patrick.net

I think the piss stains and smell are the main problem.

But there have also been cases where a large dog attacks another tenant and the landlord is sued for allowing the large dog.

Here's one case I remember:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Whipple

Looks like just the dog owner was sued though.

Animals do have a lot of odor. If probably would have to replace carpet when owners leave.

I just have several friends who do own pets, and their houses always have a smell of a dog in them.

FortWayne says

Animals do have a lot of odor. If probably would have to replace carpet when owners leave.

I just have several friends who do own pets, and their houses always have a smell of a dog in them.

Freedom 1789-2012

Dogs belong in a wild, they are not meant to wear giants and niners gear, that's just cruel!

A lady's cat did $1400 worth of damage to my rental house. I never would have thought that was possible. It got every screen and every door sweep. It sprayed all over the carpet and scratched holes into it near doors it obviously wanted open. It infested the house with fleas. If the carpet had been new, I'd have cried and the age of the carpet is the only reason that I estimated the damages so low. The tenant was only there for 7 months, breaking her lease when she left. I kept her deposit and did a lot of the work myself to get the place rentable again. It sucked.

I advertise pet friendly (actually I don't advertise at all, my property manager has a waiting list). I'm swamped with apps enough to pick and choose. I require xtra months rent for pet deposit and the property manager checks with all the references. Never had a problem, but the houses are mostly pet proofed anyway. All saltillo tile or polyurethaned hardwood floors over concrete that really can't be hurt by pets (dropped dishes are just toast). Screens doors all have solid metal panels on bottom half. All have fenced yards. The most that ever happened was some easily repaired scratches on some doors. Simple putty and paint. Fleas in south texas are the least of my bug worries.

Even $1400 in damage is covered by the initial deposit. I figure if I asked for up to $1000 extra ($3000 total), all my tenants would agree to pay it. If they didn't, they would when I presented them with a court date because no one wants that on their record, even if they win.

My places are all tile or hardwood. Carpet might be a worry I guess.

I moved into a place that had a cat before, and never noticed any smells. I don't think really remember any vacant properties having any smells to them, unless they were ghetto places to start with. Hm.

It does seem like a great place to get extra cash flow. Pet owners are generally pretty desperate and so far the most prepared with their paperwork. Come, take a look, and start an application. No messing around for them.

Pets can be noisy. (Well, dogs can; not cats.) I wouldn't want to live in a pet-friendly building unless I myself had a pet. Who wants to be woken up by a barking dog at all hours?

As a renter with pets let me say thank you for allowing your renters to keep their companions. I can't tell you how many pets end up in shelters because they were refused by some asshole landlord.

To address your concerns I'd say the biggest potential damage pets will cause would be to the flooring but this can be minimized with some forethought:

If you like carpet select a product based on triexta fiber with a good stain blocking pad. Triexta is amazing stuff reputably able to take even bleach without discoloring. During replacement, if time and energy permits, paint the bare floor with a stain blocking primer like Kils. That should prevent any existing odors from manifesting and prevent future stains from soaking into the floor.

For preexisting carpet there are also some great products out there like Nature's Miracle that I have had great results with. I once had a cat who had a peeing problem. I was able to permanently remove all traces of scent with Nature's Miracle. There are also lots of other remedies out there that I have not tried but may also be useful. If the scent gets to the floor beneath the pad I'd pull up the carpet and pad spray Nature's Miracle on the floor to kill the odor, dry it out and replace that portion of the pad. This should not cause any problems with the floor material. Use a sealer like Kilz to prevent the odor from resurfacing.

Avoid laminate products as most are easily damaged by water. This is not so much of a concern with pets as with kids or careless tenants. There is at least one product on the market now that has an ABS backing rather than fiberboard. It is supposed to be highly water resistant. I have not tried it but were I to put in a laminate floor that would be my first choice.

Tile of course will be impervious to any kind of pet damage. That would be my first choice, especially for kitchens and bathrooms.

Linoleum and vinyl can be a good choice too. Pet stains are not a concern but heavy dogs may scratch the finish. A cheap rug can provide protection to most areas though.

Walls - use a sealer primer like Kilz before repainting. This should eliminate most problems.

Curtains. Most landlords don't put in expensive window dressings for a reason. Vinyl or wood blinds are great.

