Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: How Can We Create Pet Friendly Rentals?

Informative and good for all of us to recognize in our communities

Dan - It seems to be a regular issue for my clients.

Get a better bunny picture...haha.   It sure helped with my aunt's friend....Karen and I showed her condos until we figured out she was wanting lunches and then snagged her on the fact she had two cats and the buldings she did want didn't allow two let alone one.

Sally - Free lunches are always good.  Did she ever buy a place?

Randy,

Yes, I read one of your blogs and geroge souto did a comment on that, but great idea that you got, good localism :) 

Ray - I am trying to slowly build helpful stuff in the area communities.

Randy- It's tough for folks with pets to find a place to rent... I know most of my clients with rentals don't want pets after one or two bad experiences.. but people will pay big bucks if they can find a place that takes pets..

Kaye - One of our problems is that the law does not allow a higher deposit for pets and or any other reason.  Many pet owners would gladly pay that if that got them the home.

Randy:  I think it is unfortunate that HI law doesn't allow for the "pet deposit!"  Perhaps installation higher end solid surface flooring could command more in HI?  It amazes me that more landlords here don't spend just a bit more to add tile or marble floors that will get less beat up over time than carpet.

Perhaps approach it from the other direction?  Start with a well maintained pet kennel and add bungalows for rent in the same compound? :-)

Nope...I think we caught her and when I made a flat out list of what would accept two cats compared to the condos (she was VERY picky) she liked....she emailed and said she will wait for the prices to come down....I didn't answer. She only wanted lunches and me to join her Yoga class. Can you see me trying to attempt that?

Renee - In the old days when I was helping amnage rentals, We generally installed sheet vinyl wherever possible.

Tony - Most of our rentals are condos.  Very few apartment houses that are single owner.  Not many that could do something like that.  Most condos already allow pets it is the individual owners that put the restrictions on their units.  A couple of years ago they tried to regulate pet restrictions, but that will only hurt the rental market further and it is already tight.

Sally - I could do yogurt, but not yoga.

Wow Randy, that is a tough one. Being the pet lover I am and having cats in Hawaii I never knew that fact about deposits! They really get you here in Florida with a per pet deposit, at least in my county. With the dogs I've had in the past I can understand though (I had a cocker that liked to eat carpet!) I would suggest posting this here in the Pet Friendly Real Estate Group They may have some helpful ideas!

Lysa - I just posted it to the group, thank you for the heads up.

I simply charged a premium in rent (on average $50 a month more than what comparable houses were renting for) on a monthly basis for posssible extra wear and tear.  My husband & I use to own alot of single family rentals and we targeted graduate students and veternarian students from the nearby University of Georgia for our rental market.  We fenced the rear yards of most of our properties and advertised them as pet friendly, I always had  multiple applicants to choose from.  I'd rather have 2 mature students and 2 dogs than 3 frat boys renting from me anyday!

Michelle - Not many landlords think that way.  The current environment locally makes it unattractive for landlords to allow pets in most cases.

Randy, I would say the easiest thing to do would be to change the legislation for landlords to charge a larger deposit.  Pets can make a big mess, I have gone into houses that the smell is pretty bad.  Allowing landlords to be able to charge a larger deposit would probably make some of them more agreeable to renting to people with pets.

George - That is being worked on.  You can see how government in the infinite wisdom tried to protect renters by not allowing the additional deposits.  All they did was make it harder for them to rent.

Your Welcome Randy! It's a good group and a good group of people. Molly of the Pet Realty Network may be able to help some too :) She started that group.

Lysa - It will be interesting to see what creative ideas may come from this conversation.

Randy.... I totally agree with Dan's comment. You don't hear about this that much in my area. I guess it goes back to making renters and landlords aware of the issue and to educate the average person. And you definitely must have been excited that a former board member had read your blogs.  awesome...

                                                                                                             

Jeff- Education is important.  I believe that landlord tenant codes need to be looked at.  If they are not balanced they sometimes hurt those they are trying to help.

so true...... again, some more good points.

Jeff - from your first comment

I was a little surprised, that my blogs were being read by her.  I thought that was pretty cool.

Randy,

Rabbit = greasy chicken.  You are too funny!

I don't know how far this reaches but I attended a seminar conducted by Davenport, Iowa's Civil Rights Commission that was at our local rental property association meeting and the director of the commission told us that there is a new protection for "COMFORT ANIMALS".  Being a landlord for over 30 years and never hearing of this, I was shocked!  Apparently if someone has a note from their doctor stating that their pet is a "COMFORT ANIMAL" for them, we CANNOT refuse them their right to keep the pet in our rental property or we will be in violation of their CIVIL RIGHTS. 

I love my two dogs, I like a lot of different pets, and sometimes (depending on the pet and circumstances) I will allow pets in my rentals with an additional deposit. 

My viewpoint would be that REASON should RULE.

Lucky :)

 

Having been both a property manager and a landlord, I can give multiple reasons why landlords dont want pets,  from having to replace expensive carpets, to removing foul odors, to flea infestations, to lawns full of droppings, to neighbors and other apartment dwellers complaining about noise, to insurance companies being unwilling to insure homes with certain breeds of dogs, to scratched doors & window sills, to the inconvenience and sometimes danger of trying to enter the homes or apartments.

