Renting out to pet owners

Cacao on 09/06/2017 - 07:37
Last edited 09/06/2017 - 07:38

Hi all
My investment (very first) property (free standing house) north of Brisbane has been vacant for couple of months now. I just received an application from a couple who has a dog and no kids. They recently moved to Brisbane for work and do not have any previous rental records. (They've owned before ).

Agent says references have checked out.

I wanted to ask for a pet deposit which apparently is not allowed in Qld?

Please let me know what you think of the situation and what would you do given the vacant period.. :(

Poll Options

  • 59
    I would rent to pet owners
  • 20
    No chance
  • 5
    I may consider
Home & Garden

Comments

  • Nugs on 09/06/2017 - 07:39
    +1

    how does damage from animals differ from damage by people?
    won't it all need to be rectified regardless upon them leaving?
    we rented with dogs, rule was they were not allowed inside (yes, they slept in laundry in winter)

    • GangGang on 09/06/2017 - 07:47

      I reckon it depends on the animal & breed. Some dogs are much calmer. Some run a muck, dig holes, rip out plants, chew doors, gyprock, rip up carpet & if not trained can sh#t & wee inside everywhere.

      • Cacao on 09/06/2017 - 07:52

        Hi, it's a wolfhound cross

        • Nugs on 09/06/2017 - 08:27
          +4

          it's not a dog, it's a pony.

          from Wikipedia
          The AKC specifies the minimum height as 32 inches (0.81 m) for mature males, 30 inches (0.76 m) for females; the minimum weight: 120 pounds (54 kg) for males, 105 pounds (48 kg) for females.[

          despite its large size is rarely found to be destructive in the house or boisterous. This is because the breed is generally introverted, intelligent, and reserved in character

          .

        • altomic on 09/06/2017 - 10:35

          @sandp: I'm not a dog person, but wolfhounds are great dogs. Calm, smart and quiet. Temperament like a Labrador ( but smarter)

      • Adz81 on 09/06/2017 - 08:23
        +2

        The above also applies to little bastard children as well.

        • altomic on 09/06/2017 - 10:33
          +3

          And their bogan parents

        • Adz81 on 09/06/2017 - 10:39
          +1

          @altomic: Bogan ones too :D

        • altomic on 09/06/2017 - 10:41
          +1

          @Adz81: stupid autocorrect

        • Adz81 on 09/06/2017 - 10:43

          @altomic:
          Nothing to worry about, the fact your phone's autocorrect hasn't learnt the word "bogan" isn't really a bad thing.

        • Peck on 10/06/2017 - 10:19

          @altomic: Hey! I resemble that !!

        • BertieBrown on 10/06/2017 - 12:01

          @altomic:

          This, times a million. Two very unpleasant people rented on our street (never paid rent; owners had to wait 3 month until eviction) trashed the house (broken windows and doors, holes in walls etc) and had zero animals but multiple children.

      • djkelly69 on 09/06/2017 - 10:02
        +1

        Some run a muck, dig holes, rip out plants, chew doors, gyprock, rip up carpet & if not trained can sh#t & wee inside everywhere.

        Same with kids, but you don't see many ads saying no kids!

  • teacherer on 09/06/2017 - 07:44
    +2

    As a pet owner I definately would, but I would expect damages
    I would have a 'clause?' in the lease stating that any damages especially what could be construed as pet releated are the responsiblity of the tenant
    My 2c

  • bigeater on 09/06/2017 - 07:51
    +2

    Add some clause in your contract so any potential damages from the pet is covered by the tenants. And buy a landlord insurance as well.

  • the-mal on 09/06/2017 - 08:10
    +10

    Kids are way messier / more destructive / less disciplined than dogs. And many adults are absolute pigs as well. There are always unknowns with renting.

    Ultimately if their references check out then surely a tenanted house is better than a vacant house. Better some income than none. If you're worried just put them on a 6 month lease initially and inspect the property to see how it looks.

