If You Have a Pet, Prepare to Pay More for Rent, or Consider Buying Your Own Place

Lighter Side of Real Estate • November 12, 2022

Pets are part of the family; many people even consider them their children. And like children, they come with costs that you’ll have to deal with, like:

  • Food
  • Grooming
  • A walker or pet sitter
  • Unexpected vet bills

But higher rent isn’t something you’d have to expect if you had an actual child. Sure, it may cost you more to rent a place that has enough room for the amount of children you have, but no landlord is going to tack on an extra monthly fee or deposit for every kid you have.

However, there’s a good chance that a pet will cost you more in monthly rent and require that you give the landlord an additional deposit (perhaps even non-refundable) to cover any damage they may do while you live there. This isn’t a new thing by any means, but according to this Market Watch article, it’s something that’s giving pet-owning renters more stress lately, considering how much rents have been increasing.

Even finding a place that allows pets can be more difficult in the best of times, but with a shortage of available rentals, it’s even tougher to find a rental that allows them. So, like it or not, if the landlord wants more money because you have a pet, it’s hard to argue or negotiate.

It might feel unfair since this practice presumes your pet will do damage. But what if it doesn’t? What if you have the best behaved pet in the world? Or what if you have a smaller pet? Why should you have to pay as much as somebody whose pet is like a bull in a china shop?

Well, you can’t entirely look at landlords like they’re evil, money-hungry people looking to milk you for more money. They’re taking increased risk, and have reasons for doing so. This article cited a few of them, such as:

  • 64% of landlords surveyed said they had property damaged by a tenant’s pet.
  • There’s increased liability, which could result in lawsuits or higher insurance rates.
  • They typically need to do more cleaning and repairs before renting it out to the next tenant.

So if you have a pet, you have to at least understand why the landlord would have concerns and would want protection from having to cover additional costs.

That being said, everything is at least potentially negotiable. So you can always try and plead your case, and ask the landlord to reduce (or even waive) any additional fees or deposits. You’re more likely to be successful with pets that are unlikely to cause damage, like fish or a reptile that stays in a tank.

But the ultimate solution is to buy your own house if possible. Considering the extra cost of renting as a pet owner, it may even be more economical to buy your own place. You might even look into buying a duplex or multi-family house and become a pet-friendly landlord yourself. Think about it: you can get higher rents than a landlord who doesn’t allow pets, and live in one of the units with as many pets as you want!

Otherwise, just keep your eyes peeled for pet-friendly rentals, and when you find one that allows your pet and has reasonable fees, jump on it and sign that lease before someone else scoops it up!

The Takeaway:

Renters have been facing higher rents and a lot of competition for the number of rentals available on the market in general. But when you add a pet into the mix, it not only makes it more difficult to find a place to rent, it increases the amount it costs on a monthly basis (as well as a larger security deposit).
You can always try to negotiate with a landlord, but if it’s hard to find a place that allows pets, you may just have to agree to their terms. Ultimately, the best solution is to buy a place of your own if possible. Buying a duplex or multi-family house that you can live in and rent out the other units to other pet owners may be an even smarter idea that can save you even more money.


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Don’t Let Home Prices Headlines Fool You

By KCM • April 27, 2026
Don’t Let Home Prices Headlines Fool You Spend about 5 minutes online searching for news about the housing market, and odds are you’ll see something pop up about home prices . You may even stumble onto social media influencers saying we’re headed for a crash. Let’s get you the context you need. The truth is prices are going to vary depending on where you live. But they're not crashing. Here’s what you need to know. The Local Perspective: Home Price Trends by Area The biggest thing feeding into the confusion online is how different home price trends are by area right now. Take a look at this data from ResiClub and Zillow (see graph below). About half of the largest metros are seeing prices go up. The other half are seeing some declines. Unfortunately, the online chatter only focuses on the markets where prices are down – and that makes it sound like something bigger is happening. But, as you can see in this graph, that’s only one side of the story. The full picture is different. The National Perspective: Moderate Price Growth As a country, when you average it all together to get a true baseline, one thing becomes clear, home prices are still net positive at the national level. According to the Redfin, national home prices were up about 1% year-over-year in February. So, what we’re seeing right now isn’t a collapse. It’s a market that’s normalizing after a period of unusually fast growth. And that impacts some local markets more than others – particularly those where prices rose too far, too fast during the pandemic. A true crash, like what happened in 2008, would mean prices dropping sharply across the entire country. That’s just not what the data shows today. And it’s not where things are going either. Experts Agree This Isn’t 2008 In fact, Fannie Mae surveyed over 100 housing market experts to ask their opinions on where prices are headed from here. And the experts agree, nationally, prices are expected to keep rising over the next five years : That rise will be moderate, particularly this year, but the trend is clear. Nationally, prices are forecast to grow every year now through at least 2030 – and that’s normal. Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist, at Redfin explains: “ House prices aren’t going to fall on a national scale any time soon—and that’s actually a good thing. It’s normal for house prices to rise gradually over time . . .” That's why even in the select areas where prices have dropped slightly this year, the decline is expected to be temporary. According to that same quarterly Fannie Mae survey mentioned above, 85% of the experts say the markets that are seeing mild declines right now will return to positive price growth before the end of 2027. The main takeaway? This isn’t a crash. And prices aren’t expected to fall nationally. If anything, the few areas experiencing declines are expected to rebound in the next year or so. Bottom Line It’s easy to get caught up in headlines that make it sound like something big is about to happen. But don’t be fooled. The housing market isn’t crashing. It’s just shifting. The key is understanding what’s actually happening in your market, so you can make the right move for you. Let’s connect if you want the local perspective.

