Should You Allow Pets in Your Rental Property?

Megan Bullock/Apartments.com • May 2, 2021

It’s no secret that most pet owners treat their pets like family, so when it comes time to find a new home, these renters will be looking for pet-friendly rentals. This begs the question, should you allow pets in your rental property? If this question is weighing on your mind, you’re in the right place. It’s true that allowing pets in your rental gives you access to a larger pool of interested renters, but this decision also comes with a few risks. Before you decide where your rental fits in the mix, let’s weigh the benefits and risks of having a pet-friendly rental.

Benefits of Allowing Pets in You Rental Property

If you decide to list your rental online as “pet friendly,” you’ll enjoy several benefits, including the opportunity to:

Make more in rental fees

By allowing pets in your rental property, you are essentially adding another tenant (or a few, if you allow). Although this furry tenant won’t be responsible for splitting the rent, their presence will require some additional payments. Pet fees, pet deposits, and pet rent are a few of the ways you can make more in rental fees by allowing pets.

You will collect a non-refundable pet fee from your pet-owning tenant before or on move-in day. You can also collect a pet deposit at the same time in addition to the pet fee. The only difference is the pet deposit is refundable and will be returned to the tenant in full if there are no pet-related damages to the unit, including soiled carpet, chewed blinds, or scratches on the floor, walls, and moldings. Pet rent is a fee that renters will pay once a month in addition to their base rent.

Depending on your state laws, you can charge one of these rental fees, all three, or a mix. These rental fees will automatically boost your rental income, as well as provide a bit of cushion for potential damages. Be sure to check what competitors in your market are charging for pet fees so that you aren’t under or overselling your rental.

Increase your lease renewal rates

Not every rental allows pets, so if you choose to allow them, your tenants may be incentivized to renew their lease. Many renters will feel more comfortable in a pet-friendly rental, even if they haven’t committed to a furry friend of their own just yet. It gives them the option to do so in the future. If your rental is not pet friendly, and your tenant decides they want a pet, they will have to wait until their lease is up or potentially break their lease early, leaving you to find a new tenant once they’re gone. Avoid these potential vacancies by giving pet owners what they want — a good home for their fur family.

Expand your list of potential tenants

As discussed, not all rentals allow pets, which automatically limits those landlords to only renters without pets. If you choose not to allow pets in your rental, you risk losing some potentially great tenants simply because they are pet owners. Your list of potential tenants will expand immediately if you list your rental as pet friendly. As more and more renters become pet parents, your pool of potential tenants will continue to grow.

Risks of Allowing Pets in Your Rental Property

Allowing pets in your rental is a great way to show tenants your flexibility, but it’s important to consider the risks of doing so before you proceed.

Increased chances of property damage

It’s common for pet damage to occur in pet-friendly rentals, even if it only involves minor issues. Soiled carpet, scratched floors and walls, and chewed blinds are just a few examples of common pet damage. Accidents happen, especially with younger pets, but if your tenant isn’t a responsible pet owner, small issues may become bigger problems over time. If a pet is continuously left home alone or not properly taken care of, damage will likely occur.

Potential noise complaints

Pets left alone for several hours at a time, even during normal work or school hours, can be a problem. Incessant barking, howling, or meowing can lead to frustrated neighbors and subsequent noise complaints. In some situations, pet owners may be trying their best to deal with a pet’s separation anxiety, while others may be unaware of the problem. Noise complaints are never ideal, especially when it’s about lonely, bored, or anxious pets. Handling pet noise complaints can prove to be difficult because there is not always a solution to the problem. Pets’ behavior may improve over time, but that’s not always the case.

Abandoned pets

Even worse than a howling pet left home alone is an abandoned pet. By allowing pets in your rental, you run the risk of having a tenant who not only abandons their lease and your unit, but their pet as well. If the pet is left alone for a lengthy period of time, there could be severe damage to your property. Dealing with an abandoned pet and potential damage to your property can be upsetting for both you and the pet. If this happens in your rental and you cannot get in touch with your tenant, call your local animal rescue. This will at least allow the pet to have a second chance for a good home.

Additional Considerations for Allowing Pets in Your Rental

Although benefits and risks are important to think about, there are other pressing issues to consider as well before making your final decision.

Does your insurance company cover all pet breeds?

Not every landlord will have an insurance policy that covers all pets. In fact, many insurance companies have restrictions on what animals and breeds they allow in the policy. For instance, pit bulls and rottweilers are two common dog breeds that are excluded. Before you sign a lease with a pet owner, be sure your policy covers their pet.

How to legally handle service and emotional support animals

Tenants who have service animals or emotional support animals are protected by the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Because of this, landlords are required to allow these animals in their rental whether their unit is pet friendly or not. If your rental is pet friendly, be aware that tenants with a service or emotional support animal are not legally required to pay pet fees, pet deposits, or pet rent. Before your tenant (or their pet) moves in, they are legally obligated under the ADA and Fair Housing Laws to provide you with proper documentation that details their need for the animal.