 Some landlords are willing to put up with the expense, inconvenience and risk of losing other good tenants in the same building, by charging extra security deposit or a premium on the rent.  These landlords should be praised, not legislated against.

The idiots in legislatures who pass laws prohibiting premiums for pets, or forcing property managers to accept "comfort pets" invariably come up against the Law of Unintended Effects: in this case, fewer investors willing to put their hard-earned money into investments where they will either lose money or put up with problems and complaints. 

Brian,

Interesting.  Is "the Law of Unintended Effects" in your state code or was that passed by congress and I missed the e-mail?  :)

Correct answer:  Passed by popular vote!  Citing cases of Common Sense!

Okay, enough fun.  I agree with you.  It makes no sense to try to force people to do something that they don't want to do for whatever reason.  You must give them Reason or allow their reason to rule.

Take care,

Lucky :)

Okay Randy...I know you were getting all "j"...so here's a pet for you too!

Sally,

Where do you get all these little animated characters from?  I think they're pretty cool!

Lucky :)

Lucky - I have heard of such laws, but we do not have that here yet.

Brian - I agree, if they make laws that put landlords at risk they will not want to invest in rentals.

Lucky - You can not force someone to do what they do not want to do.  The bigger question is how you can make the situation better so that more landlords will be willing to allow pets.

Sally - I new you couldn't keep the fairies away.

Lucky - She collects the fairies.

Randy,

If you have not already please feel free to post this to PETS ARE PEOPLE TOO.

Neal - Already done

Good man!

I smell Sallies brain burning,what is she doing now?

I think she is home nursing her hubby and puppy.

This is a good topic -- and sometimes difficult to resolve.  There are some important issues -- allergies are a big problem for many people -- so I think replacing carpets or keeping a deposit to do so are important.  Unfortunately, some of the pet owners have created the unfriendly attitude of landlords -- the pets are not the problem -- it is the owners.  Perhaps, they all have to go to Human training school and get a certificate!

Joan - Great points.  Under the current environment I would be extremely hesitant to rent to pet owners.  Being that locally you can not charge an additional pet deposit, there is no incentive for landlords to allow pets.

The best pet friendly rentals usually have a great environment for pets to begin with. Fenced in yards, access via a doggie dog to that area, etc. For a landlord, I would say stick to easy to clean and durable flooring in most of the property, like ceramic tile or stamped concrete and one piece vinyl flooring in the kitchen.  Its very easy to clean up pet accidents, and renters that don't like the tile can always buy their own throw rugs to go over it. If the animal gets sick or has an accident indoors, clean up is a breeze (have bleach will travel). -Charles

Randy:

Since I own pets and have lived in the rental environment - it is tough on both sides of the transaction.  The landlord expects certain requirements and the tenant would like LESS hassle.  I do not believe that carpet topic would solve the situation.  It just seems more costly to me.  

 

I did enjoy Joan and Jacqulyn comments as well. 

Jacqulyn  - Good tips on the flooring for owners with pets also.

Sonja - It is a tough balance.  If the landlord doesn't feel protected they will not allow pets.

Hi Randy -

Great post, thanks! 

I have a rental and although I'm sometimes apprehensive about opening it up for pets, I believe I would be very hypocritical if I didn't.

Also, I do not charge deposits for pets, instead I choose to treat them as I do additional people and charge extra per month per animal (anywhere from $10 to $50 depending on the animal and potential for destruction).  Tenants seem to like this alternative, and it makes me feel like I'm treating the animals as I would a person... in turn, I seem to find tenants that do the same and are more responsible pet owners.

I find that these tenants stay in the house longer and treat it with respect as their options for another rental (especially a house) is limited.

Do you know if Hawaii would allow an increase in rent per animal?  I do not agree with Hawaii's local laws as I'm sure Hawaii's laws came with good intentions, but the end results will likely hurt renters with pets more than assist them.

Pet owners do tend to stay longer because their options are very limited.  I have also seen the bad tenants who bring in several pets and destroy a home.  Those few really hurt it for the responsible pet owners, because they make it harder to find a landlord willing to take a chance.

I know you can not charge a higher deposit for pets.  The Humain Society is working with legislature to try to fix that.  That may help pet owners in the future.

"Those few really hurt it for the responsible pet owners" ...

Ah yes, but so do some tenants with kids... tenants with friends.... tenants with two legs... etc. ;-)

Sara - Good point.  The law does not allow for discrimination against family, but they can discriminate against pets.

I am a Landlord in Sara's city and we can charge a pet deposit. I have accepted pets for 20 years. Not many Landlords do. I charge a little more rent, a pet deposit, and people stay alot longer. Sara's approach works also. All pets cause damage, so do children. Pet damage is more expensive. Allowing pets is a business decision and it fills a niche market (actually a big niche). Limit the number of pets. Cats cause the most damage indoors. Dogs tear up the lawn. The number of pet owners is exploding. Sell them houses!

Wayne - Unfortunately landlords are not allowed to charge a pet deposit in Hawaii.

When I meet pet owners looking to rent, my first question is if they have considered buying.

Randy -

Did the powers-that-be give reasoning for their decision to not allow pet deposits?  I fail to understand why they are even in the landlord/tenant's business...

It is state law. As with most laws they were made with good intentions, but not a lot of forethought.  The original intention I am sure was to help the group they are hurting.  Another example of how government is rarely the cure.