Whether or not you should allow pets in your rented property has always been a difficult question. Well, perhaps not for all of us, but certainly most landlords will be animal lovers, so the question remains – should you allow little Timmy to bring his best friend ‘Buddy’ the St. Bernard into your rental?
There are plenty of reasons everyone can think of pretty quickly as to why you should not allow pets on the property. But believe it or not, there are a few not so obvious reasons that may make it not be such a bad idea. Let’s take a look at a few.
Between 2010-2019, dog ownership alone in Ireland was at 35% of households. That’s a huge number of families, and that doesn’t take into account the many Cats, Hamsters and the odd Anaconda here or there. This is a big market you are missing out on if you are not a pet-friendly property.
Despite this, Landlords offering pet-friendly properties are in the minority, therefore when a tenant does find someone that will accommodate them, they are much more likely to become long-term, stable tenants. Tenants with pets tend to be more settled in life due to the responsibility involved in raising a pet. The hope is that the more settled and responsible the tenant, the more likely they are to look after your property.
Inevitably there will be wear and tear when accommodating an animal, particularly a larger breed of dog. Cats can also cause damage to furniture and carpets etc. One way to mitigate this cost is to add a modest increase in the monthly rental from the beginning. For example, raising the rent of a 3 bedroom house from €1400 to €1500 a month should cover any wear and tear that may be caused by animals. You could also request a higher deposit when negotiating your rental agreement with the tenant. The tenant should be fine with paying slightly more if it means they can bring the family dog.
But what exactly do we mean by wear and tear. Perhaps you have never owned a pet and Disney is your only reference and you think there is no reason at all not to have a herd of rabbits taking up the spare room. Or conversely, you may have had only bad experiences with friends’ pets and think they are all bad and under no circumstances will you allow pets on your property. The truth is obviously somewhere between the two. Let’s look at some of the real examples of wear & tear caused by animals in the home.
The smell…. I Don’t feel I need to elaborate here, but for the uninitiated….they smell. Even the nice ones. Nothing you can do. They smell. And it lingers… Yup.
Anyway, moving swiftly along, the little buggers also leave lots of hair on everything for you to enjoy. This can obviously vary greatly based on the breed, size etc of the animal, but definitely can get annoying. Despite your tenants best efforts and intentions, the property will need a deep clean after having pets. This can obviously be costly and add time to any void periods.
Dogs can also be a nuisance for neighbours. If a dog is constantly barking, it can be a drain on anyone nearby and lead to tensions between owners and your tenants. This can then come back on you in some cases, so if you think it may be a problem, make sure to have the conversation with your tenant and make them aware that it must be kept to a minimum.
Overall, there are many points on both sides of the argument, but if you do decide that you will allow pets, don’t just jump in and think you have to allow anything. Take it on a case-by-case basis. It’s your right to do so and remember you can tailor any rental agreement to suit any particular tenant. Once you both agree to the terms then there is no problem. Make sure to meet the animal first if you have concerns and don’t forget it is perfectly acceptable to raise the rent slightly to cover any potential damages.
As usual, if you are a landlord and are in need of any advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at KPM Group. We have been managing property in Ireland for over 20 years and will be happy to help in any way we can.