How to screen tenants with pets

When screening a pet-owning potential tenant, the process will be very similar to screening a tenant without pets. Your tenant screening should include a background and credit check (conveniently provided by TransUnion® if your unit is listed on Apartments.com), as well as professional and landlord references, proof of income, etc. The only additional requirements for pet owners would be to answer a list of questions, such as:

How many pets do you have?
What type of pet(s) do you have?
What breed?
How much does the pet weigh?
Is your pet up to date on shots (specifically rabies)?

You also have the option to set up a pet interview with the potential tenant and their pup. By meeting their pet before move-in day, you can make sure they’re friendly and well behaved.

How to make your rental pet friendly

Allowing pets in your rental is the first step towards growing your pool of potential tenants, but a great way to retain your pet-owning tenants is to install a few pet-friendly amenities and features. Pet-friendly flooring (avoid carpet), a closed-in patio or a fenced-in yard, or a pet door that opens to a fenced-in outdoor space are great ways to make your rental more pet friendly.

The Choice Is Yours

Every property owner must make their own decision when it comes to allowing pets in their rental property. Keep in mind that although there are serious risks, such as property damage, noise complaints, and abandoned pets, more and more renters are becoming pet owners. If you don’t allow pets, your pool of renters will continue to shrink. A great compromise is to create a pet agreement that outlines your requirements, including:

Pet fees, pet deposits, and pet rent
Number of pets allowed per unit
Type, breed, and size of pet

In the agreement, you can also detail your expectations. For example, explain that tenants are required to pick up after pets outdoors, specify cleaning instructions to avoid any leftover pet dander, smell, or damage after your tenant moves out, and reiterate community quiet hours.

Although you are not required to allow pets in your rental property, you have a much better chance of finding a potentially great, long-term tenant in a timely manner if you are flexible with your rental policies and rent to tenants with pets.

< Older Post Newer Post >

Share this post

How Much Should Sunlight Really Matter When Buying a House?

By The Lighter Side of Real Estate • June 8, 2026

There’s no question that technology has changed the way people search for homes. Years ago, buyers mostly relied on listing photos, a few short remarks, and eventually seeing the house in person. Today, buyers can explore properties through virtual tours, algorithm-powered estimates, flood maps, walkability scores, noise ratings, school data, commute times, and all sorts of other information before ever stepping foot inside a home. And now, one of the latest things buyers can assess online is how much sunlight a house gets throughout the day. The Sunny Side… and the Shady Side Recently, a real estate website introduced a new feature designed to estimate how much natural light a home receives room by room and hour by hour using AI and geospatial data. At first glance, the feature seems a little geared toward the idea that more sunlight is automatically better. The descriptions surrounding it focus heavily on bright spaces, natural light, and how sunlight can impact the feel of a home. And to be fair, plenty of buyers genuinely care about that. Some people absolutely love bright spaces with huge windows and sun-filled kitchens. On the other hand, plenty of buyers specifically prefer shade, cooler rooms, mature trees, or wooded lots with extra privacy. So while something like a “Sun Score” may initially sound designed for people who want sunlight pouring into every room of the house, it could just as easily become a tool for shade seekers to use in reverse. Of course, sunlight preferences are subjective anyway. For instance, a recent study found that while tree-filled neighborhoods tend to reduce stress for many people, not everyone responds the same way. Some people actually preferred more open, sunny environments instead. Sunlight Shouldn’t Outshine Everything Else At some point, though, you do have to wonder whether technology features are starting to encourage buyers to overthink things just a little bit. Because every house technically has sunlight. Unless, of course, you happen to be shopping for an underground bunker. And sunlight is literally outside all day… well, unless you live somewhere in the world that barely sees the sun for a few months of the year. The reality is, many buyers are still dealing with limited inventory, affordability challenges, rising insurance costs, competition, property taxes, and mortgage rates. In many markets and price ranges, it can already be difficult enough to find a house that checks the major boxes. So while a “Sun Score” might be a fun feature to explore, it probably shouldn’t become the deciding factor between buying an otherwise great house and walking away from it. On the Bright Side… You Have Some Control Over the Sunlight Unlike things such as location, taxes, school districts, layout, or price, sunlight is also one of the easier things to work around after you move in. You can trim trees, open blinds, repaint rooms brighter colors, improve lighting, enlarge windows, install skylights, or simply spend more time outdoors. And if you prefer less sunlight, there are plenty of ways to tone things down too, with landscaping, window treatments, covered patios, or simply choosing rooms that naturally stay cooler and darker throughout the day. The reality is that how much sunlight you get overall depends on a huge number of factors that have very little to do with the individual house itself — where you live geographically, the climate, weather patterns, surrounding terrain, time of year, nearby trees, neighboring homes, and even which direction the property faces. If maximizing sunshine is truly one of your top priorities, geography probably matters far more than the angle of your breakfast nook. According to data compiled by Visual Capitalist , cities like Yuma, Phoenix, and Las Vegas get dramatically more sunshine overall than many other parts of the country. At the end of the day though, buying a house has always involved balancing priorities. Every buyer has their own “must-have” list, and that’s completely reasonable. But sometimes technology can create the illusion that every tiny variable should be optimized perfectly, when in reality, most homeowners end up adapting to their home over time anyway. Or…adapting it to their liking in some way. The Takeaway: A new “Sun Score” feature introduced by a real estate website is designed to help buyers estimate how much natural light a home receives throughout the day. And while natural light is certainly something many people care about, it also raises an interesting question about how much information is too much information during the home search process. Today’s buyers already have access to more data, ratings, and scoring systems than ever before. While tools like this can be interesting and even useful, they can also create a tendency to overanalyze smaller details while losing sight of bigger priorities like location, layout, affordability, and overall fit. At the end of the day, every buyer has different preferences. Some love bright sunny spaces, while others prefer shade, privacy, or cooler wooded lots. The important thing is remembering that no home is going to score perfectly in every category — and most people end up making a house their own once they move in anyway.

