Re: pet fee vs pet deposit - Landlord Forum thread 355093

Re: pet fee vs pet deposit by Anonymous (Ohio) on November 14, 2017 @20:11

We like pet fees. If the animal does any damage a $250 deposit is NEVER going to be enough. If you charge $25 a month for a cat and the tenant stay 5 years well you have collected $1500. if all you took was deposit you only got $250 and you would have to give it back if there wasn't any damage (which most of the time is true). A pet fee is a fee paid to compensate the property owner for taking the risk of permitting the animal. People have never complained about our monthly pet fee. It also is easier for people to come up with instead of additional deposit. We charge $25 per cat. $1/lb for dogs, minimum of $25.

The pet fee does not relieve them of the responsibility to not allow your property to be damaged! You can still sue and collect for the damage. At least in Ohio. But the reality is you probably won't collect even if you sue. So the best strategy is to cover yourself with the fees. If you don't accept pets you really limit your prospect pool.

I see ALL the pet fees from our properties as collectively spreading the risk around all of our properties. Really terrible pet damage is rare but when it happens you are talking thousands of dollars in replacement of flooring, exterminating for fleas, getting rid of smell (by tearing stuff out), replacing scratched wood. We have never had a dog bite or attack but that is another risk you take.

We once had a house where we did not agree to a pet. The people lived in the house for ELEVEN MONTHS months and apparently had an unneurtered cat. The house smelled like a giant litterbox. Our insurance actually paid a $10,000- that's right $10,000! When I claimed this I figured it was a shot in the dark and the insurance would not pay. What saved us was the lease in which we did not agree to any pets. These people actually replaced the carpet when asked (which BTW was new when they took possession). Prior to moving out they hired some guy to pressure wash the basement. But there was still so much damage. It was so gross and the lady was some culinary person--YUUCKK! I got in the house before she knew I was coming.I don't remember why I knew I had to get in. They had broken the lease, maybe the electric was off. They had changed the locks, We crawled through a window and it was unbelievable what we found and smelled. I just can't even describe it. SICK. Crap everywhere.

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