Property Management 101 – Rental Property and Pets – Yes or No?

[BruceW]

We are finding more tenants to be lifestyle renters, meaning they want to rent long term or sometimes forever and they want the property to be considered as their home.

A lot of tenants consider their pets to be part of the family and will not move to a property where their fur-baby is not welcome. Some people never have children, considering their pets not just part of the family, but their actual family members.

It is my experience that the majority of tenants do the right thing and maintain their property even more closely if they have pets. Once they have a quality home where the pets can stay, they want to ensure they can keep it. They ensure the pets are clean, they clean up their mess and ensure the pets and surrounds are controlled for fleas.

Upon application your Property Manager can ask for a pet reference, photos of the pet (to get an idea on size and grooming) as well as ensuring the sleeping and living arrangements of the pet. Tenants also ensure the property is flea free for their own comfort as well as to look after the home which makes up part of their lease agreement.

Before declining all pets, remember that it is not just dogs and cats that are considered as pets. Families now have birds and fish, guinea pigs, rats and mice as traditional pets and times are changing. It is not uncommon to have lizards and snakes now as pets, so if you are open to one, maybe consider not advertising the usual ‘sorry no pets’ in your marketing. Why not wait and see what people consider pets?

We have found that Landlords who consider pets do have an advantage with the amount of people viewing as it is increased in these homes. It has been found that tenants with approved pets tend to stay for longer so it is worth bearing in mind that pets are part of the extended family. It also decreases the costs of changing tenants.

We have all experienced something that changes our views. This could be a bad experience with damage from a pet, fleas left from a previous tenant or the noise from the dogs next door. I believe that pet ownership is considered to be much more responsible these days and the people who do not look after the properties are the minority.

While not all properties can hold traditional pets, there is some variety to choose from. It is worth asking!

Brenda Mitchell is a Head of Department for Property Management at Harcourts Ashmore. In her 6th year of real estate, she is passionate about the industry and strives to find innovate ways to support her investors to increase their return on investment. Contact Brenda at brenda.mitchell@live.com.au or by Facebook https://www.facebook.com/brendaleemitchell1971

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brenda_Lee_Mitchell/2243673

[LauraHoward031]

The landlord can allow pets in the rental property but it should be clearly mentioned in the agreement.

[Author]

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