Here is Why the Rewards Outweigh the Risks of Making Your Granny Flat Rental Property a Pet Friendly Home

Posted on April 1, 2022

Should I rent my property to a tenant with a pet?

This is often a question we get asked and we have put together this article as to the benefits of considering renting to a tenant with pet or making your short stay rental pet friendly. Firstly you are increasing your chances of letting out your property quickly as you have an increased tenant pool. 

Near 60% of the enquiries on grannyflatrental.com.au own a pet that they need to accommodating, or soon wanting to house or rescue a pet for companionship or to make their home complete. 

So, allowing your property to be pet friendly on application allows an increase to your tenant pool in a rental market where there are many property options for tenants. 

 It also means you may not miss out on a great tenant that will care for your property, just because they come with a pet does not mean your property will not be looked after. Australia has 61% of households owning a pet today and 90% of Australian households have had a pet in them at some time. Pet ownership rates are higher than many countries in the world and there are 29 million pets in Australia today which is more than the estimated human population. Three in five households have a pet (source AMA, ‘Pets in Australia - A national survey of pets and people’ 2020 Report)

 Many of our advertising landlords, and the founder of grannyflatrental.com.au have found that responsible pet owners make fantastic tenants. They care for their pet and your property because they are grateful that their pet has been considered part of the family and allowed to reside on the premise. Our founder made part of her home a pet friendly holiday let, due to a great dog beach across the road. This has meant her holiday let has had higher occupancy rates, especially in the low seasons than competing properties in the area.

How to make your property pet friendly and still protect it?

• Make sure there is an additional pet clause allowance, requesting professional carpet cleaning after permanent tenancy & holiday property to have a bond to enable professional carpet cleaning if there is an accident to remove scents to avoid follow the leader!
• Some agents request flick treatment for pests to be added to these clauses, but you could also ask the owner to ensure their pet is under a flea treatment of some sort
• In the additional clauses maybe consider the request for the garden to be kept in order by faeces removal by the tenant. Especially if it is a shared garden such as a granny flat on the main home property. In holiday short stay provide doggy bags to encourage this
• Have house rules for a short stay property about cleaning pet paws prior to home entry, especially after beach walks. Maybe add a rule about clearing pet faeces from the garden
• Have an easy dedicated washing/spray hose station for pet cleaning at the property and in a short stay offer pet towels (these can just be old towels, but freshly cleaned)
• Add a dog/cat door if possible to access the yard
• Make sure the yard or courtyard is secured and balcony railings up to code
• List your property as Pet friendly or Pet Friendly on Application on grannyflatrental.com.au and highlight why your property is a good option; such as parks, dog beach or any local pet walking or amusement. Some cafes now serve puppy-chinos!
• If you are offering a furnished short stay rental check around cat scratching potential (can they bring a scratch post if a scratcher) and consider covers being requested to stay on couches if the pet will jump up
• Check on the age of a dog and their growth stage around teething; as this can be an issue in a furnished short stay, however again a bond in place should mean most things can be replaced or repaired. Expenses fabric couches are not advised in pet friendly homes. PU, fake leather and microsuede are good option fabrics

Some simple questions to ask when accepting a pet into your investment property or granny flat rental...

• Does the owner have a pet reference - either from a previous landlord or neighbour
• Consider the pets groomer or vet as a reference for first time renters
• Are they aware how their pet behaves when they are out? Very important to avoid a none stop barker - rare but possible. A landlord does have rights around noise disturbance so a suggestion on getting in Bark Busters to aid the tenant would be advisable if this occurred rare but could happen
• How often is their dog walked, and if they are out all day do they use a dog walking service or pet day care (no pet should be left alone for too long, especially dogs)
• How is their pet with other pets? A very important question if you own pets on the same premise 
• Have they ever had any complaints about their pet?
• If their pet is a companion or service pet ask to see the papers
• How is their pet around chewing or scratching items?
• If all looks good ask how you can help make the tenants and the pets home right for them (some people ask for a pet gate allowed in the home  

We hope this has helped with your choice of whether or not to allow a pet into your rental property. Yes, occasionally you may have a bad experience, however this is why rental bonds, and holiday security deposit bonds are in place. Consider the benefits of having a high occupancy rate for a short stay or an in demand leased property than one you can’t afford to keep because it is often vacant! This is one way to let the cons out-weight the pros!

Author and posted by Lisa de Ruyter

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Disclaimer: Any information is of general help & not deemed as legal or financial advice. GrannyFlatRental.com.au Pty Ltd is not held responsible for any compensation from this general help.