Guidelines for Pet Policies

A good property management company like Fred Leeds will help you determine whether it’s in your best interest to ban or allow pets on your premises. The ultimate decision will most likely be based on a cost benefits analysis and assessment of the liability potential you will be subject to as a property owner. Below are some issues to consider and further explore with your South Bay property management company.

The staff at Fred Leeds Property Management has found that it’s best to require an additional deposit for your tenants’ pets to cover any animal-related damages or expenditures associated with the pet. The standard amount is typically between $100 and $350. This will ensure that any carpet damage and other problems will be taken care of when the tenant vacates.

Another standard item that we recommend at Fred Leeds Properties is to include an addendum to the lease that states that the permission to keep pets can be revoked at any time, completely at the landlord’s discretion. This will come in handy in the case of a problematic pet that causes issues with other tenants.

The team at Fred Leeds Property Management strives to set clear expectations and policies in regards to pets from the moment we start working with a landlord. We help our clients determine guidelines for pets, from handling complaints about pets and setting a maximum number per unit to overall expectations from both parties. Our staff helps our clients set rules in regards to important issues such as noise levels, cleanliness and usage of common areas.

A great South Bay property management company will also make sure to properly screen clients and seek referrals through previous landlords and other references to ensure that the potential tenant has not had any pet-related issues in the past.

Pet Policies and Property Management

Whether you work with a company like Fred Leeds Property Management or manage your property yourself, there are so many issues to set policies on when you own rental units. A common and important issue that must be decided upon is whether or not you want to accept or decline pets on your premises.

In most states, generally speaking, property owners are not required to allow tenants to have pets. In San Diego, a recent survey reported that almost 60 percent of rental properties do not allow cats, and between 75 and 80 percent don’t allow dogs. Considering the tremendous amount of pet owners in California alone, it’s easy to see that there’s a big discrepancy between the number of pet owners and those who rent. At Fred Leeds properties, we work with landlords who allow pets as well as those who don’t. This gives us a greater breadth and depth of experience, one that perhaps another South Bay property management company won’t have.

When a property owner has a high vacancy rate, it may make the most sense to open their buildings to pets. Renting is typically a temporary situation, even with regards to long-term leases. At Fred Leeds Properties, we’ve come across a lot of potential tenants who do not want to get rid of their pets in order to obtain a rental. So if turnover is high or you’re having trouble renting units, your best bet may be to allow pets in your buildings.

At Fred Leeds Property Management, we understand a property owner’s reluctance to allow tenants to have pets. When a tenant owns a pet that lives in a rental unit, it opens the property up to the potential of damage, as well as noise and safety issues in the complex as a whole. A good South Bay property management company can help you determine the policy that will best suit your building and the area it’s in. As mentioned above, allowing tenants to have pets can increase your pool of tenants, and encourage them to rent for longer, especially if there are few other pet-friendly options in the neighborhood. Where the experience of a good property manager comes in is to help you decide whether the risk outweighs the liability.