According to the 2021-22 National Pet Owners Survey, about 70% of American households have at least one pet living in them. The vast majority of these households have either dogs or cats. But they also have fish, birds, reptiles, and other small animals.
If you own a rental property in the Jacksonville, FL area, you'll need to decide if you're going to let people keep pets while living in it. Not all landlords are okay with the idea of people keeping pets in a rental property.
To help you decide if you should allow pets in a rental property, you should consider the pros and cons of doing it. Check them out below to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of letting pets stay in rental properties.
The Pros of Allowing Pets in Your Rental Property
Initially, you might think that letting people live with pets in a rental property will be a terrible idea. But there are many benefits that'll come along with it.
For starters, you'll open your rental property up to a much larger audience. It'll make it simpler to find tenants for it.
You'll also usually be able to charge higher rent when you let people move into a rental property with pets. They typically won't have any problem paying extra when you let them live with their pets in your rental property.
Additionally, many pet owners will work to clean up after their pets and keep their homes cleaner than they might otherwise because of their pets. These would all be great reasons to allow pets in a rental property. You'll also feel better about yourself when you support animals in this way.
The Cons of Allowing Pets in Your Rental Property
While letting people live with pets in a rental property has its benefits, there are also some downsides to doing it. They should also be on your radar.
First and foremost, you'll need to worry about people cleaning up the inside and outside of your rental property when they have pets. Not everyone is going to do this as they should.
You might also need to be concerned about people's pets potentially attacking someone on your property and causing legal issues. Since an attack like this will technically take place on your property, it could cause trouble for you.
These are two of the main things you'll need to think about before letting people live with pets in a rental property you own.
What to Do If You Decide to Allow Pets in a Rental Property
If you're going to allow tenants to move in with pets in a rental property, you should lay down some ground rules. They should only be able to live with certain types of pets, and they should have to tell you about them.
They should also have to pay a higher rent than usual. They should be on the hook for cleaning up after pets as well.
A Jacksonville, FL property management company like Northeast Florida Realty, Inc. can make sure tenants abide by these rules while living with pets in a rental property. Contact us today to hear about how we can help.
