renting to a pet owner

[Anonymous]

I will possibly be renting my TH to a dog owner. In the past we have always had pet-free renters. I know most people charge a pet deposit but I am not sure how much to charge. It would be refundable. Is there a standard rate to charge? The dog is young, about 8 months old and newly housebroken. Our TH rents for $2400 and we will already be receiving a security deposit equal to that amount. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

I think our management company charged $250 non-refundable when we rented to a pet owner, although they never ended up giving us the money (long story about a sucky management company). We unknowingly rented to a pet owner. They said they didn't have pets, then the next door neighbor told on them and they said they had one dog. Turned out, they had 3 dogs that trashed our lawn. Be careful to monitor that they actually have only one dog.

[Anonymous]

We paid a $1000 pet deposit. This was in addition to the $2500 security deposit we paid. We're in Maryland and have one dog (a 12 lb shih-tzu).

[Anonymous]

13:34 here...I forgot to mention. The entire $3500 is refundable. But we have in our lease, that we must professionally clean the carpets and have professional pest control come and spray for fleas and ticks upon lease termination.

[Anonymous]

Why not just look for a tenant without pets? We passed on the first 3 interested tenants and held out for someone without pets. We plan to live in the home in a few years, so maybe that is the difference for us.

[Anonymous]

No, no, no. Don't do it!! A pet deposit won't come close to buying new carpet.

[Anonymous]

some pets are less destructive than children....

I would charge $250, probably non-refundable just in case, so that you can clean carpets, etc. Technically, the renters should repair any damage, whether caused by the dog or not. BUT Even if the dog is house-broken, there might be lots of dog hair, lawn damage, etc. that could require extra work.

[Anonymous]

Pets can add a lot of "wear and tear" to a rental house. And, unfortunately, many times renters are just not as careful about a house as they would be if they were the owners. Not all renters with pets are not careful, of course, but you have no way of knowing in advance what category your tenants will fall into. I love pets, but I would not rent out my property to pet owners. Just too many things that can happen that can leave a lot of expensive damage to be repaired.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help. The tenant has some sort of mini-pitbull. I can't remember the exact name of the dog but it is a smaller dog. She works all day and said the dog would be crated during the day. It is a TH so not much lawn to worry about. The home is mostly carpeted though, so that is the only thing I am concerned about.

[Anonymous]

I have a girlfriend who had 2 small dogs, and they tore her rental townhouse to shreds (and her apt. before that). She lost her deposit, but the damage they did was greater than the deposit. In the townhouse, they tore up the carpet. In her apt., they chewed the baseboards (they were puppies at the time). Agree with a PP, don't rent to a pet owner.

[Anonymous]

We actually put in our lease agreement, that the renters had to resurface the floors if there was any damage. My house is very high end and they did it.

When we were about to enter a lease (house in different city), we offered a $4000 security deposit for the floors for our dog.

[Anonymous]

We charge a $300 pet deposit and have never had any trouble. Our previous 3 tenants all had dogs. No damage.

[Anonymous]

A cuckoo dog that is locked up all day can do a lot of damage. A cat is generally a lower risk, except when you get a sprayer!

A fourplex I own recently had a rodent problem, except for the lone unit with a cat.

[Anonymous]

before you rent pay for a lawn service (you can deduct it as upkeep if you itemize and carpet over any hardwoods to protect them from the pet. We rented to families with pets for 3 years knowing we would come back and the dog nails did a number on the floors. Carpet is cheap. As for a deposit 1/2 the cost of new carpet would be a good start.