Landlord Quick Tip

Tip #96: Your Best Bet Pet Policy by James Safonov

landlord helpAre pets okay for my rental?
Most owners prefer no pets yet many potential tenants have them. How to best proceed?
Our policy at Homepointe is the best I am aware of. We suggest “pets negotiable, with owner approval.” We still get a pet reference and a higher deposit or pet rent. The reason for “negotiable” is to get the potential tenant to disclose the animal…its existence, its breed, its size and the number of pets they have.
Pets are not a protected class–if you do not like the animal you can decline the animal. There may be a tolerable animal out there that even the most discriminate landlord may accept. If you list the property as no pets allowed these people may not bother applying.
Keep your options open by listing the property as pets negotiable.
James Safonov, is a property manager with HomePointe in Sacramento, California, [email protected]. HomePointe provides full service property management, leasing, accounting, and maintenance.

See James Safonovs feature, Security Deposit Dispute: Settle, or Sue?

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