Blog Post

Allowing a Pet in Your Rental

Dustin Edwards • January 19, 2020

Pros and Cons of Allowing a Pet in Your Rental

Girl with Dog - Allow a Pet in Your Rental?
One of the larger dilemmas that a property owner will face when preparing to rent their home is what to do about pets. Many homeowners have dogs and cats, but when they transform their home into a rental they have concerns about allowing the prospective renter the same freedom.

All too often there are a series of questions that can swirl in one’s mind. Just a few of the questions we have been asked over the years include:

  • Should I allow any pets?
  • Should I limit the types of pets?
  • If I allow pets, how many would be ok?
  • What is the impact to my property if I allow pets?
  • Will my insurance be impacted if I allow certain types of pets?
  • Can I get a premium if I allow pets?
  • Do I limit the prospective renters if I don’t allow pets?
Of course we would be happy to answer all of these questions (and more) but to help you now, let’s tackle a few of the most common ones:

Will my Insurance be impacted if I allow certain types of pets?

While we aren’t insurance agents there is no doubt that your insurance could be impacted by the type of animals that are allowed on a property. There is a reason why many insurance carriers will ask if you have a dog and the weight of that dog when you are getting your insurance. Large dogs and even certain breeds of dogs can have an impact on your insurance. This is most easily seen in condos (HOA’s must carry insurance) where the insurance has limitations on breed and weight of dogs allowed but the same is often true for single family home policies. Keep in mind that not every insurance carrier has limitations, which means before you worry check with your current insurance carrier.

What is the impact to my property if I allow pets?

This is one of those scenarios where it is a more of “it depends”. There are some tenants where after years in a home you wouldn’t even know they had a pet. There are other tenants where it is obvious that the pet enjoyed a bit too much freedom within the home. Pets can encourage a renter to stay longer (it can be difficult to find pet friendly properties) and on the other side, pets are one of the leading causes of damage to a property.

Pets are certainly one of the most common questions that we are asked about by both property owners and tenants. One way we help our property owners is through the use of the FIDO score where we ask 30 questions of our prospective tenants to find out more about their pet. Call us today at (562) 888-0247 or simply fill out our property evaluation form to find out more about how we can help with your property.

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Having clear communication with your tenant is essential for maintaining a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. By being transparent in all relevant interactions, landlords can prevent misunderstandings while resolving repairs and disputes efficiently while improving tenant satisfaction. Having good communication with your tenant is beneficial for landlords too. Effective communication also protects your investment property. Remember that while your tenant is living in the property, landlords need to take care of the repairs. Below are the three best things to do during tenant communications. Prompt Responses Addressing tenant concerns quickly is essential for building trust and maintaining a positive relationship. Tenants feel valued when landlords respond quickly, knowing that their needs are being prioritized. Building this trust not only enhances your tenant’s satisfaction it lowers the possibility of conflicts or misunderstandings to arise. This ultimately creates a healthy and successful rental experience for you and your tenant. Some of the most common inquiries will oftentimes include repair requests, among others. As an example; if your tenant reports a leak under their faucet and the repair is delayed, this can be damaging to your landlord-tenant relationship, as well as your property. If left ignored, that leak can result in hundreds of dollars in water damage and a vacancy . Which can further affect our bottom line negatively. For landlords with multiple properties, this can become difficult to keep track of. A property manager can help with scheduling repairs and communicating with your tenant on your behalf. Document Everything Keeping a detailed record of all interactions with your tenant is an important element when managing a property. There are many choices for documentation including email, text, or written notices. Although many property management companies and landlords have opted to use apps or dedicated tenant portals to log communications. A great example, for instance, a tenant may claim they’d reported a repair issue that was never addressed, if everything is to be documented, both you and the tenant would have a copy of the request. Maintaining transparency with tenants. Having thorough documentation ensures agreements and requests between all parties are clearly tracked. Documenting communications with your tenant provides landlords with a foundation for addressing misunderstandings, or disputes if and when they arise. Provide Regular Updates Regular updates show tenants that their landlord is organized and has an attentive approach to managing their property. Giving tenants ample time for maintenance, inspections or policy changes is a simple way to build trust with your tenants while showing your professionalism. Giving tenants advanced notices reassures them that you’re aware of how changes can affect them and you understand that time might be needed in order to adjust. Surprises are best kept for birthday parties. Proactively notifying tenants of changes helps clear the communication channels and minimizes disruptions which helps tenants feel valued and satisfied. These small yet consistent efforts can contribute to a positive tenant stay, which can encourage lease renewals and long-term tenancy. Additionally, having a good relationship with your tenants can give you a great reputation which can provide you with leads when looking to fill a vacancy . It cannot be understated the importance of communication for a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. Even if your tenant may not agree with some of the decisions a landlord needs to make, by giving your tenants ample time to process the change tenants generally are more accepting of said change. If you’re having trouble communicating with your tenants or if you need help managing Beach City rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or complete our Owner Application online .
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