Are you thinking of putting your home on the rental market soon?
Finding ways to make your home stand out to potential tenants can make a real difference in increasing the value of your home, especially if you’re looking into selling your rental property sometime in the future. Many factors are in play when it comes to valuing a property, which can either lead to a resale gain or loss. As a homeowner, your job is to identify both what can boost your resale value, as well as what can drag your home value down.
According to their Pet Ownership Statistics study, there are actually 85 million or 67% of American households include a pet.
Pet ownership varies across states. Texas is one of the top ten states in dog ownership and ranks 29th in the % of pet-owning households by state.
- 58.2% of Texas households own a pet
- 43.4% of Texas households own a dog
- 26.5% of Texas households own a cat
Pets offer many benefits to their owners such as companionship, or health and therapy assistance. Pet ownership is truly emotionally rewarding for the owner, and allowing pet in your rental property can actually attract a broader pool of potential tenants.
Benefits of allowing pets in your rental property
- Will appeal to a larger pool of potential tenants.
- Able to command higher rent.
- Secure longer tenure from tenants.
- May guarantee maintenance and attention to property.
Risks of allowing pets in your rental property
- Foul pet odor anywhere – carpet, furniture, walls.
- Stained and smelly carpets.
- Chewing and scratch damage on doors, furniture, floors, carpets, screens or walls.
- Yard for litter, damaged plants, holes, and chewed fences.
- Noise and Injuries to other tenants.
It is important to screen potential tenants properly and thoroughly. Accepting a tenant with pets has its own pros and cons and it’s up tp you to weigh and assess the situation. Creating a thorough tenant screening application, listing the requirements, as well as meeting the pet owner and the pet(s) will make your assessment whether the applicant is a responsible owner or not.
Aside from the reference check, which allows you to determine if the pet owner has trouble with his or her previous landlord, meeting the pet will allow you to see for yourself if the pet is behave, trained, or well-groomed.
If you’re looking into adding a pet addendum to your lease agreement, don’t hesitate to contact Apogee Properties. We’re here to help you manage your rental property from marketing, tenant screening to maintenance.
Working with Apogee Properties
Apogee Properties is Houston’s leading real estate management company. We work and live in Houston and our property managers are local. We have been in business for more than a decade providing comprehensive property management services in the Houston region ranging from a studio condo to a multi-family million dollar estate.
We look forward to hearing from you and sharing what we can offer to your Houston property. Contact us today to learn more!
