Banning Pets as a Property Manager: You Might Be Making a Mistake

“Do you allow pets?” is one of the most common questions people ask when looking for a place to rent. Time and again when we ask our property owners if they will allow pets, the answer is a resounding “No.”

On the surface, forbidding pets might seem like a surefire way to prevent significant and frequent property damage. But is it actually smart to turn away pet owners? Maybe not.

Over 52% of households in Los Angeles own pets, and that number is the same for Santa Clarita alone—52%. Most of those families have dogs or cats. With such a significant statistic like that, you’ll probably have to turn down a lot of potential renters just to keep your property pet-free.

Advertising your property as “No Pets” can cause the property to sit for months while you are waiting for the perfect non-pet-owning tenant to come around. 

When trying to decide whether or not to allow pets at your property, consider the following:

Are You Losing Money by Banning Pets?

How would the cost of refurbishing any pet-related damages compare to the cost of letting your property sit vacant? It may be that the money you spend cleaning up after a tenant’s cat or dog would be nothing compared to the money you’d lose from prolonged vacancy.

Charge Tenants More for Their Pets

Instead of banning pets, consider charging pet-owners a higher security deposit or a reasonable monthly fee to offset the costs of any damage a pet might cause.

People Don’t Follow the Rules

Just being realistic: people are crazy about their beloved pets. They’re also desperate to find affordable, comfortable housing. If you tell them “no” to dear old Scruffy and the family promises to give him away for the sake of being eligible for the home, you shouldn’t be surprised if Scruffy shows up at the property anyway.

Tenants have been known to keep their pets in secret in order to avoid violating their landlord’s policy or to avoid fees / higher security deposit. Banning pets might not work anyway; and dealing with enforcement could be a pain in the neck.

SCREM Can Inspect a Pet Owner’s Home

If you are a property manager with SCREM, and a potential tenant is moving from another SCREM property, our staff can always request to do an inspection of the property they are currently renting to see how they are keeping it and if the pet has caused any damage. You can also ask for references from the tenant’s prior landlord to see if anything comes up about unruly pets. At the end of the day, there are no “bad pets”— just good or bad pet owners. Pet owners who clean up after their pets and train them well are much more reliable than tenants who let their pets run the show—and destroy it.

Just Say “No” to the Usual Suspects

If you’re still uncomfortable with the problems that pets could cause, consider banning only particular breeds that are known to be more destructive, aggressive, or messy than the rest.

Contact SCREM – Your Solution for Seamless Property Management

Southern California Real Estate Management is Santa Clarita’s largest property management company. Looking to minimize the stress and manpower needed to manage your properties? Let our team of highly-trained professionals handle everything for you.

Call us at (661) 255-7600 or send an online inquiry to learn more about our services.