. A large majority of tenants in Playa Vista and throughout California have at least one pet. If you are adamant about not allowing pets in your rental property, you should probably prepare for a longer vacancy period than you currently anticipate. Pet-friendly properties attract more tenants, earn more in rent, and have an easier time retaining those residents.
But we understand the concern that owners have about protecting their properties. Pets come with risks. They make messes. They do damage.
How can you balance your tenants’ desires with the preservation and protection of your investment property?
The answer is this: a good pet policy.
At Fostr Property Management, we screen pets as closely as we screen humans. We also create and enforce pet policies that ensure your rental home is not in danger of excessive damage.
Here’s why pet policies are so essential, and what you want to include in your own.
First: Communicate Clearly with Tenants about Pet Expectations
While marketing a rental home that’s pet-friendly, it’s important to include that you’re open to considering pets. This will attract far more prospective residents to your listing, and it will also save a lot of time for you and prospective applicants. They won’t have to call or email to find out if you’re willing to accept pets; they’ll see it right there in your listing.
As you’re showing the property, screening tenants, and preparing for approved tenants to move in, make sure your expectations around pets are part of the conversation. You want your new residents and even your prospective residents to understand their role in keeping the property clean and well-maintained, even if they have dogs or cats (or both!) running around.
Clear communication can prevent misunderstandings and encourage tenants to be vigilant. Welcoming pets into your rental property can set you apart from the competition and bring you a larger pool of well-qualified tenants. When the tenant that you ultimately approve to move into your home understands that you expect them to be responsible pet owners, they are almost always willing to prove to you that they are.
Screening Pets for Rental Homes
Your tenant screening practices are likely well-established, and you’re using them to find qualified tenants for your properties. Most screening processes include checking for credit and verifying income. Smart landlords look for prior evictions and evaluate rental history. When you’re conducting rental reference calls and you’re screening a tenant with pets, always ask former landlords how the pets behaved.
Screening pets involves checking their vaccination records, ensuring they have proper identification, and establishing their temperament through a pet interview. You can ask for a photo of the pet so that you can easily identify the animal if you happen to be at the property making repairs or conducting a maintenance walk-through.
Here’s what to look for.
Pets and Health Issues
It’s always better to rent your home to tenants with healthy pets. We’re not suggesting you deny a three-legged dog, but you do want to be sure you’re not inviting anything unsanitary into your home. The animal’s veterinarian can confirm they’re up on their vaccinations, flea treatments, and other medical requirements. You don’t want to find your carpets infested with fleas after a tenant with a few cats moves out.
Pets and Behavior Issues
Ideally, your tenant’s pets will behave well. How can you know this? Part of the screening process should be getting to know the pet’s background before you agree to accept them. Do they have a history of biting neighbors? Are they prone to running away? These are things you’ll need to know before you approve a pet. While the tenant will provide this information, you want to verify it with veterinarians and former landlords. During reference checks, ask current and former landlords if the pet was well-behaved or if there were any complaints.
Pet Interviews
Once you've reviewed the initial application, conduct a pet interview to assess the animal's temperament and the owner's control over their pet. Observe how the pet interacts with both the owner and strangers, and look for signs of aggression or excessively shy behavior, which could translate into destructive behavior or excessive noise.
Dangerous Breeds and Your Pet Policy
You can restrict the pets you allow into your rental property. This is one of the things that can be the cornerstone of your pet policy. Maybe you only want one pet per tenant. That’s reasonable. You can also say no more than two pets or even two cats or one dog. You can say no to kittens and to puppies. You can implement weight restrictions or age restrictions. Pets are not protected classes. You can be as specific as you want when it comes to what you will and will not allow.
You may want to restrict dog breeds, as well.
Anyone who owns a Pit Bull or a Doberman will tell you that their dog is just as gentle as can be.
That may be true, especially if you know a few dogs like that yourself, but try telling that to your insurance company. Many of them do not have any interest in whether those dogs are sweet and chill. They just don’t like providing coverage for them. A lot of insurance companies maintain a dangerous dog breed list, and they will not cover any incident that involves the dog on your property. The list includes Dobermans and Pit Bulls as well as German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Alaskan Malamutes, Great Danes, Siberian Huskies, and others.
Check in with your landlord's insurance company and find out if there are restrictions on the breeds that will be covered. If your insurer does not cover specific breeds, it does not necessarily mean you have to forbid the dogs - it simply means you have to be aware of the insurance that will not apply. If you’re going to allow a tenant to move in with one of these breeds, require tenant liability insurance which will protect you against any claims after a dog bite.
Charging a Pet Deposit or Pet Fee
Part of a good pet policy is financial protection. You want to cover yourself financially, and that’s why it’s so important to collect a pet fee or a pet deposit. There are two schools of thought on this. A refundable pet deposit could incentivize your tenants to ensure there is no pet damage at all during the tenancy since they’ll have an opportunity to get that pet deposit back. However, California has recently changed its laws regarding security deposit limits. Unless you’re exempt, you now cannot charge more than the equivalent of one month’s rent as the security deposit. And that includes all deposits, so if you’re going to charge a pet deposit, it has to be included in the one-month limit.
You may be better off charging a non-refundable pet fee. Then, you get to keep the money, whether there’s pet damage or not. Many landlords also collect pet rent in an effort to protect their property from pet damage. When tenants are paying around $25 or $50 per pet in pet rent, you can use that for extra cleaning or repairs should it be needed. Otherwise, it simply contributes to your cash flow and profitability.
Protect Against Damage with Durable Materials
Think proactively when you’re preparing your property for tenants with pets. If you own dogs or cats yourself, you know what you need to do around your own home to keep the doorways safe from cat claws and the landscaping safe from a digging dog.
When you’re making repairs or renovations to your investment property, consider using pet-resistant materials, such as scratch-resistant flooring, stain-resistant or washable paint for walls, and metal or hardwood baseboards instead of softwood. If you have a yard, you’ll want to make sure the outdoor space is pet-friendly. Install secure fencing; this will raise your rental value and make your property especially attractive to dog owners. You’ll also want plants and shrubs that can endure dog noses or cat curiosities.
Conducting Pet Inspections
It’s a good idea to get into your property at least once or twice a year to ensure that the pet is behaving well and respecting the pet policy you have in place. Make sure your lease agreement and your pet policy state that you’ll be inspecting on a routine basis. Provide plenty of notice before you arrive, and conduct a walk-through of the property to ensure that the pet is not causing problems at your property. This is a good way to protect your property and enforce your lease agreement.
When you partner with a property manager, you’ll have an easier time renting to tenants with pets. There’s more peace of mind, and you’ll be able to leverage the resources and the policies that your property manager already has in place.
We can be your property management partner. Please contact us at Fostr Property Management. We serve owners and their properties in communities such as Playa Vista, Westchester, Playa Del Rey, and surrounding areas.
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