Many landlords are concerned about allowing pets to live in their rental houses. But when you understand why San Gabriel landlords ought to have a pet screening process in place, you may be sure that you’re making an informed choice.
Assistance/Service Animals
At Real Property Management Fairmate, we guarantee that the properties that we handle are equal opportunity housing, and offer housing to an array of potential customers. But many landlords do not know that just like there are many types of residents, there’s also a variety of animals that are allowed on the property by legislation.
Under the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, assistance and support animals are allowed on any property if they’re enrolled as a service creature for a handicap, which the FHA characterizes as “a physical or mental impairment that significantly limits an individual’s major life activities.”
So even if you’ve told residents they are not permitted to own pets in your house, you are still required to give “reasonable accommodation” to occupants with service animals. Service animals administered by the ADA are lawfully permitted anywhere and are described as dogs or miniature horses that have been trained to do work to execute tasks for the sake of someone with a disability.
This is an important differentiation as you don’t want to wind up trapped in a legal matter by turning away a resident and their support or support animal by confusing it with a pet. But by using a screening procedure in place, you’ll be able to ascertain if it’s an assistance animal by asking for documentation from a doctor or therapist that acknowledges that the resident’s animal is an assistance animal.
Contact Past Landlords
One of the best screening hints if allowing pets in your rental property would be to contact previous landlords because pets can have references as well. This will provide you with a better understanding of whether the animal ever caused harm to the house, disturbed the peace of neighbors, or caused any other issues.
This is a fast and easy way to help guide you in your decision, without turning a possible resident off. Do not be scared to rent to a resident with a medium or large sized dog due to unfounded fears. The big thing in your mind could really be a big teddy bear that does more to make your residents and neighbors joyful than annoyed.
Include Pet Riders in the Lease Agreement
Another vital step in your pet screening process is including a pet rider in your rental agreement. This ensures that the animal’s presence in the house is equally understood and also accounted for in terms of property damage. Some landlords will add a pet addendum if their current residents wish to obtain a pet as soon as they have transferred in, but it’s ideal to get a pet rider at the initial document.
Some basic elements that the pet rider should include are:
- Pet details—breed, color, gender, age, and weight
- Pet fee—if it is not an assistance animal, you are able to charge a fee for a resident to own a pet on your property
- Damage deposit—this deposit will be returned if the pet does not incur any damages during its stay
- Vaccination list—have resident include the type of vaccination and date
Possessing a legally binding rider makes sure that no extra pets can be added without your approval and determines if the pet living in the house is fit to be around other animals and inhabitants of the area. This lawful counsel will make sure that when any curveballs are thrown your way, it’s the obligation of the proprietor to make certain that the problems are managed correctly.
Take Photos of Pet
Another important step in your pet screening procedure is to take photos of the pet. Imagine the surprise you would have when making an entry on a property to do maintenance just to find that the little Chihuahua your resident signed for is really a fantastic Dane.
By taking a photo, and documenting details such as the type of creature, its overall measurements and markings and any other important info about the pet will help ensure that one pet does not turn to three, and a little dog doesn’t wind up being a much larger problem.
Do More Business
Ultimately, having a pet screening policy helps you do more business. While you might initially shy away from letting non-assistance animals in your property, many possible residents search for single-family homes to rent instead of apartments based on owning a pet. You can also make additional money if you choose to charge pet rent, which the resident has to pay every month.
Furthermore, pet owners are frequently more responsible than your normal resident. If they’ve taken the opportunity to train their pet, then find proper care for their pet when they’re gone and are disinclined to leave their pet because of rental policies, then this may be the kind of resident that you would like. Even though this isn’t accurate for many pet owners, it’s something to think about when screening both residents and animals.
When you rely on Real Property Management Fairmate for your property management services, we do more than just respond to repair calls. We assist landlords and investment homeowners alike to put responsible, compatible residents in your rental property and to ensure that all possible liabilities such as pets are properly screened so that the rental experience is a good one for both you and your residents.
To start realizing the benefits of a pet screening process, contact us online or call us at 626-691-9749 today!