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Any landlords out there?
How do you handle pet policies? We just bought a new house and are going to rent out our old house, so we are looking at becoming first time landlords! It's very scary, but exciting.
I found some standard pet agreements online, but all of them have information about getting rid of the pet if the tenant fails to comply. I know I need to protect myself as a landlord, but being heavily involved in rescue as well, I'm wondering if there's a better way to word this, since I would never encourage anyone to get rid of their pet, otherwise! Here's the language of the agreement I'm looking at:
Should the Tenant fail to comply with any part of this Pet Agreement, the Landlord reserves the right to revoke permission to keep the pet- In such event, the Tenant agrees to permanently remove the pet from the Property within 48 hours of receiving written notice thereof from the Landlord; failure to comply with same shall be grounds for immediate termination of the Residential Lease Agreement.
Also, what do you charge for pet deposit, and what percentage of that is refundable? Do you have other restrictions? (note, I will not restrict breeds or size, but am considering putting restrictions on number of pets)
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Re: Any landlords out there?
I'm not a landlord, but I would restrict age as well. Several places I've rented had 6months or 1 year of age and older only for dogs/cats. I think cats are even more destructive as kittens than puppies are, really. People tend to give cats free roam of their house/apartment from the get go, where as puppies are typically kennel trained and a little safer in that aspect.
I'd ensure immunization records are UTD. Pet is spayed/neutered. I'd likely go with a pet limit as well, depending on how big the house is.
Do you, as a person heavily involved in rescue, believe 48 hours is an adequate amount of time to find a good home for a pet? I guess it is a bit of a hard spot, because I'm sure if there is a reason the pet needs to go, it needs to go asap.
I'm sure you already plan to, but make sure you do your proper background checks, reference checks, vet reference, and a non relative that can provide a pet reference (such as dog sitter, daycare employee, vet tech, groomer - someone that works with the pet or has spend substantial time with the pet).
Good luck! Sounds like an exciting adventure!
FF
I'm not a landlord, but I rent with a dog.
Our pet deposit was $500 per pet on top of the regular deposit. We get everything back minus cleaning and damage. Which they give us an itemize bill. Our puppy did chew on a door when he was only a few months old. Thank god that was the only he did, so we should get back most of our 2 deposits put together.
There is a breed restriction, but no size/weight. I don't think there is a restriction on the number of pets. I might be wrong though. I know a few people have 2 dogs. i'm just not sure the cat situation.
We are required to provide UTD vaccination records. They must be spayed or neutered.
I can't remember the wording if we don't comply.
You can change it to be a cause of terminating the lease and removal of the tenants (and their pet). And instead of an age restriction just make it so its prior approval of the pet required.
I have encountered a variety of pet deposit requirements. From none (OMG that was awesome) to $500 w/ $250 non refundable. I have had it required I steam cleaned the place on vacating the property. I would actually recommend looking up rentals in your area and seeing what others ask for. If you go too below others on pet deposits you can get some problem owners/pets, staying with the average seems to be better (although its always a gamble)
Our current place requires us to care liability insurance in case our dog harms another dog/person. So that is another thing to consider.
Our lease has a $300 pet fee per pet, non refundable. We limit to two animals and failure to comply with the lease can result in termination of the lease and eviction.
We actually do restrict breeds because of our insurance, but the list is really small. We had to do it to protect ourselves - if someone was injured by the dog on our property and sued us, our insurance wouldn't cover it if the dog was a restricted breed, even though it wasn't our dog and we weren't the residents at the time of the incident.
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I rent with dogs. We paid a flat-fee $250 pet deposit (I think it may have been non-refundable). There are no restrictions on age, breed, weight, or number of pets. I hate breed restrictions the most, because breed is not an indication of likeliness to harm another dog or person.
There's nothing in our lease about removal of "problem" pets. In fact, the entire pets policy says, "Pets and animals are allowed in designated leased units, designated apartment buildings, or designated apartment premises at any time unless specified otherwise by Property Management."
I rent my old house out now that my hubby and I have a house together. When advertising I put "Pets negotiable" and handled it on a case by case basis. I too have been involved in rescue and have fostered several darling pitties, and it wasn't an issue with my insurance, so that's no problem for me. But since the house is small I decided that 2 dogs or cats was my max - I don't feel there is enough room for 3 in there! I had a $500 pet deposit, but if the carpet needs to be cleaned/replaced or there's any damage, I'll keep the pet deposit and any of the rental deposit that I need to. Also, my lease gives me the right to request that the animal be removed immediately, but clearly I would never do that unless it was some sort of horrible emergency! Just because you have the right to kick the animal out in 48 hours or whatever, does not mean that you have to! My current tenants have one dog and I haven't had any issues with her.
Here is what my pet lease says:
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1. Allowance of Pet(s): Landlord agrees that the pet(s) described in Paragraph 7 may be permitted on the Property. Tenant may not have any other pet(s) on any part of the Property without Landlord's written permission.
2. Location of Pet(s): Pet(s) will be kept inside the Property at all times, except when on a leash or otherwise restrained by and under the full control of Tenant.
3. Tenant's Duties: Tenant will clean up after the pet(s) in any area of the Property, including common areas.
4. Loss or Damage: Tenant is responsible for any loss or damage caused by the pet(s). Tenant agrees that Landlord bears no responsibility for any damage, injury, or nuisance caused by the pet(s).
5. Removal of Pet(s): If Landlord determines that the pet(s) is annoying, bothersome, or in any way a nuisance to others, Landlord will notify Tenant in writing and Tenant will remove the pet(s) immediately from the Property. All other terms and conditions of this lease will remain in full force and effect. Tenant's failure to remove the pet(s) from the Property will be grounds for eviction.
6. Additional Fees/Charges:
A. Tenant will pay $__500__ as a Pet Deposit in addition to other deposits required by the Lease.
1. The Pet Deposit is subject to the same provisions as the Security Deposit as outlined in the Lease.
2. Any part of the Property or any common areas fouled by the pet(s) will be professionally cleaned and treated upon termination of the Lease. This will include carpet cleaning, treatment for flea infestation, or any other treatment as deemed necessary by Landlord in order to return the Property to the condition as existed at the start of the Lease. The cost of the cleaning and/or treatment will be deducted from the Pet Deposit.
3. If damage caused by the pet(s) exceeds the amount of the Pet Deposit, additional costs must be paid by Tenant immediately upon demand by Landlord.