Landlords: Why Not Allow Pets?

I was recently holidaying through Europe and the one thing I noticed is that pets are much more accepted in high density housing and they take their pets everywhere! Pets are seen out with people shopping, in the change rooms, at their place of work and they are even allowed to stay with them at a lot of major hotels.

With pets becoming ever more man’s best friend and many couples now having “fur babies” in place of or before children… it makes sense to consider allowing your tenants to have keep a pet.

If you’re like most landlords and Perth property managers, chances are you’ve decided not to allow pets in your rental property. But don’t be too hasty. Being pet-friendly has its perks, one important one being that it’s a good way to set your listing apart and attract a wider range of renters.

Landlords tend to be afraid of pet damage, but the reality is that most pets do not cause any more damage than the normal wear and tear often caused by tenants. And even if there is damage, that is why a bond is taken.

Certain properties will be better suited to pets but the same features will also mean that they are low maintenance and hard wearing with tenants. Top of the list would be having hard flooring throughout. Pet smells will penetrate carpets over time but there is little a pet can do wrong with tiles or slate.

Allowing pets is a great way to make more money on your property. That’s because accepting pets may allow you to charge a bit more for rent and it will certainly help you to rent your property quicker to a larger pool of tenants.

Finally, because there are such a limited number of pet-friendly rental properties available, your tenants are more likely to renew their lease. This means not only steady income for you but also a lower turnover rate and a lower risk of losing tenants you like.

As you know, it’s hard enough to find the right tenants; you can make the search easier by making your rental property pet-friendly. Just remember to implement some smart pet policies. For example, you should ask for references, you might want to state explicitly which pets are allowed in your pet agreement, disallow “dangerous” dog breeds, set size or weight limits for dogs and make sure tenants are informed about their responsibilities.

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