If you plan to rent out your Scottsdale home, you might be wondering if you should allow pets. The answer depends on how quickly and for how much money you want to rent it out. In most cases, having a pet-friendly rental home can set your house apart from others on the market. Before you take this chance, make sure you use these tips to protect your Scottsdale rental home when you allow pets.
Decide what kinds of pets to allow
It’s up to you to figure out which types of animals would be welcome in your Scottsdale rental home – though you do have to allow service animals in most cases to remain in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. You can be open to all kinds of pets or be more specific by creating restrictions based on the weight, breed, and number of pets that renters can have in your Scottsdale rental home.
Determine pet-specific fees
It’s common for homeowners to add a few extra fees for anyone who rents their pet-friendly property. This is because of the possible damage that many pets can do to the home. In addition, you will likely need to have the house cleaned more thoroughly than usual after a pet has lived in it, in case the future tenants are allergic to animal dander.
For this reason, make sure you increase the security deposit for renters with pets. You can either get specific by charging a pet deposit, or simply increase the amount of the regular security deposit. In Arizona, landlords are allowed to charge up to one and a half times the monthly rent for the security deposit. Note that you can make the deposit nonrefundable, or you might choose to make it refundable if there is no pet damage.
Outline the rules
Once you determine which types of pets are welcome and which fees renters need to pay, it’s time to create a pet agreement policy that you can include in the lease. This should include all the rules that renters will need to abide by when they rent your pet-friendly property in Scottsdale. For example, you may want to see that they are current on their vaccinations.
You should also specify that your renters do the following:
- Clean up after their pets.
- Keep them on a leash while walking in the area.
- Ensure they do not cause any disturbances to the neighbors, such as barking or running free through the neighborhood.
After drawing up all the rules, state what the consequences are for breaking them. They might range from extra fees to eviction from your Scottsdale rental home.
If you need help renting your home in Scottsdale or finding a new house to call home, come to The Matheson Team for assistance today!
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-360-0281
don@scottsdalerealestate.com
