Make your apartment "cat friendly".

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by Steven Ryan, 24th Jun, 2015.

Join Australia's most dynamic and respected property investment community
  1. JPS25

    JPS25 Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    14
    Location:
    Sunshine Coast
    We have tenants in a unit that have been with us for 2 years now and have just asked to have a cat. We have no problem with it as our other properties are pet friendly and have dogs and cats residing but are houses so no having to get permission from Body Corps. In the by-laws a cat or small dog is allowed but we still have to put in a formal request to Body Corps for the young couple to have a cat why I don't know. Taking forever to get an answer from them.
     
  2. Random Username

    Random Username Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    19th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    296
    Location:
    NSW
    20140906_135507 (450x800).jpg 20140907_100649 (800x450).jpg 20140907_102404 (800x450).jpg 20140908_082526 (800x450).jpg P1010003 (800x600).jpg P1010009 (600x800).jpg
    Then consider this, carpet and underlay ruined,

    **** impregnated concrete floor, skirting boards, soaking 18 inches up the plasterboard lining and soaking the timber framing.

    It is also risking structural integrity as it rusts the galvanised framing brace.

    Apart from the lost time, costs of repairs, there is also the delays in re renting because of the difficulties of removing the stench.

    And then to find upon re-leasing that the stink returns and the new tenant wants out and to be reimbursed for all and any costs associated with their lease.
     
    Guest, HUGH72, Biz and 2 others like this.
  3. vtt

    vtt Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    269
    Location:
    Inner West, Sydney
    Random that is clearly gross and unacceptable. Having said that, I don't believe that is typical of tenants who have cats (or dogs), that is certainly extreme. I assume you were able to claim repairs, loss of rent etc. ?
     
  4. datto

    datto Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23rd Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    6,675
    Location:
    Mt Druuiitt
    I always insist that my tenant's pets stay outdoor.

    On another mattert, I don't know if it's a coincidence or what, but I find that whenever dogs and cats go missing in our neighbourhood the local grub shop seems to have alot of blackboard specials.
     
    Ted Varrick likes this.
  5. sash

    sash Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    15,606
    Location:
    Sydney
    Meeooowww...purrrr.purrrrrr......:D

     
  6. Logan

    Logan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    19th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    149
    Location:
    Sydney
    Personally I don't have an issue with cats, I always had pets when renting but only ever officially put them on the lease once. I was never 'caught' because I took extra care of the houses /units I lived it. In saying that I was not too keen when my tenants wanted to bring their dog, they volunteered additional rent and I had special clause in their contract. The dog didn't end up coming (but the extra rent did) so we will see what condition the house is in when they leave next week.
     
  7. Steven Ryan

    Steven Ryan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    2,656
    Random Username raises a fair point. You open yourself to the one-in-a-thousand outcome like this (of course, that's why we all have Landlord Insurance right?), particularly if you have carpets. Regular, thorough inspections are a good start, as is good tenant selection. Of course, an apartment that does not have carpet (which is the case for one of mine) will further mitigate risk.
     
  8. geoffw

    geoffw Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    15th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    11,654
    Location:
    Newcastle
    I'm not sure about one in a thousand. @Random Username is the second person in this thread with the same issue.
     
  9. S.T

    S.T Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    638
    Location:
    Melbourne
    Yes, I had to replace carpets in bedrooms due to cat ****. So that's 2 out of 24 or so unique posters in this thread, not even close to 1 in a 1000.
     
  10. DaveM

    DaveM Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    14th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    3,761
    Location:
    Adelaide & Sydney
    I have had an IP damaged by cat urine/faeces. But in that case I blame the owner not the cats. He had a mental breakdown and after weeks without any litter trays, the cats had to go somewhere.
     
  11. Biz

    Biz Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    2,517
    Location:
    Investard county
    With regards to the smell, I often find people who have a dog or cat can't smell dog or cat if that makes any sense? We have a dog that we keep outside and when my folks come over who don't have any pets straight away they remark on how they can smell the dog even though it's outside and only a small dog. It's the same for me when I go to someone house who has a dog, I can't really smell it unless they are just dirty. If someone has a cat though I can straight away smell it because I'm not used to it.

    So you have to make sure if you go this way that you may end up being stuck with only tenants who are into pets as it may turn the others off. For me I don't feel it's worth it, I have never really had vacancy issues and I don't allow pets.
     
