PUPPIES AND KITTENS AND PETS … OH MY!
Any Wizard of Oz fans out there? As the main characters walk through a “scary” forest, they worry about meeting wild animals. They obsess a little about “Lions and Tigers and Bears … Oh my!” You can see the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HrfbV16-FQ.
Seems a little over-the-top, doesn’t it? But often we meet investors who are deeply concerned about having pets in their property. Most of us have heard at least one “cat pee” horror-story.
So what’s a real estate investor to do? Solve problems, provide value and monetize your rental housing business! Aka: the Pet Policy and Addendum.
In these Covid times, many people have invested in a pet. And those prospective tenants consider their pet a part of their family—or at least a valuable companion. If you live in an area where tenants have choices, providing a pet friendly property can dramatically increase your pool of applicants.
So, first things first: if you don’t want pets, you need a pet policy. It might just be one sentence, for example, “no pets, animals, birds or reptiles of any kind permitted in the suite.” The key here: it has to be written into your lease. If you feel that strongly, you might even want an initials box beside that item. Just telling your tenants verbally won’t be enough.
Some people have a specific aversion to a specific type of pet. If you are a cats only, or a dogs only person, that needs to be specifically indicated in your advertising and your lease. And if your unit is part of a townhouse or condo complex, there might even be bylaws governing which pets your tenants are allowed to have, and where the pets are allowed to be (within the complex).
Our job, as rental housing providers, is to be as clear and specific as we can in our written documentation. We start in our ads: yes or no to pets, and cats/dogs/other. Then, as we are qualifying a tenant, we interview them with their pet. In our experience, most pet behavior is highly dependent on the owner!
If the furry or feathered friend is still welcome, it’s then time to paper the deal. Our standard lease has a clause that specifically refers to the Pet Addendum to the Lease. That clause also states that no other pets are allowed in the unit 1) unless they are listed in the Addendum or 2) a new addendum is written after meeting and approving of any additional pets. Aka: just because we said yes to 1 dog, doesn’t mean 5 can move in! And yes, we photograph the initial pet that was approved, and file the photo with the lease documents.
Your pet addendum to the lease can include:
- Consequences for pet damage and how this will be assessed
- Consequences for pet noise (usually barking dogs), how this will be proven (eg a written complaint from a neighbor, a written warning or assessment by a bylaw officer, etc…)
- How you will deal with aggressive behavior or harm (by the pet) to anyone living at the address, any trades people, and/or any neighbours.
- Your expectations for the pet’s urine and feces. For example, tenants are responsible to pick up all dog poop weekly. For example, no cat litter box contents will ever be flushed down the toilet (yup, we are that specific!).
We also remind our tenants that our lease is with the human! If a pet becomes a problem, the owner has the right to re-home the pet, while the owner remains in the unit. However, failure to deal with a problem pet, as outlined in the pet addendum, will put the entire lease in breach of the Residential Tenancy Act.
It’s all written down before they move in. Any pet fees or clean up fees are also specifically explained. And no, even with all these measures in place, it’s still not a guarantee.
In these crazy Covid times, allowing pets will expand the number of eligible tenants you have interested in your property. And, depending on your policy, you may be able to receive higher rent—simply by allowing a pet. So it’s your choice, whether to allow the scary wild animals into your property – or not. If it’s a go, we strongly suggest you have a company policy or process up front. Because when faced with “puppy dog eyes,” it might be hard to decline!
