Need Unbiased Op...Would you rent to this person (Dog Issue)? - Page 2

Further explanation Powerhaus: All of these churches have mega preachers on Staff so not the main one involved.

I think that you need to go on your gut on this.  I would not necessarily hold it against the first woman for not telling you on the phone that she had a dog.  I spent several years while in graduate school and my first job post-graduation renting with between 2-3 dogs.  I usually tried to broach the subjects of pets with a prospective landlord in person so that they could see who I was before they made a decision on the subject.  FWIW, I spent three years in a one bedroom 600 sq. ft duplex with no yard and 2 dogs while going to graduate school.  I kept the place immaculate and the landlord actually wrote a letter recommending me to my future landlord when I moved so I would not necessarily knock the working professionals in the second tenant scenario.

Been there, done that

Ive had homes destroyed with one pet.  A Cat, whose owners disappeared for days on end. I had piles of Cat Sh*t & urine, in every room in the carpets.

GO with your gut, obviously you want good, responsible, clean tenants. That are easy to deal with. You set the rules.

Id make them pay a depost +1/2 (Pet Deposit),  and Id allow them to finance it over 3-6 months if need be, per the contract, refundable with 30 days notice at the end of the contract..and after inspection of the property

Take before & after photos for your protection and set groud rules in THE CONTRACT!

Thanks everyone for your insight.  Today I called the first lady's references.  Given that her landlord is not happy that they are moving he did state that a. they are good people, b. they've been prompt with the rent and c. he's never had a problem with their dogs that he's aware of.  He mentioned he hasn't been in the home for some time but the last time he was there he didn't see anything above normal wear n tear.  This made me a little more comfortable.  He did indicate to me that he had new carpet in the home when they moved in 3 years ago and the tenants since had it ripped up and had the hardwood floors refinished at their own expense. He said this may have been attributed to the mastiff chewing the carpet when it was a pup.  I spoke to the prospective tenant and she indicated that the reason they had the carpets taken up and elected to spend their own money to refinish hardwood floors is because the landlord had off white carpets installed and it was not practical to keep clean with their daughter being young at the time.

I stated I'd want an additional $1000 deposit for the dogs; refundable of course if there's no damages when they move plus the normal security deposit I'd require and the first months rent.  I also said I wanted an additional $25.00/mo for the dogs "rent" and they said "no problem"  we understand. 

The second couple with the 20 yr old son was to call me with her landlords info but I have not heard from her yet-RED FLAG! LOL 

I think I will take my chance on the first couple- my gut tells me they are genuine and have been forthcoming.

Agar,

Here is something I thought about and was once told.  Get close enough to look in their car.  How they keep the inside of their car will tell you how they keep the inside of their house!

Vickie

www.PowerHausKennels.com

Hard to say.  I am a single mom and a paramedic.  I have always had several GSD's and a cat.  I have also always rented my homes.  I am stuck renting "fixer-uppers" because of the bad reputation that renters have.  My dogs are always under control the cats fixed and I am the one that has to clean the rug, fix the walls, clean the yard, make the place livable.    I neverr get the chance to prove my cleanliness.  The landlords just assume that b/c of the dogs a disaster will ensue.  Not all renters are filthy and irresponsible.  And as pet-people what are we to do now that people are losing their homes due to the financial crisis?  Send their beloved animals to the pound? 

powerhouse-  I hope you never have the chance to look inside my car. lol  Although that's a good idea to determine how people would live unfortunately my SUV is like a mobile office for me and between that and the kids eating on the fly to and from games, practices ect you can only imagine what my car looks like.  My home on the other hand is alwauys "presentable" for unexpected company.  I'm not a clean freak but I don't do filth. lol  I say people's homes should not be expected to be spotless but "lived in" as a "home" should be.  People are shocked when they come to my home and see I have 4 GSD's because they automatically expect it to smell like dog, have fur all over the place and dogs lounging on the furniture.  I was trying to keep an "open mind" because I understand people have pets and still deserve to live in a nice home.

gsdmedic- I also thought about people losing their homes that have pets; it's bad enough they're losing their houses but to have to displace a part of your family is awful to think about.  Fortunately the people in my situation aren't victims of foreclosure but in fact want to rent rather than buy because the husband is close to retirement with the police dept and as a requirement he has to reside in the city while he's employed with them.  His intention after retirement is to move his family out of the city and it's not financially practical for him to purchase a home at this point.  It makes sense to me.

Regardless, Agar, she was still not honest with you about the cat!

Vickie

www.PowerHausKennels.com

>How they keep the inside of their car will tell you how they keep the inside of their house!

Like Agar, the inside of my car looks like it was lived in by a troupe of wild baboons. Since it's generally only the baby and the dogs, and none of them are too fussy about the interior, I rarely get it to stay clean. As long as no one's thrown up in it, everything else is just "car-clutter" that doesn't do any harm. The house, however, is a different matter. Unless you count dog-hair, everything is neat, organized, and cleaned on a regular basis. I'm not a neat freak, but I like my place to be presentable just incase someone stops by.

The car though... engh... cleaning it is low on my priority list. I don't live in the car

I have rented to people with pets: everything from cats & dogs to chickens and horses. NO MORE CATS. I had to tear up the carpet and replace the sub-flooring once because the tenant's neutered cat pee'd in front of the fire place for a whole year. Every time the weather changed I could smell that damned cat piss like it just happened. Dogs, chickens and horses weren't a problem, as long as the horse wasn't a cribber.

Years later, when I had to rent, I brought references for my dogs' manners from neighbors and other trainers when I viewed the property and a promised to have the carpets professionally cleaned every 60 days. Now I am looking to rent again. will do the same.

SS