We allow cats, but avoid dogs because of the noise factor, problems with neighbors. The rowhouse next to us rented to tenants with a dog, which was let on the patio at odd hours and barked all the time. We had to call the landlord several times on behalf of our tenant about this and we were not alone. I am sure that landlord was not very happy about all the complaints. We do require a pet deposit just like everyone else. We only had 1 tenant with 2 cats, no other tenants with pets and the cats were no issue, no damage other than a few minor scratches, for which we took money from the deposit.

My company allows one pet under 20lb with a non refundable pet deposit of $400. Sometimes we will allow two pets if they are very well. But, the lease states all damage done will be repaired using tenant's security deposit.

Not unless the rental is already a dump. We have no issue finding renters that don't have pets.

I'm an animal lover, and I wouldn't do it. My very friendly, older, well cared for Golden Retriever has caused numerous damages to apartments (and now our house) when an unexpected thunderstorm came up, or a neighbor's fire alarm was going off all day, etc. We were responsible and paid to replace the carpet, paint the front door, etc., but I would not do it. You wouldn't know my dog was schizo from meeting her.

My cat, who is also well cared for, inside only, started peeing in a corner of our rental dining room, despite having a clean litter pan, because he had an infection we didn't know about. It was several days before we realized what was happening, and the damage was done.

In this area there are so few rental places available that I'd think you'd have no trouble finding a tenant. If you do, then maybe you could reconsider. Having been a tenant, I was grateful for being able to find places that would lease to us as pet owners, but if I was leasing my own place out, I wouldn't! Double standards, I guess.

I wouldn't do it.
Keep in mind in addition to points pp have made, a lot of people have pet allergies and don't want to live in a place that has had pets living there recently since the dander lingers in walls, vents, carpets, etc

I ended up with tenants who had 2 cats and a large dog even though we didn't want pets. It was in an area (not DC metro) that was not so easy to rent out. Wonderful tenants and we really had no choice. In the end, the wood floors were scratched and the cats ripped up the new Berber carpet in spots that were tough to fix. We luckily had some extra carpet leftover and had it fixed but it still looks bad. We used money from their security to fix it but the patch won't last long and when we try to sell, we will have to replace the entire carpet upstairs because of the floor plan. That will cost $2500 easily. So even keeping the $500 pet deposit means we are out the money to replace the carpet even though repair was paid for.

They also didn't have carpet cleaned even though it is in the lease. Make sure they must steam the carpet once every 12-18 months.

If you can find good tenants who do not have a pet, give them priority. Pets add to wear and tear.

If you charge a deposit, make it at least $400 and only half is refundable at most.

I also used a black light when the tenants moved out to check for animal urine stains. Luckily it was fine.

I would not allow cats because the piss damage is worse than from a dog. Dogs just tend to go right in the middle of the carpet. Cats tend to go in corners and ruin the trim work and soak it will piss. At least you can just pitch the carpet and padding if the mess is in the middle. Once it hits the wood and trim work, you are looking at a lot more expense.

We allowed dogs, but no cats. I didn't care about the size of the dog. Small dogs seem to cause more damage in my experience. We required a pet deposit and required that the tenant have the carpets cleaned and have the house treated for fleas when they left.

Our last tenants had two German Shepherds. The house was in great condition when they left.

We rented to tenant with a dog before...never again unless the carpet is at the end of it's useful life.

I rent and have previously with pets. Usually, we give a non-refundable deposit between $250-$500 to cover any damage by the pet and we have had the dog "interviewed" by the property owner.

FWIW, my cat has never pissed outside her litter box! They're not all bad. Typically I've had to pay an extra pet deposit but I've always gotten it back because she's never done anything wrong. I did have one prospective landlord who wanted to meet my cat- I'm not sure what they hoped to get out of it. We ended up not living there anyway, which was probably for the best. If you don't want to rent to pet owners, that's fine, just be upfront about it.