Pets

Hey Guys

I am just after your opinions for tenant's who have pets. Yes or no when going through the application process and if yes what expectations do you wish to put forward.

Thanks guys

Ryan

 

A few thoughts:

• You should be able to acheive a higher rent and/or greater demand for your property.
• Ask a PM about additional conditions in the lease (e.g. that the tenant is liable for annual pest spray and full de-flea when vacating / that a dog is registered with the local Council)
• Ensure the lease includes a condition that permission to keep a pet can be withdrawn.
• You could put restrictions in place such as the number of animals limited to 1, or cat / inside dog only.
• Outside dogs are more likely to cause neighbour problems if left alone during the day/night to bark
• General wear and tear is likely to me more prolific as animals scratch and chew (walls, timber floors, furniture)

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with tenants having a pet within reason, but I'd want this reflected in the rent to cover the inevitable future cost of cleaning/preparing the property for the next tenant.

 

Depends on the pet - if its a golden retriever puppy, run away fast

 

Depends on the dog and dog owner track records. I have small indoor dog, so I have preference towards those size. Property without carpet helps I guess.

Living in apartment, I rather not in the position to request removal of pets from property as they usually end up in the pound. Good owners usually won't let situation get to this point.

 

Being open to pets is a great idea as it opens up the potential tenant pool in the area, therefore slightly pushing up your asking price. They also tend to stay in properties longer as it can be hard to relocate / find another place that allows them.

When the tenants apply, need to get an idea of what the pets are like. Get info how how many pets, their breed, size, age etc and then can make an informed decision on whether the applicant is suitable (because pet is part of the whole package). Including a photo of it in the application is a good idea.

Generally how the person presents themselves will be similar to how they keep their pets. If they are neat and tidy people then chances are they keep their pets that way too. Can also ask their references how their pets were too.

Lastly - if applicable, also need to check if bylaws on your group/complex allow pets or have any restrictions.

 

We generally don't have an issue with allowing pets.

You can usually attract more rent, the tenants tend to stay for longer......and let's face it, kids are capable of doing more damage to a property then some pets!

Cheers

Jamie

 

However in the end if an existing tenant moves 2 dogs & 2 cats in without permission but still pays the rent on time and looks after the place what can you do about it

 

Im starting to consider it for one of my properties that may be vacant soon and needs a reno. Rather than reno allow pets and kick the can down the road for a few more years.

 

It depends where it is, what type of property, how many pets.
I remember going to look at a house that was for sale, had been vacant, and the agent said the tenants had been there 2 weeks. There were dogs, cats, rabbits... It already stank like they had been there for years.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys!!!!!

Valuable information that I needed right now.

Cheers

Ryan

 

A fish in a bowl OK. Same for a budgie outside in a cage. A dog or A cat outside only.

 

Old tenant had a cat at the property. The kids did more damage to the house then the cat.

No IP's with dogs yet though.

 

Yep, I wish we could charge an additional Childrens Bond

 

I think it is fair to be reasonable. The last thing I want on my conscious is an animal ending up in the pound because I was unreasonable.

There is this thing called bond. It can be used if an animal damages the property to repair it. As others have pointed out, humans (kids or adults) can cause far bigger issues than most animals out there.

 

My wife and I just moved out of our home to sell it and into the rental market with 2 dogs.
We found most agents do not list the option for pets on real estate sites really narrowing your search but if asked most landlords were open to it.

We recently found a great place and we're open to the landlord about our 2 dogs and paid a higher bond. We also signed an appendix stating we would be more than happy to pay any damage caused by our pets.

Thing is we cherish our dogs and not a day goes by we do not walk them and give them attention. They know this and are very well behaved. They go outside in the mornings and laze in the sun and then if my wife is not working she walks them and tires them out and by night time when they come in all they do is sleep on their dog beds. The worse they do is shed some hair which is quickly vacuumed up.

As someone else mentioned compared to children then most well cared for pets would do FAR less damage to your rental.
My sister has 3 little girls and I definitely know those little buggers do more damage to the rental than our dogs.

 

I myself have a beautiful aussie shepherd. We spoil her rotten. I don't have kids so next best thing.
The last thing I would want is for someone to abandon there pet if they needed a home or worse not able to find a tenant for being too picky.

I just want to make sure however that I get things covered to best protect me.

 

When we first moved back to Oz from the US (where 90% of properties were pet friendly) in our search area, in our budget, there was something like 235 properties available for rent. FIVE of them were pet friendly. We ended up severely overpaying for an apartment given the limited options. We recently moved out and total damage to the property was a scratch on the floorboards that we did by moving furniture. Total damage to the apartment from our dog: 0.

(side note: please don't lecture me about living in an apartment with a dog. we once lived in an house with a back yard and our dog preferred to stay inside. I think our dog gets more exercise than any other dog as we feel guilty about him being in an apartment (rather than leaving him be to wander around the backyard

tldr: landlords being pet friendly are very much appreciated !!

 

we just got a little havanese puppy, could not imagine life without her now! imagine it's the same for all pet owners, so i'd happily let any of my tenants have a pet or two pending strata approval.



on the flip side, i know of a few cases where tenants and apartment owners have not been allowed to keep a pet, but sneak one in anyway. they are not bad people, but pets are family and many people will laugh at any attempt to restrict 'family choices'

 

Wish the new strata reforms can hurry up and allow pets.

 

Already happening in NSW.
The new apartment buildings usually has a pet allowed clause included.

Note that just because they allow pets, doesn't mean you will not have a committee that hates them

@jodes indeed, very hard to find pet friendly rental! Finding a pet friendly holiday rental that allows dog inside is another hurdle. I went through 10+ listings to find one (that's affordable in price). I have dog in apartment walked twice a day everyday, never have anyone who actually own a dog judge me. Have only heard the non-owners whining about how cruel it is