Having a pet-friendly rental home in Killeen, TX, not only opens up the property to a broader pool of potential tenants, but also minimizes vacancies and ensures a consistent rental income. However, renting to tenants with pets brings about a different set of liabilities for the landlord. Therefore, it is important to prepare well-in advance and set certain regulations for a hassle free tenancy.

Given here are a few tips for landlords looking to rent their home to pet owners:

Determine The Type Of Pets Allowed
Your lease agreement should clearly state the type of pets allowed in the rental home. Most landlords permit only dogs, cats, fishes, birds, guinea pigs and other small pets. You should be clear about the number of pets that the tenants can keep. Also be specific if you do not want to allow certain potentially aggressive dog breeds.

Demand Approval For Other Pets
In case a guest visits the rental home, make it clear if you do not want them to bring their pets along. Also, necessitate that the tenants get your approval before keeping any other pet in the future. However, you can waive off this approval clause for certain types of birds, such as fishes and birds.

Contact Your Insurance Company
Before renting your home to pet owners, get in touch with your insurance company to know if it affects your policy in any way. Make sure you are covered in case the pet causes any damage or injuries anyone on the property. You can request your tenants to show a copy if their renters insurance policy to see if they have sufficient pet liability coverage.

Request Proper Identification And Vaccinations
The pet should wear a proper identification tag specifying the dog’s name, owner’s name, address and phone number. The collar should also have tags stating rabies vaccination records and state/city license number.

Make Tenants Responsible For Pet Behavior
Let the tenants know that they will be held liable if the pet causes any damage to neighbors of other tenants. Require them to clean up immediately after their pet, both inside and outside the home. Tenants should not leave the pet unattended any time. Also, you can consider limiting the areas within which the pet can roam around in the house.

Charge Additional Security Deposit
Many landlords in Killeen charge an additional refundable deposit for the potential damage the pet is likely to cause to the property. Include detailed information in the pet regarding how and in what cases the deposit will be used for the maintenance work. For instance, it can go towards cleaning urine stained carpets, removing scratches, repairing chewed surfaces etc.

Contact REAL Star Property Management, LLC if you are planning to rent your home in Killeen, TX. For more information about our services, call at (254) 693 – 7850 or visit 3901 E Stan Schlueter Lp, Ste 100, Killeen, TX 76542.