Many landlords are concerned about allowing pets to reside on a rental property, but when you understand why Evansville landlords ought to have a pet screening procedure in place you may rest assured that you are making a good choice.
Assistance/Service Animals
At Real Property Management Results, we guarantee that the properties that we manage are considered equal opportunity housing and accommodate a wide variety of possible customers. But many landlords do not understand that just like there are various sorts of residents, there are also many different animals that are permitted on the property by legislation.
Under the Fair Housing Act and the American with Disabilities Act, support and assistance animals are allowed on any property if they’re enrolled as a service creature for a handicap, which is characterized from the FHA as “a physical or mental impairment which significantly limits an individual’s major life activities.”
So even if you’ve told residents that they are not allowed to own pets on your property, you’re still required to give “reasonable accommodation” to occupants with support creatures. Service animals administered from the ADA are lawfully permitted anywhere and are described as a dog or miniature horse that has been trained to perform work to perform tasks for the sake of an individual with a disability.
This is an important distinction to make as you don’t wish to wind up caught up in a legal issue by turning a resident and their support or support animal by confusing it with a pet. But by having a screening process in place you’ll be able to determine if it’s a help animal by asking for documentation from a doctor or therapist who admits the residents’ animal is an assistance animal.
Contact Past Landlords
One of the best screening tips to follow if you plan on allowing pets in your rental property would be to contact past landlords because pets can have references too. This will offer you a better understanding of whether the animal ever caused harm to the house, disturbed the peace of neighbors, or caused some other issues.
This is a fast and effortless method to help guide you in your decision, without turning a potential resident away. Don’t be scared to lease to a resident using a moderate or large sized dog because of unfounded fears. The big bully in your thoughts could truly be a large teddy bear which does more to create your residents and neighbors happy than annoyed.
Include Pet Riders in Lease Agreement
Another very important step to your pet screening procedure is having a pet rider in your rental agreement. This makes certain that the animal’s presence on the house is equally understood, also accounted for regarding property damage. Some landlords may incorporate a pet addendum in case their existing residents wish to obtain a pet as soon as they’ve 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 type of vaccination and date
By having your resident sign a legally binding document this ensures that no additional pets could be added without your consent and that the pet living on the house is fit to be around other animals and inhabitants of the neighborhood. This lawful counsel will make sure that when any curve-balls are thrown away, it is the obligation of the owner to ensure that the issues are handled correctly.
Take Photos of Pets
Another important step in your pet screening procedure is to take photographs of your resident’s pet. Imagine the surprise you’d have when creating use of a house to do maintenance just to find that the little Chihuahua your resident signed to get is really a Great Dane.
By taking a photograph, and documenting details like the kind of creature, its overall dimensions and markings, as well as any other important info regarding the pet, can help ensure that pet does not turn to three, and a little dog does not wind up being a much bigger problem.
Do More Business
Ultimately, having a pet screening policy helps you do more business. As you might initially shy away from letting non-assistance animals on your property many possible residents search for single-family homes to rent over apartments based on having a pet. You can also make additional money if you choose to control pet rent the gardener has to pay every month.
Additionally, pet owners are often more accountable than your average resident. If they’ve taken the time to train their pet, find appropriate care for their pet when they are gone and are not willing to leave their pet because of rental policies then this may be the kind of resident you would like in your premises. While this isn’t accurate for many pet owners, it is something to think about when screening both residents and animals.
If you rely on Real Property Management Results for your property management solutions, we do more than just respond to repair calls. We help landlords and investment homeowners alike to place accountable, compatible residents on your rental house and to make sure that all probable obligations for example pets are appropriately screened so the leasing experience is a great one for both you and your residents. Start realizing the advantages of having a pet screening procedure and contact us online or call us at 812-461-1676 to find out more about our solutions.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
