America's households host more than 80 million pet cats. Pets and service animals provide companionship and assistance to many American families, and many renters look for the ability to keep pets in a rental property.
If you're renting out a property yourself, though, you'll want to take steps to pet-proof the premises. You don't want to spend too much money refurbishing a unit each time a pet owner moves out and another pet owner moves in. While responsibility falls to the renter, you can take steps ahead of time to ensure a good relationship between tenant, landlord, and pet.
Keep reading for some of the best ways to keep a rental property in good working order while allowing pets.
Contracts Regarding Pets in a Rental Property
Some of the best steps to pet-proofing a home start before the renter moves in. Consider making a pet contract with any tenant who comes in with pets. This can help dodge later heartaches.
Pet contracts allow you to mandate certain behaviors as conditions for having the pet in the dwelling. You might make ID tags mandatory for pets that often wear collars, such as dogs and cats. You could also mandate that litterboxes be placed on hard surfaces or separated from carpets by a plastic covering.
Even if you decide to deny pets, you should still consider how you'd approach a pet contract. You cannot deny service or emotional support animals if they pose no major threat or damage risk, so having some ideas of limitations you'd request can help you and your property management team deal with a disabled tenant in a kind, equitable manner.
Furnishing Choices
If you plan to offer furnished units, consider investing in furniture with metal legs. Other materials might come at a discount, but Rover and Luna will have a harder time chewing holes in steel than wood.
If you can't get metal furnishings, consider the cost of furniture repair or replacement when setting the security deposit, as Colorado law sets no maximum deposit. You could also charge an additional pet deposit as protection for that nice hardwood furniture. Make it clear what charges your tenants will have to deal with as part of the tenancy agreement, though, and under what circumstances you'll return deposits.
Flooring Choices
Besides furnishings, floor coverings represent one of the biggest liabilities in a home with a pet. Hard floors like laminate, tile, or hardwood make the best choices for pet-proofing your home. If you must choose carpeting, consider nylon or polyester.
Choosing nylon or polyester carpeting also has some benefits for homes with kids. The same features that make these carpets appealing for pets make them hardy enough for young children. If you want to emphasize that your domiciles are family-friendly, give nylon or polyester carpet a good look.
Plan for Pets
Keeping pets in a rental property doesn't mean resigning yourself to severe damage. If you make smart furnishing and flooring choices, you can prevent a lot of damage.
If you need help managing a rental property, reach out to Laureate, Ltd. We've been in business for more than 40 years, and our 24-hour emergency service can free you up for a good night's sleep instead of worrying about your rental properties.
