Tenants want a pet cat.. yay or nay?

I got an email from property manager saying the tenants want to get a pet cat. She said the tenants are willing to sign a Pet Clause which outlines if any damage is caused to the property by the pet, they are responsible for rectifications.

Current tenants (3 young females) have been there about 10 months and really look after the place. My main concern is the property was fully renovated with new carpet, window coverings, paint etc before they moved in. Property is a 3 bedroom house in Melbourne.

The biggest advantage if I allow them a pet is that it's likely they will stay on and sign another lease because they might find it hard to find another property which allows pets. This would also allow me to increase the rent by $10pw when the rent is due without scaring them off.

 

This is why I have agreed in the past. Also if it's an older house and / or one with timber or tiles, then it's less likely to have odour problems. I look forward to jacking up my rent when the lease runs out in a few months...

 

FYI, this is essentially the default legal position anyway.

 

Firstly, is it a strata property? Some stratas do not allow pets of any kind even if the tenant / owner / PM all allow it.

If its not, I'd allow it. They've shown they look after the property, I don't think having a pet there would change that behavior.

Chances are if you didn't allow it, they'd do it behind your back. I'd rather it be done properly with the agreements signed. They're also much more likely to stay for a longer period.

 

Sounds ok, however check with your Landlord insurance. DO they pay on 'Cat damage?'
I hope this helps

 

Insert pet clause PLUS jack the rent up $10-20pw (this is what friends recently had to do to get a cat accepted at a rental property). Hopefully you get a good tenancy as pet owners tend to stay longer.

 

How can you say no to a pussy cat I'd rather have a cat in my rental than a dog. Dogs tend to dig up the backyard and scratch the hell out of the doors.

 

Like cats don't have claws?

 

Yes cats have claws but when a dog wants to go inside / outside they'll just scratch the door until they're let out. A cat will just meow.

Plus it's easier to clip cat claws than a dog.

 

I love the idea of pets. Less likely that your tenant will leave.

 

See post #22 in this link before deciding.

https://propertychat.com.au/community/threads/make-your-apartment-cat-friendly.442/page-2#post-8023

 

In the case above, the tenant left early because even they couldn't stand the stink.

 

This would be my yes, if they were bogans that couldn't look after themselves their unlikely to supply, train & change kitty litter.
Hopefully their responsible enough to not let it run wild at night killing wildlife etc.

 

Most cats are bogans even if the owner isn't one. Therefore, expect the worse. There's gonna be woopsies all over the place.

 

I do hate cats due to the stench, wouldn't want one at my house. But this seems like an extreme worst case scenario. I would assume that most tenants would train their cat to do what they do in a kitty litter rather than in the the corner of the house in which they live, just as you would assume that people won't punch holes in your walls or decide on opening up a meth lab in your property.

These things do happen, but usually they don't.

 

Cats are sl^ts, not bogans. If allowed in and out, very likely it'll tidy itself in the garden and you won't even know it's there. With 3 girls, poor cat doesn't have a chance of making any mess.

 

I've had some fairly decent damage done by pet urine (cat and dog), but it's always by those I've evicted and kept the house as an absolute dump!

The worst I've had from good tenants is damaged lace curtains, maybe a couple of scratches. If you've got a good tenant, they're usually a good pet owner as well and don't let the cat run a muck.

If I had the choice, I'd rather cats than humans..

 

Depends on the cat a suppose

 

Talk about a face only a mother could love Jesus H!

Cats tend to claw tenants lounges. No drama. Cat pee on new carpets though. . Hmmmm.

 

I noticed in my insurance policy recently that damage by animals is only covered if it was caused by a domestic animal. It made me chuckle.

I concur with the above sentiment... Good tenants are good pet owners.