Tips For Dog-Friendly Landlords
Renting when owning a pet is hard in New Zealand, with roughly 35% of people opting for renting, especially younger generations. Considering that 64% of New Zealanders have a furbaby, advertising your property as furbaby-friendly is a sure way to gain interest and get someone moving in sooner rather than later. Of course, furbaby’s come with an increased risk of damage to your property, but there are plenty of things you can do to find the perfect furry tenants, as well as covering yourself if something does go wrong.
Protect yourself and your property
Buying a property to rent out can be a big commitment, particularly if you’re on a low income and are dependent on it for paying your bills. That’s why it’s essential to protect yourself and your property when you allow pets. Asking for a pet-specific deposit that’s refundable will give you peace of mind that if a furbaby does chew the skirting boards or scratch the floor, you can replace it at no cost to yourself. This can be done separately to a usual deposit. It’s also a good idea to request a pet CV from owners and a reference from previous landlords if possible, where the Whanau have lived before as this will help you to rule out any unrulily Whanau.
Set rules for dog owners
Setting some rules and boundaries for tenants with dogs can help to keep your property in good condition, as well as respecting neighbours, particularly if there are communal areas. Include things like cleaning up after dogs immediately in communal gardens and at least a couple of times a week in private gardens, depending on the size. You could also require dogs to be kept on leads in communal areas and ask for proof that dogs have had all their vaccinations and that flea and worming treatments are up to date. Ultimately, any rules you put in place should be reasonable as you’ll find tenants are more likely to stick to them, especially if there’s only a few, rather than a whole list of them.
Treat each owner and dog individually
One of the best things you can do to be a dog-friendly landlord is to treat all dogs and potential tenants on a case by case basis. Ask to meet the dog to get to know their temperament and see how well behaved they are, then set rules based on this. It’s not fair to say, “no big breeds” when some large breeds need less exercise than smaller ones and generally have a calmer temperament with fewer problems barking. Similarly, saying, “no more than one or two dogs” could stop you from getting good tenants who have four well-trained and well-behaved dogs, where someone else could have one dog that isn’t trained and can damage your property due to boredom.
Being a dog-friendly landlord will make your property more attractive to potential tenants, speeding up how long it takes for someone to move in. Be sure to protect yourself from potential damage to your property, but there’s no reason to assume that dogs will destroy things. Treating people and dogs on a case by case basis will help you to find the perfect furry tenants.