We all love our pets and our property management team is often asked “are pets allowed?”

Nicola Smith our Property Management Department Manager provides 4 Top Tips on Pets in Rental Properties

Introduction- Top Tips on Pets in Rental Properties

The goal of every property investor is to rent the property to good tenants. Many good tenants are families with pets, and you need to decide whether or not you will allow pets into your property. Should you allow pets you need to understand the various pitfalls associated with animals in the home so that you can be prepared and reduce the chance of having a negative experience.

Tip One

The Pet Must Stay Outside! If you allow pets, be aware that you should always ask your tenant to ensure the pet is kept outside at all times. This must be instructed clearly verbally, but it must also be in writing to be enforceable. Unfortunately not all tenants follow this rule despite being told, so vigilance is required to look out for pet damage when conducting routine inspections.

Tip Two

The Tenant Must be Responsible for Damage- Pet damage can come in all forms with clawed flyscreens, doors and doorways, scratched floorboards, shredded curtains, chewed irrigation fittings and damaged landscaping. It is important to match the tenant and pet to the property- if too many things could potentially be damaged by that type of pet, it is best to not accept the tenant application.

Tip Three

Disruption to Neighbours- continuous barking can become a real issue for neighbours and can ignite disputes quickly. This is unpleasant for the tenant and landlord alike, as well as for the affected neighbours. Being clear on your expectations upfront with your tenant is the best measure to reduce any potential noise disputes. State clearly that any noisy pet may need to be removed after fair written warning is given.

Tip Four

Tenants Having ‘Other Pets’- sometimes tenants might ‘babysit’ someone else’s pet for a period, or their approved pet has offspring like puppies or kittens. Tenants need to be told in advance your expectations about keeping temporary pets on the property without permission. Also negotiate upfront how long they can keep any offspring before they need to be relocated from the property. You don’t want one pet quickly becoming five without right boundaries in place!