Renting properties to tenants with pets.

My landlords generally have a 100% NO attitude towards any kind of animal in their properties and I can understand why. My dog Cooper. A large 3 year old Golden Retriever likes to chew shoes, he sheds hair and he has been known to give the lounge rug a good soaking when still damp after a walk.

Cooper

But what to do when your property is empty and the only interested viewers have a pet? I'll tell you what you do,  you start questioning your no pet policy.

We recommend that landlords consider a pet when a well referenced tenant applies for a property with a furry friend. We advise that a double deposit should be taken along with a clause in the lease that the property should be professionally cleaned after their tenancy.

If possible try and get a reference for the pet. The tenant may be coming from a rented property. Hopefully the previous landlord had no issues and is happy to provide a glowing reference.

Sofa scratched by a cat

When inspecting your property during a tenancy make sure that you check curtains and sofa corners as cats sometimes use them as scratch posts. If there are litter trays in the property make sure the tenants are doing their best to combat the smell as it can last well beyond a single tenancy.

Having owned ACE for 10 years now I have had many interesting pet stories from house rabbits living in kitchens, budgies that do not live in cages and a tenant that blocked the toilet when trying to flush her dead rat! She expected us to pay for the plumber!

Communication with a tenant at the start of the lease on how you expect the tenancy to be carried out with a pet in situ is crucial to a smooth running tenancy. Make sure both you and the tenant are on the same page with cleaning costs and repairs to damage caused by the pet and make sure your inventory and photos taken at the start of the lease are accurate.