Bug screens. There are very cheap pet doors that can be installed directly in the screens. If the animal can enter and exit at will they are less likely to scratch holes in the screen. As other posters have mentioned a better option can be to put in a decorative protective screen.

I agree that allowing pets can greatly increase your options. Your tenants will also be much happier for it.

The neighbors.

A renter next door to me was well vetted, a model tenant.

Then her adult son moved in, apparently after his incarceration. His homeboys' pit bulls needed a place to stay, so they wound up there, too.

I told the landlord's parents who looked after the place for him, if those dogs hurt anyone, I'd sue his (the landlord's) ass.

That adult son and his cronies looked kinda rough. Rather than confront them about those dogs, the landlord sold the place.

Barking dogs can be a huge problem. Even some cats can be surprisingly loud. People blame the pets, but the problem is almost always the owner.

A highly stressed dog left alone all day can bark like crazy and cause all sorts of problems, fearing abandonment. Some owners bring that out. A nearby building has many dogs, but only one apartment has a barking dog, and that apartment with that owner continues to have the same problem year after year even with a new dog. One dog alone can actually be worse than two together, because some dogs can't handle being alone.

Also smaller dogs are more likely to bark, and some are trained specifically to bark at certain times. It's amazing how the medical industrial complex has got into even this niche market: companion dogs trained to bark to remind people to take their pills. Why buy a $10 alarm watch when you can get a $5,000 trained dog to wake up the neighbors at all hours? Plus since it's called "health care" they can ignore lease restrictions in some jurisdictions.

pkennedy says

Even $1400 in damage is covered by the initial deposit. I figure if I asked for up to $1000 extra ($3000 total), all my tenants would agree to pay it. If they didn't, they would when I presented them with a court date because no one wants that on their record, even if they win.

In L.A., there is a max. deposit you can collect, pet or no pet. I had a landlord tell me dog nails scratched up hardwood floor and it took entire security deposit $2-3K to refinish/repair. If there had been other damage on top of that, landlord would be out of security deposit and into small claims / collections.

So that's a risk. Other than that, I think a blanket no pets policy isn't a great idea, case by case seems to me to be more reasonable.

And this is probably a major argument for owning instead of renting. To me, pets are part of human life, as is gardening. I rented a house to a family once and their pet was the least of my troubles. The damage the humans did basically undid all the improvements I'd put in when I was trying to sell the place. Most of it wasn't even the kids, like using a plastic surface for a cigar holder.

I think the piss stains and smell are the main problem.

But there have also been cases where a large dog attacks another tenant and the landlord is sued for allowing the large dog.

You beat me to it. Right from the title I was about to write the same.

Dogs can do a great deal of damage; especially young dogs with the chewing and digging. It's not just the interior you need to worry about - landscaping can get trashed by a bored dog, kept outside in a fenced yard while the owners are gone. The last house we rented before I bought a place, the previous tenants had a dog that chewed all the heads off the sprinkler system and dug up everything that was planted in the back yard. So when we moved in, while the damage had been repaired, the owners never replaced the plants so the yard was barren except patchy grass. Inside the house, they told us, the same dog had demolished much of the floor trim by chewing/gnawing it, so that was another expense replacing all the damaged sections. I have dogs (4) and two cats. The cats are neutered and don't spray, nor do they muck about with anything that would cause problems. My pets are admittedly, one of the reasons I wanted to purchase a home rather than continue renting. They can 'be dogs' outside all they like, and since it's a farm and not a landscaped yard, the dig holes they make catching gophers isn't an issue.

If I were to have a rental property, I'd definitely rent to folks with pets...with a good-sized, likely non-refundable damage fee attached to the contract. Pets are not unlike having toddlers in the house - if toddlers had sharp teeth/claws with which to destroy things. My house isn't a home without animal friends, but I'm fully aware of what they can do.

pkennedy says

Even $1400 in damage is covered by the initial deposit. I figure if I asked for up to $1000 extra ($3000 total), all my tenants would agree to pay it. If they didn't, they would when I presented them with a court date because no one wants that on their record, even if they win.

I would countersue for malicious prosecution as well as legal fees and punitive damages. Then you would be the one dropping your lawsuit and paying my filing fees.

robertoaribas says

[patrick's cheap server won't let me upload a pic of the pets...]

Sure it will. First browse for the image THEN click Upload Image.

Here's mine.