    I assume Qld is the same as NSW in that if you own a pet you have to professionally clean the carpets on vacating and all other potential damages can be removed out of a bond.

    I'd definitely rent to them. After 2 months vacant the market is telling you that your place isn't super desirable, so I'd take them up on this lease.

    • stratbargain on 09/06/2017 - 08:18
      +1

      Just posting to say I agree with everything you've said :)

  • slow on 09/06/2017 - 08:14
    +2

    Have had a similar dilemma before

    Just make sure you take lots of photos before as part of the condition report and ensure they repair any damage (and get rid of the smell) when they move out

  • sparkles on 09/06/2017 - 08:35
    +5

    Here are what I experienced renting to someone with a large dog: scratched doors, ripped flywire, wee on carpet, overall smell unable to be removed by professional carpet clean, squooshed poo all over garden, general garden damage, mess left behind (icky bones/torn foam/abandoned doghouse). Result: tenant bond lost, carpet replaced, much work, lost rent.

    I voted No Chance.

    • QW3RTY on 09/06/2017 - 08:43
      +1

      Did you have a property manager performing inspections?!

      • sparkles on 09/06/2017 - 09:01

        Yes, it seems all these things aren't really obvious until tenant is gone. Tenant was approved on basis that dog lived outside except for exceptional circumstances ie. very cold/hot nights, which simply didn't happen. I found copious dog hair in every room of the house. You can't police tenants, you have to allow them "quiet enjoyment" of the property, but tenants are generally quite happy to abuse the trust you put in them once your back is turned.

    • mskeggs on 09/06/2017 - 08:45
      +1

      I agree with this, and would prefer non pet owners, even though the majority of pet owners are responsible.

      That said, a place vacant for a few months is thousands of dollars in rent foregone, and would pay for reasonable extra problems.

    • rambao9 on 09/06/2017 - 09:33

      This ^, too many horror stories and this is generally how they all turn out.

      Pet owners don't notice the smell, but for non pet owners, the smell is amplified and the property generally needs alot of work to be suitable for renting again.

      Depending on the period you are renting it to them ofcourse

  • Limitless on 09/06/2017 - 08:42
    +1

    Do you know if the dog sleeps inside or outside? Perhaps they keep their dog outside most of the time?

    Or maybe your asking price is a bit high and the dog owners are willing to pay the premium price knowing that dog owners are less favourable?

    • mskeggs on 09/06/2017 - 08:47
      +1

      My anecdotal observations suggest that properties that accept pets can charge 10% or more extra in rent for equivalent places.
      That said, I wouldn't renat out a pristine property. But if it was a "student" grade unrenovated place I probably would.

      • Limitless on 09/06/2017 - 09:20
        +1

        Yeah pet owners in WA have to pay a pet bond to cover any extra costs but i am not surprised that pet owners would pay more rent which leads me to believe OP has listed the house at a premium if no one else is interested.

        Sounds to me like op has the following options:
        A - Rent the house to the dog owners
        B - lower the asking price to hopefully get someone else in sooner
        C - Wait for a better offer

  • bobbified on 09/06/2017 - 09:24

    Long story short, if you're not comfortable renting the place to someone with a pet because you have concerns, then don't do it. No amount of OzBargain reassurances is going to help you when you lose sleep.

    It's an investment property and you don't want to be lying in bed each night worrying about the potential damage that their pet could be causing. I'm not saying there's no risk with other applicants, but it's best to get it as close to "set and forget" as you can.

    Could it be that the amount you've set as the weekly rent is too high, hence no other applicants? If you can rent it out for a little less to someone you're more comfortable with, would that help?