  12. skater

    skater Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    10,222
    Location:
    Sydney? Gold Coast?
    Cats are generally very clean animals, and will generally use a litter tray if an inside cat. Most problems arise in multi cat households and/or those that don't provide adequate litter facilities. A litter tray needs to be kept clean. Cats don't like stepping on their faeces, anymore than I guess we would. So, if it's not clean, they will look for somewhere else to go. This is not the fault of the cat, it is the fault of the owner.

    We have five cats. Four of them behave themselves. One does not! He used to do his business next to a litter tray, not in it. Although provided with adequate clean facilities, it is very hard to confine each cat to their own tray, so if another cat had been, he would not go in the tray. Very annoying, but as they always had access to the outside via a large enclosed cattery, the 'accidents' were manageable.

    He is now quite old, and I think he's gone a bit senile. He is now outside most of the time and only allowed inside at night for a meal & a cuddle before bed and we have to keep a close eye on him because now he has morphed into a vindictive poop machine. The others stay in at night, with access to the cattery if they need a toilet break.

    In saying this though, I think his problems mostly stem from being in a multi-cat household.

    When you see horror stories, usually of hoarders with heaps of cats, you don't ever see clean litter trays for them to go. All you see is a heap of faeces that hasn't been cleaned up and who knows how much urine.

    Who knows why the cat(s) in the photo above were using that area of the home as their personal toilet, but the tenants who allowed this are at fault for not finding a suitable alternative. It looks like it is a house, and not a unit, so how easy is it to provide a cattery for the animal(s) if they have already got a clean tray, but refuse to use it.
     
    WattleIdo likes this.
  13. S.T

    S.T Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    638
    Location:
    Melbourne
    I think most in this thread agree it's the owners of the cats that are the issue. But the one easy way out of this, is to just not allow cats full stop. Then you won't have these issues in future.
     
  14. skater

    skater Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    10,222
    Location:
    Sydney? Gold Coast?
    I'd rather allow my tenants to have pets. At the end of the day, if they want to get a pet they will, so I'd rather just be open to it, and have those responsible pet owners (the ones that declare them) tenanting my property.
     
    legallyblonde likes this.
  15. S.T

    S.T Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    638
    Location:
    Melbourne
    No problems, cats aren't for my properties though. I do have a tenant with two dogs though - no problems at all.
     
  16. legallyblonde

    legallyblonde Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    22nd Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    858
    Location:
    TAS
    Agree.... Apparently more than 63% of Australian households own a pet cat or dog... In most situations you might as well allow pets (since they will probably have them anyways).. charge more rent and be sure to screen prospective tenants. Ensure your lease insists on regular carpet cleaning. I also think that people/tenants generally don't want to live in squalor...There will always be bad tenants and all you can do is minimise your risks as best you can.
     
    Steven Ryan and skater like this.
  17. Random Username

    Random Username Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    19th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    296
    Location:
    NSW
    Maybe when you're starting out, but when your portfolio is big enough it can be better to self insure.
     
  18. Random Username

    Random Username Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    19th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    296
    Location:
    NSW
    So after 15 months another tenant has left, the below from the agent.

    No carpet in the laundry BTW.................
     
  19. 733

    733 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    22nd Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    567
    Location:
    Brisbane
    We find that pet friendly homes achieve more applications. If you do have pet friendly IP's its critical to choose a PM with a history of undertaking thorough inspections to pick up on any issues swiftly. Likewise, to ensure a detailed pet agreement is in place outling tenant responsibilities eg daily walks to mitigate boredom, doing six monthly flea treatments etc. During the applicant screening process PMs need to assess pet compatibility to property type as well eg. Small low maintenance block of land under 400m2 is not appropriate for large dog rather toy dog or cat etc
     
  20. WattleIdo

    WattleIdo midas touch

    Joined:
    18th Jun, 2015
    Posts:
    3,429
    Location:
    Riverina NSW
    I definitely allow pets but always insist that they have access to the outdoors. When I lived in my unit, the 2 cats had to go downstairs every morning after breakfast and wait until I got home from work to get back inside again. They were able to hang out in a very big garden and on rooftops etc. They were both young when they learned the ropes. The old girl refused to come in and stayed outside in a little kennel the whole time.
    Inspections, clauses, higher rent, etc are all good strategies. Perhaps there's something to be said for tenants trying to hide their pets and any trace of them every six months during inspections?
     

Buy Property Interstate WITHOUT Dropping $15k On Buyers Agents Each Time! Helping People Achieve PASSIVE INCOME Using Our Unique Data-Driven System, So You Can Confidently Buy Top 5% Growth & Cashflow Property, Anywhere In Australia