Pets have become very common in households around the country and almost every family has a pet or two these days. In such a scenario, it is advisable to have a rethink on your policy of no pets if you are the owner of a multifamily apartment building. With a vast majority of your target group of renters being pet owners, you are hurting your prospects by not allowing families with pets in your rental property. Should you allow pets of all breeds in your property or keep some restrictions? Are there any cons of disallowing families with pets in your property?
Breed restriction has become common these days
It is possible to make a shift in your policy of no pets and still keep your property and tenants safe and happy. You can include names of the breeds of pets that you plan to restrict entry into your rental property. If you do not want to offend owners of large breeds like Great Dane, Pitbull, Rottweiler, Mastiff etc, you can deny entry of animals having height and weight beyond certain limit.
There are many cities where families are not allowed to bring certain breeds of animals as pets. This is a policy that makes life easy for most landlords as they do not have to declare themselves as no pet property owners. If there are no such restrictions in your area, you can still move ahead and restrict entry of violent and large breeds of dogs into your rental property. However, the decision to place restriction in terms of pet breeds is entirely your own and should be governed by the fact whether it attracts or scares tenants away from your property.
Pros of restricting some breeds
You can breathe easy and feel relaxed after banning large and violent breeds of pets from your property. You prevent chances of damage to your property and lawsuits claiming compensation because of injury or accidents. Some small breeds of pets bark as much as larger breeds but you can rest assured of fewer dog bites and accidents inside your property.
Cons of restricting pet breeds
Restricting certain breeds of pets from entering your rental property is not a good idea as many owners are forced to drop their pets at shelter homes. These families find it too much of a struggle to find a pet friendly property and they are ready to abandon their pet just to enter your property.
Also, many of the laws that classify some breeds are violent and dangerous are outdated and do not consider their vaccination and training from their owners.
Finally, restricting all dog breeds into your property is not a good idea as it makes your property unpopular among pet owners. Such a policy may driver some pet owners away because they do not feel satisfied with your pet policy. You can lose many good quality tenants to your competitors on account of a no pet policy.
Have a fair pet policy in place
You need to put aside your personal likes and dislikes about pets and adopt a pet policy that is fair to their owners. You can request a pet resume from their owners that tells you all about these animals including their vaccinations and vet records. You can also ask for an interview where you can observe the behavior of the pet with your own eyes. You can limit the number of pets a tenant can have and ask these pets to be neutered to control their population.
Finally, do not behave in an arrogant manner even if you have restrictions on some pet breeds. Try to learn to say no in a polite manner to not offend pet owning families.
If you’d like to talk more about property management, or you need help with Everest Property Management, please contact us at Everest Realty.
As a top producing Realtor and Property Manager; Terry specializes in sales, extensive construction homes, rentals, REO’s, short sales, and all aspects of Real Estate. After graduating the University of Michigan with a master in MBA, Terry continued his endeavor and now has over 15+ years of experience in the Real Estate world. If there is anything that has to do with Real Estate and sales, you can always be sure of Terry to provide important, specialized knowledge.