  • Cacao on 09/06/2017 - 10:17
    +1

    The agent (btw I did check google reviews etc) I hired turned out not very active (no weekend inspections, one open house in the middle of the week, not advertising times asking prospective tenants to register etc etc) until I got a second agent on board they pulled finger out %##€£¥. The rent is sitting at or below market price. Its a neat house with recent renos internally (paint floors carpets) only thing is that the internal area is bit on the smaller side althou the house sits on a big block with manicured gardens so the exterior is not run down at all.
    Its interstate so I was unable to be on top of things unfortunately.
    But lesson learnt.
    I think I'm going to give this a green light. Fingers x'ed. ^_^

  • try2bhelpful on 09/06/2017 - 10:39

    I suggest you sit down with the people and have a good chat about how they look after the animal and what you expect in relation to the how the house will be treated.

    Back when we were renting the landlords seemed to be a bit more chilled about us having cats - or maybe our rental record was quite good. I would include the fact that the carpets have to be steam cleaned when they leave and talk to them about having regular inspections of the property to see how it is faring.

    The other thing to do is ask the neighbours to keep an eye out for you and, especially, get back to you if there is an issue with the dog barking continuously etc.

    Best of luck.

  • Pungentia on 09/06/2017 - 11:32

    We rented temporarily (with our dog and cats) whilst we rebuilt our house.
    We provided dog references and a pet bond and the pets did no damage to the carpet or garden in that time.
    Our children on the other hand spilt things on the carpet, banged into walls etc.

    Either way, as good tenants, we made 'good' and ensured all damage we had caused was rectified before we vacated. I think the carpet and the garden were in better shape after we left as well (carpet thoroughly steam cleaned and flea treated, pruned fruit trees, lawn mown etc).

    I would make the decision based on past rental history or referees, request a pet bond and carpet cleaning on departure. All other damage I would treat as per normal tenancy agreement.

  • subywagon on 09/06/2017 - 11:37

    As a previous dog owner I definitely wouldn't. You can always tell when a dog has been in a backyard, there will be bare patches where the dog has crapped or pissed all the time, or weeds growing back where the patches were, little holes where big ones have been filled back in. It takes a lot of work to get the yard good again. Dogs are destructive. If the owners let them in the house they will leave their smell in the carpet. Dog hair is extremely hard to get rid off.

    I don't think sitting down and having a chat will do anything. The owner will try and tell you what you want to hear as they want to rent the house. They will promise the world to you.

    Yes they leave a deposit, but if there is major damage and it comes up short, you WON'T get anything off them. They will leave you to deal with the damage.

    You want everything to go a smoothly as possible when you are renting out an investment property. Pets are just another variable adding to the chances of where something can go wrong.

  • pais on 09/06/2017 - 13:07
    +1

    We rented out to a family with a pet on the provision that the dog stayed outside. The dog didn't stay outside. It didn't really do much damage fortunately, but you can't really police an agreement like that.

    With that said, if your rental is empty for months, you've already lost way more than you would having a pet owner in there for that duration.

  • modsec802 on 10/06/2017 - 05:17

    Seems like you're asking way too much rent. Brisbane's rental market is in a free fall: we moved house recently and dropped rent by over a third.

    Try including a free MacBook Pro: http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-27/freebies-with-brisb…

    The rental vacancy rate within five kilometres of Brisbane's CBD has reached a record 4.4 per cent, driven by a glut of apartments.

    It is pushing rents down, some slashed by an estimated 10 to 15 per cent.

  • Aussie Smurfette on 10/06/2017 - 09:48
    +1

    Whether tenants have a dog or not are really of little consequence. You can get feral tenants who will trash the place that don't have a dog and you can get tenants that have a dog and will be fine.
    Just do it, and hope they are good, like any other tenant.

  • furys12 on 10/06/2017 - 10:41
    +1

    imo a dog is way less risk then children and not that much more risk then just adult humans, the type of tenants that would let a dog be a legitimate issue are likely the type of humans who would cause just as many issues, just make sure your contracts and conditions reports are on point and you'll be covered legally should anything happen.

  • mintysaurus on 10/06/2017 - 14:24

    For me it'd depend on dog age as well as breed. A younger dog or puppy is likely to cause more damage than an older dog

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