When it comes to pet-friendly rentals, your resident, and more importantly, their furry companion, make a world of difference. Leasing your property to a resident with a poorly trained and potentially destructive pet could put your home at major risk of damage. However, with the right rental knowledge and resources, you can find a trusted renter and pet duo to take care of your home. Below are some helpful tips for vetting prospective pet owners to ensure your property is in good hands --- and, more importantly, good paws.
Understanding the Appeal of Pet-Friendly Rentals
As a landlord, it’s important to maximize your prospective renter pool. One of the most effective ways to do this is to advertise your rental as a pet-friendly property. According to the Humane Society of the United States, over 70% of renters have pets. That said, embracing pet owners and their respective furry friends is one of the best business decisions you can make!
It’s also important to remember that most pet owners will filter their rental searches to include only pet-friendly listings. If you’re on the fence about allowing pets in your rental property, consider how much exposure your listing could gain. Advertising your home as pet-friendly is a surefire way to get more eyes on your listing and, as a result, increase your pool of applicants.
Crafting an Effective Pet Rental Policy
A pet rental policy, or pet addendum, will be your first line of defense against any pet-related mishaps or property damage. Pet rental policies outline the rules and regulations of pet ownership in a home. With one of these in your lease agreement, your renter should have a clear understanding of how to care for your property while owning a pet.
When creating a pet addendum, you want to be as detailed as possible. From setting pet fees to implementing pet ownership rules, you’ll want to cover all your bases before your renter signs on the dotted line. Below are some essential factors you might include in your pet rental policy.
A pet deposit
It’s common for landlords to charge a pet deposit in addition to their security deposit. The average pet deposit for renters ranges from $100 to $500. Landlords generally charge a more expensive deposit if the renter has a higher-risk pet. For example, a cat might be less likely than a dog to damage a property. That said, the average pet deposit for a dog, especially a larger breed, will likely be more expensive.
Pet specifications
A pet rental policy might also include specifications regarding the types or number of pets allowed. As a landlord, you can choose what types of animals, and even specific breeds, are permitted in your space. For example, you might prohibit certain dog breeds considered “dangerous” or “destructive.” You might also provide a weight limit, only allowing pets of a specific size to minimize the risk of property damage. Be as detailed as possible regarding pet specifications to ensure your resident’s pet meets the criteria.
Pet vaccinations, licenses, and identifications
Pet vaccinations, licenses, and identifications can be very important for a landlord. Before signing an agreement, ensure your renter can provide proof of proper certifications. For example, some states might require dogs in rescue shelters to be spayed or neutered before they’re placed in a home. In this case, you’ll want to ensure your renter has proof of the required vaccinations.
Advertising Your Pet-Friendly Rental
Advertising is a big part of finding the right tenant for your pet-friendly rental. When it comes to attracting the right audience, landlords should implement specific promotional strategies that highlight pet-friendly features and amenities. Your rental may be steps away from a local park or home to an expansive backyard. If this is the case, then you’ll want to promote these features in your listing to help your rental property stand out to prospective pet-owning renters.
Below are some helpful promotional tactics to use for advertising your pet-friendly rental:
- Include relevant keywords, such as “pet-friendly” or “dog and cat-friendly,” in your listing.
- Display photos of your property’s pet-related amenities and attractions like pet washing stations or parks.
- Advertise your rental property on relevant websites or social media groups.
- Highlight your property’s pet-friendly features, such as proximity to walking trails or large outdoor spaces.
- Ensure your pet rental policies are easily accessible for prospective residents to view.
- Showcase positive testimonials or reviews from past or current pet-owning renters.
Screening Potential Renters and Their Pets
Screening your potential tenant is essential to the rental process, particularly if pets are involved. Pet owner screenings are similar to those for non-pet owners. In either case, you should request a background and credit check, professional and landlord references, and proof of income. For pet owners, you might also require proof of pet vaccinations and informative details on the pet’s breed, behavior, size, etc. If you do well around animals, you might also request that your renter bring their pet to a pre-screening interview. This way, you can meet your tenant and their furry companion to ensure your home is in good hands.
Apartments.com makes it easy to screen tenants and ensure the best for your pet-friendly rental. Our screening tools give you all the information you need to find a trusted, responsible pet owner to rent your home. We’ve partnered with TransUnion to provide comprehensive screening reports, including renting history, credit, and background checks. With our help, you can verify tenants and make confident, informed decisions about your pet-friendly rental.