66% of Buyers Think They Need “Perfect” Credit to Buy a House… Here’s the Reality

By The Lighter Side of Real Estate • June 6, 2026

One of the more nerve-wracking parts of even thinking about buying a house for many potential buyers is the concern that their credit score isn’t good enough. It’s no surprise, because you hear plenty of things about how important a strong credit score is when it comes time to buy a house. Unfortunately, when you hear that term thrown around, it might sound like you need a perfect credit score. In fact, a recent survey found that 66% of respondents said they thought you need a near-perfect credit to secure the best interest rate. There’s a good reason for that recommendation. A strong credit score will certainly make qualifying for a mortgage easier, and probably get you better rates, terms, and loan options. Fortunately, that’s not the case! When Chasing Perfection Becomes a Problem It’s common (and completely understandable) to feel like you don’t have the best credit score possible. Very few people do. According to Experian , only about 1.76% of consumers have a perfect score of 850. So aiming for perfection is likely a stretch for most home buyers right out of the gate. The issue isn’t that people want to improve their credit. That’s always a good thing. The problem is when the assumption that it needs to be perfect causes people to delay the process entirely. Instead of finding out where they stand, they wait. They assume they’re not ready. They put off having a conversation with a mortgage professional. And in some cases, they spend years trying to hit a number that may not have even been necessary in the first place. Meanwhile, they could have already been exploring their options—or at least working toward a clear, realistic goal instead of guessing. There’s a Fairly Wide Range of Acceptable Credit Scores That same survey, highlighted by HousingWire , points to a pretty big disconnect between what people think they need… and what lenders are actually looking for. Because while a lot of buyers assume they need to be close to perfect, most loan programs don’t require anything near that. In reality, there’s a fairly wide range of acceptable credit scores depending on the type of loan, the lender, and the overall financial picture. Many buyers are approved with credit that’s simply solid—not flawless. There are even loan programs designed specifically for buyers who have what might be considered “bad” credit. While a higher score can absolutely help when it comes to rates and options, it’s not always the barrier to entry people think it is. There’s a good chance the bar isn’t quite as high as you’ve been led to believe. The Best Way to Know Where You Stand It’s nearly impossible to generalize what you “need” in order to buy a home when it comes to credit. There are too many variables. Different loan programs. Different lenders. Different guidelines. And each one can look at the same financial profile a little differently. Which is why the only real way to know where you stand is to actually have a conversation. Actually, make that conversations. Don’t bank on just one lender. (Pun intended!) Talking to a few can give you a much clearer picture of what’s possible—and you may find you have more options than you expected. One lender might say no, while another sees a way to make it work. That happens more often than people realize. Even if you’re not quite there yet and do need to improve your credit, at least you’re no longer guessing. You’ll know exactly where you stand, what needs to improve, and what kind of timeline you’re realistically looking at. If you’re not sure where to start or which lenders to reach out to, a buyer’s agent can be a great resource. They can connect you with reputable lenders, help you compare your options, and give you a little extra perspective as you sort through it all. The Takeaway: A recent survey found that many potential homebuyers believe they need near-perfect credit to qualify for a mortgage—or at least to secure a good interest rate. In reality, most buyers are purchasing homes with credit that’s far from “perfect,” and there’s a fairly wide range of loan programs designed to work with different financial situations. The bigger issue is that this misconception can cause people to delay exploring their options altogether. If buying a home is something you’ve been considering, the best thing you can do is talk to a few lenders and see what they can offer based on your current credit—rather than waiting to improve your score to a level that may not even be necessary.

Newly Built Home Prices Hit a 5-Year Low

By KCM • June 6, 2026

This is a subtitle for your new post