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Renting With Pets: A Landlord’s Guide to Creating & Enforcing Pet Policies
An increasing number of tenants have pets and are searching for pet-friendly rental properties. Data from the Humane Society reports that a stunning 72% of tenants are renting with pets.
Allowing pets significantly increases the pool of applicants to fill rental vacancies. However, many landlords are concerned about the risks associated with pets, including property damage, nuisance issues, or safety risks to neighbors or other tenants.
While these can be valid concerns, there are things landlords can do to reduce the risks associated with tenants renting with pets. Here are tips for pet policies that help landlords minimize risks and attract quality applicants for their rental units.
Visit ezLandlordForms to learn more or customize a pet addendum.
Know the Laws Impacting Service Animals
We frequently get questions from landlords about how to deal with service animals, so we wanted to provide a quick overview of dealing with service animals before talking through pet policies. This can be a difficult issue for landlords and tenants, and one that landlords need to handle appropriately. It’s important to note that service animals are not considered pets, so pet policies, deposits, or fees do not apply to service animals.
Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords must make reasonable accommodations for tenants with service animals or emotional support animals.
When a tenant asks to bring a service animal, they should provide adequate documentation to show their request is legitimate. This often includes verification from a physician of the need for a service animal as well as documentation for the service animal.
If you have concerns about a request for a service animal, it’s a good idea to consult with a local attorney to ensure you’re protected and in compliance with the Fair Housing Act.
Establish Clear & Consistent Pet Policies
If you’re going to allow pets in your rental properties, the first thing you need to do is establish pet policies. These should be clear guidelines that apply to all applicants and tenants. Your pet policy should include:
- The types of animals you allow
- Any restrictions you have on pet breed, size, or weight
- The number of pets allowed in a rental property
- Noise regulations for the property
- Specific places pets can and cannot be on the property
To ensure your pet policies are fair and consistently enforced, it’s vital to set clear pet policies from the outset.
Document Pet Policies in Your Lease Agreement & Pet Addendum
Once you’ve established pet policies, you need to document them in your lease agreement. We recommend including basic terms about pets in your lease and then attaching a more detailed pet addendum to your rental contract.
The pet addendum should outline all pet policies and rules and outline tenant responsibilities, including
- complying with leash laws
- staying up to date with pet vaccinations
- cleaning up all pet waste
In addition to outlining policies, rules, and responsibilities, the pet addendum should state the consequences for non-compliance with pet policies.
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Collect a Pet Deposit or Pet Fees
An additional way to minimize risks is to charge a pet fee or collect a deposit. Many landlords who allow pets opt to charge a refundable pet deposit in addition to a security deposit. Pet deposits range from $100 to $500 depending on the location, type of property, and features of the property.
In addition to charging a deposit, some landlords charge a one-time, non-refundable pet fee to cover the cost of any damage from pets. Fees vary from property to property but are usually around $200.
A third strategy is to charge a monthly rent fee for pets. Monthly pet rents average around $25 and are a nonrefundable fee.
If you decide to collect a pet deposit, a pet fee, or monthly pet rent, first check with all local and state guidelines to ensure you comply with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, all fees should be reasonable and discussed before entering into a lease agreement.
Screen All Pets as You Go Through the Tenant Screening Process
You never want to accept tenants without first doing a comprehensive tenant screening. When dealing with tenants renting with pets, it’s a good idea to establish some similar procedures. Before accepting a tenant and their pets, landlords should gather some background information on the pets to ensure there are no concerning behaviors that will put neighbors or other tenants at risk.
As part of your pet screening:
- Send a pet reference letter to anyone who can provide feedback on the pet. Prior landlords, neighbors, trainers, or vets can all provide helpful background information.
- Do a pet interview. Meet with the pet to assess its behavior and temperament.
- Ask about the pet’s background and get details about any prior aggressive or concerning behaviors.
Enforce Your Pet Policies
Once you’ve accepted a pet and had a tenant sign a pet addendum, it’s vital to enforce all of your policies. After all, the pet policies don’t do any good if you don’t consistently enforce them.
To help make enforcement go as smoothly as possible:
- Discuss all pet policies with your tenant in detail before move-in
- Be clear with the tenant at the start of the tenancy that you will consistently enforce all pet policies
- Before move-in, discuss the consequences of non-compliance and clearly state that failure to comply with pet policies can result in fines, removal of the pet, or eviction.
- Be proactive about communicating with tenants and promptly addressing any concerns.
- Conduct regular inspections to identify any pet damage or conditions that are not safe or sanitary.
Customize Your Lease Agreement & Pet Addendum in Minutes
We encourage landlords to allow pets but always advise taking the necessary steps to minimize the risks associated with having pets in rental properties.
If you decide to allow pets in your units, customize our pet addendum, state-specific lease agreements, and pet referral letter to ensure you have the right policies in place.
Create a pro account today to get access to our leases, pet forms, and full suite of property management tools.
