Part II of II: The Pet Dilemma. How-to Ensure Good Pet Practices
Admin
Published Date: 2011-05-11
As discussed in Part I of The Pet Dilemma series, allowing pets in your corporate rental enables you to attract a greater number of potential renters.
But if you allow pets, here are a few things to ask and a few rules to set to ensure good pet practices:
What kind of animal is it? Most animals are fine, but you may want to avoid allowing tenants with pitbulls or other animals that could be considered dangerous to the families living around you. A dangerous animal might require you to change your homeowners insurance and you don’t want to have to deal with that added hassle.
Is the animal noisy? Dogs like to bark, especially at strangers and passerbys. This can be very annoying and disruptive to neighbors. Make the owner agree that the dog will be kept inside most of the time and only outside when supervised by his owner. You may even set hours (i.e., the dog can’t be outside after 10pm) to ensure the dog isn’t barking late at night.
Who is going to clean up? Outline specific rules on what you expect your property (inside and out) to look like while the tenant lives there and upon returning the home to you.
Who will pay for damages? If the pet chews through your wood coffee table, spell out in your contract that the renter is responsible for all damages – big and small. Note: Don’t forget to collect an additional pet security deposit – typically 50% more than a regular security deposit – to insure your property against damages caused by the animal.
How old is the pet and is it house trained? This is actually a very important to ask as you don’t want a puppy “marking” up your carpet or having accidents in your bed. Make sure the animal is at least one year old and is house trained.
How many pets? It’s wise to limit the number of pets to one large animal and maybe two small animals.
Is the pet properly vaccinated? You don’t want any animals carrying or being exposed to disease on your property. Ask for proof of vaccinations and make sure they’re up to date.
Also, be sure to check with your insurance provider to ensure you’re effectively covered to allow pets in your corporate rental.
Overall, allowing pets can be quite lucrative. Be sure to ask the right questions so you product yourself from liability and your property from damage. 
