How do you deal with tenants' dogs?
We’re new landlords (of a limestone) considering what to do about pets. Cats seem fine, and some dogs would be too, but I wonder if there’s a way to avoid getting one that’ll bark incessantly or piss all over the floors. Does one interview dogs? And if so, what would such an interview entail?
We’re new landlords (of a limestone) considering what to do about pets. Cats seem fine, and some dogs would be too, but I wonder if there’s a way to avoid getting one that’ll bark incessantly or piss all over the floors. Does one interview dogs? And if so, what would such an interview entail?
First off, I’m an animal lover…just about all kinds…but!! Many years ago we rented an apartment to a cat lover… she had 1 or 2, at that time. Over the years (about 15 or 20) she brought in about 10 more. When she moved, it became a major renovation issue to get rid of the smell of cats. I have a dog, but it’s MY house. I don’t allow my tenants to have any pets…dogs, cats, goldfish, birds, hamsters…NO PETS!! It has saved me many dollars, and no agravation over the years.
All downside, no upside. Why bother?
The former owners of our brick federal had 3 dogs. The over 100 year old wide plank floors were ruined because of dog urine. They turned in almost black color and even with a dark stain it looked terrible. I guess they were too lazy to walk them and let them piss on the floor or never changed the wee wee pads which got soaked through and into the floor. We say “no pets” at all. My brother in law allows pets in his place to get more rent and he’s had nothing but problems–yappy/barky/yelpy dogs anger the other tenants/neighbors.
You should definitely “interview” the dog and, most importantly, insist on reviewing evidence of shots. We allow cat(s) as a prophylactic against mice (but we don’t tell the tenant that!), with the tenant agreeing to take on any necessary professoinal cleaning post-cat.
you could potentially lose other tenants if you allow pets. quite alot of people are allergic, to cats especially. i’ve found cats to be more of a problem than dogs (because of the kitty litter/urine smell issue). in the end, we chose to no longer allow any pets at all (we have 2 dogs ourselves). mind you, this “no pet” clause in our lease didn’t stop one tenant from bringing in her pet rats! we were, needless to say, extremely happy when she left.
Do not allow dogs. If a prospective tenant says the dog is quiet and it turns out to be not true you have no recourse. Don’t do it!
I allow dogs & cats in my building but not fish!
Seriously. Its because I’ve noticed that when people clean their large fish tanks, they drop little drops of water on the floor between the sink and the tank. And then they let the water sit there for an hour while they finish cleaning the tank and when they finally dry the floor, they miss spots. Besides, in an hour, the water has already found its way into the wood.
So back to the topic, what I do, is I interview the dog. I ask them to bring the dog over to my apartment and then I introduce the dog to my cat. My cat hates dogs so it starts showing its teeth and hissing. If the dog reacts aggressively or starts barking.. it fails my test.
Of course I also try to play with the dog and meet the other tenants. If s/he is aggressive towards anyone, s/he fails.
Regardless of cat or dog or what.. pets require a pet deposit. Birds can chew up walls and shit on carpets… cats can spray all over the apartment or scratch at floors or carpet.
So far all of my tenants have been very responsible pet owners. I hope my luck continues.
I’d rather have dogs for tenants…especially labrador retrievers.
don’t allow dogs. i say this even though i’m a dog lover and dog owner. but this is the only way to make sure you won’t have dog problems. and tenants can argue that because you have allowed one dog you can allow others. also i think there’s a limit to what landlords can legally hold as a deposit in nyc to 2 months rent.