This’ll Change What You Think About Investors in Today’s Housing Market

By KCM • April 26, 2026
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Your House Hasn’t Sold Yet. Should You Rent It Out Instead?

By KCM • April 25, 2026
Your House Hasn’t Sold Yet. Should You Rent It Out Instead? When your house sits on the market longer than expected, it can get frustrating fast. You start asking: what now? And for a growing number of homeowners, that turns into: should I just rent it instead? While it sounds like a simple backup plan, becoming “ accidental landlord ” is actually a much bigger decision than most people realize. That’s when someone planned to sell, didn’t get the price or traction they hoped for, and decided to rent the house out instead. And lately, that's happening more often. Why the Number of Accidental Landlords Is Rising If you’re faced with the same choice to rent or to sell, here’s what you need to know. First, you’re not alone. And that should actually be some comfort. According to Zillow about 2.3% of homes available for rent were previously listed for sale. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s actually the highest share in almost 6 years. Before you go that route yourself, it’s worth slowing down and looking at the full picture. Ask yourself these 3 questions first. 1. Would Your House Actually Work as a Rental? What’s right for your situation is going to depend on your location, your home’s condition, and what the rental market looks like in your area. Think about: If you’re moving away, do you have a plan for how you’ll handle ongoing maintenance and repairs from afar? Does your house need repairs before it’s rental-ready? And do you have the time, energy, and the funds for that? What's the market like in your area? Are there a lot of rental vacancies? What monthly rent could you realistically expect? As C&C Property Management explains: “At the heart of any rental market is the balance between supply and demand. When more tenants are looking for housing than there are available units, rental prices rise. On the other hand, if new construction adds hundreds of apartments or homes to a neighborhood, prices can soften as tenants have more choices.” If your home would struggle to stand out or command the rent you need, that’s something to take seriously. Just because you can rent it doesn’t mean it’s the best option for you. 2. Are You Ready To Be a Landlord? This is the part people don’t always think about upfront. On paper, renting sounds like easy passive income. But in reality, it’s a hands-on responsibility. Imagine: Taking midnight calls about clogged toilets or broken air conditioners Chasing down missed rent payments Covering unexpected repairs Fixing damage between tenants And those costs can hit when you least expect them. 3. Have You Run the Real Numbers? There’s also the financial side of things. For starters, renting out your house comes with extra expenses. Here are a few of the biggest according to Bankrate: Higher insurance premiums (landlord insurance typically costs about 25% more) Management fees (if you use a property manager, they typically charge around 10% of the rent) Routine maintenance and services Advertising fees to find tenants Gaps between tenants, where you cover the mortgage without rental income coming in For some people, that’s totally manageable. For others, it’s more than they want to take on. Your Next Step: A Conversation with Your Agent Before you make any decision, talk to your current agent about overhauling your sales strategy first. Sometimes it’s not that buyers aren’t out there. It’s that something about the pricing, presentation, or marketing isn’t quite lining up with what they’re looking for. And a few small adjustments can make a big difference. Because while renting can be a great choice for the right person with the right house, if you’re only considering it because your listing didn’t get traction, there may be a better solution. Bottom Line If you're torn between selling and renting, make sure to carefully weigh the pros and cons first. For some homeowners, the hassle (and the expense) of renting may not be worth it.
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