Managing Pet-Related Issues
Property management can face its fair share of stressors, especially when dealing with pet-owning tenants. While the renter might show the utmost respect for your home, the same might not be said for their four-legged friend. As a landlord, preparing yourself to take on pet-related issues is important. These issues could range from property damage like soiled carpets to noise complaints from neighbors. Below, we’ve listed some ways to get ahead of pet-related mishaps before it’s too late.
Conduct regular inspections
Regular property inspections are a great way to enforce pet rental policies. Typically, you’ll conduct your rental inspection during move-in, move-out, and mid-lease. This way, you can verify your property’s condition at the beginning of a lease and note signs of wear and tear throughout your renter’s tenancy. When it comes to pet-friendly rentals, you’ll want to be on high alert for pet-related damage during an inspection. Some common damages you might find are chewed blinds, stained carpets, or scratched walls.
Ask for a pet deposit or larger security deposit
Requesting a pet deposit is one of the most effective precautions you can take for your pet-friendly rental. This adds additional financial protection to your security deposit if your property experiences pet-related damage. If refundable, your pet deposit can also incentivize a tenant to take better care of their space, even if that means limiting their pet to certain parts of a home.
Provide helpful resources
Responsible pet owners are always seeking ways to better care for their furry friends. As a landlord, you can help them tend to their animals while also protecting your home by supplying helpful resources. For instance, you might offer your pet-owning renters information on pet training methods or numbers to local veterinary clinics upon signing the lease. Doing so will help your tenant make better-informed decisions about their pet and, as a result, protect your property from potential harm.
The Benefits of Welcoming Pets into Your Rental
Welcoming pets into your rental is a great way for landlords to get a leg up. From larger pools of applicants to longer-tenured residents, pet-friendly rentals reap unique benefits that don’t always apply to traditional, non-pet-friendly properties. Below, we’ve listed some of the top benefits of pet-friendly homes to help you make informed decisions about your rental.
Higher profit
Making your rental pet-friendly is a foolproof way to maximize your profit. While pets won’t necessarily increase the monthly rent of a property, they will require some additional expenses. As a landlord, you can enforce pet fees, pet deposits, and pet rent in your lease agreement. Collecting any combination of these rental fees will increase your overall income and ensure the renter financially accounts for all pets.
More applicants
As a landlord, the last thing you want to do is limit your renter options. Outlawing pets in your property will severely limit your pool of potential applicants, as most will filter their searches to include pet-friendly rentals only. While non-pet-friendly rentals can still gain traffic, maximizing exposure is a lot easier when your rental is pet-friendly.
Longer resident tenure
Even if your tenant initially moves in without a pet, that doesn’t mean they won’t welcome a furry friend into their lives down the road. As a landlord, giving your renters the option to get a pet will incentivize them to renew their lease. In contrast, outlawing pets increases your chance of vacancies, as new pet owners might have to break their lease to accommodate their animals.
More responsible renters
Owning a pet is a huge responsibility. That said, you’ll typically find that pet-owning tenants are some of the most responsible on the market. Pet owners possess a level of patience and care that also makes them trustworthy renters. In a journal article published by the National Library of Medicine, one landlord said, “I’ve had wonderful long-term tenants with pets. They’re responsible people...” As a landlord, you’ll hopefully reap this same sentiment when leasing to pet owners. Generally, you’ll find that these renters are responsible, respectful, and trustworthy people, which is even more the reason to make your rental pet-friendly!
Manage Your Pet-Friendly Rental with Apartments.com
Are you ready to open your home to some four-legged friends? Get started with Apartments.com! We offer an expansive suite of Rental Management Tools to help you get the most out of your pet-friendly property.
When it comes to pet-friendly rentals, marketing, applicant screening, and property management are more critical than ever. By implementing effective promotional strategies, you can maximize your listing’s reach and widen your applicant pool. Then, once you’ve selected a potential renter, you should go through all the necessary screening steps to ensure they are a qualified, trusted option. Remember to screen their pets as well! Once all is signed on the dotted line, you’ll want to implement the correct property management techniques to monitor your rental and enforce your pet policy. Though these steps might seem like a task, they are well worth it if you want to keep your property around for the long haul!
Choosing Apartments.com as your one-stop shop for pet rental management will help you find long-term success! Don’t wait – list and manage your pet-friendly rental today to find the right pet owner for your home.
