Having a pet-friendly rental home can invite more applications from probable tenants. Perhaps this is the reason why most of the landlords in Killeen, TX are now allowing pets inside their rental property. However, some smart pet-friendly policies need to be formulated to ensure smooth rental tenure.

Include the pet agreement in your lease document and clearly state all the pet rules. Get the lease agreement duly signed by pet owners as well as non-pet owners who are going to become your tenants.

Some of policy provisions that need to be included in the agreement have been listed below:

• Specify The Pet Types Allowed:Your pet agreement should elaborately mention the types of pets allowed inside the rental property. Apart from this, you also need to state the limit to the number of pets allowed. Your prospective tenants might have a certain dog breed that has a tendency to be violent or there could be a tenant with a reptile that may seem dangerous. Therefore, always mention the breeds allowed along with weight limits. Also specify if the guests are allowed to bring in their own pets inside your rental property.
• Ask For Identification Tags On Pets: Your tenants must understand that all dogs and cats need to wear an identification tag that includes their vaccination details too. Know the local laws regarding cat/ dog vaccinations and make sure your tenants adhere to them.
• Approve Pets Only After Investigation:Mention in your pet policy that your tenants will have to take an approval from you before keeping any pet in your rental property. While you may leave out certain harmless pets, for others you need to conduct a thorough inquiry.
• Require Tenants To Be Responsible:Make sure that you ask your tenants in strict terms that they will need to control their pet so that it does not pose any problems for the neighbors. Tenants should also agree that they will not leave their pets unattended and always keep pets in specific areas meant for them in the home or yard. As an additional measure, you can even ask your tenants or guests to have a renters’ liability insurance.
• Charge A Pet Fee If You Want To:You can consider charging pet fee apart from the normal security deposit that needs to be paid by your tenants. This money can be asked as the pets cause additional wear and tear in a property. However, you need to ensure that imposing such a fee is legal in your state.

We, at REAL star Property Management, can help you rent out your property with the help of our online MLS listing. For more information, feel free to call us at (254) 693 – 7850.