dog on blanket

Rental Pet Policy

Written on March 3, 2022 by Nick Ward

We understand that pets can often significantly contribute to an individual or family’s quality of life, and we wish to accommodate tenants with pets wherever possible. However, experience has taught us that the presence of pets in a rental home can sometimes result in thousands worth of damage, most frequently the result of pets urinating on carpeting or hardwood flooring which then must be replaced. With this in mind, we employ the following guidelines in making decisions concerning the acceptability of pets:

By “pets” we are referring to pets who live outside of a cage, terrarium, or aquarium. Pets who do live inside cages, terrariums or aquariums are almost always acceptable with no additional security deposit. Please do notify us of all animals that will be living with you though.

Pets must be at least one year old.

Pets must have lived with the prospective tenant for at least one year.

We must be able to obtain a reliable third-party reference concerning whether or not the pet damaged the prospective tenants’ home during the previous year or, if that reference is not available, during the year prior to the previous year.

In the absence of such a reference, we must be able to meet the pet in the home that they are currently occupying.

We also consider other lifestyle and property variables. For example, a property with a fenced rear yard is more “pet friendly” than one without a fence. Or a family with a “stay-at-home-parent,” for example, is more likely to be able to provide more supervision of a pet than a family where no one is at home during the day. These are both examples of factors which would reduce the risk that a pet may cause damage to the property.

We DO NOT charge a non-refundable pet fee as is very common in our market. Instead, depending upon the particular property and the level of risk we perceive to be associated with a particular pet, we require additional security deposit which would be refundable if there is no damage. In this way, those who have pets who do not damage the property are not penalized for having their pets and taking care of their pets.

Finally, it is possible to adopt a pet while already living in one of our homes, but this is handles on a case-by-case basis.  Please contact our office if you are considering adding a pet to your lease, or if you have any questions!