Renting out my front house, they want a dog.
 

I have two houses on a lot, I live in the back house. I have a promising prospect, lady school teacher - one three year old daughter - lives and works locally - excellent elementary school six blocks away (for daughter).

The house - 2 bed 1 bath in old very quite neighborhood on very irregular shaped lot (difficult to fence).

History of the house - Brother bought it around thirty years ago, built garage with second story unit, never developd upstairs unit, just used it for storage. About twenty years ago Dad buys house, rents it out and doesn't develop back unit (He NEVER allowed dogs but all other pets). I buy house around ten years ago, build back unit and start renting front house.

She has asked for me to fence off the back yard for the safety of her daughter (about twenty feet of straight fence, no big deal) -paint the kitchen (small kitchen, again no big deal)... she has dropped hints about getting a dog and I have told her that is a no go.

I love dogs and have had dogs and I know there is no way this yard will hold a dog (dig under fence in a few minutes, wiggle out by one of the three gates) plus the maintenance/clean up/ barking.

A part of me thinks it might be fun to have a dog... but she says she wants a "little dog" whatever that means... but I don't think it is my idea of a "fun dog" (Shepard/collie) so for now I am sticking with my "no dog policy".

Well PPOT what would you do?

Your place, your rules.

Me, probably stick with the no-dog position.

However, if you are rethinking the dog stance, you can always charge more for security deposit (and perhaps more for rent) to compensate for the potential damage or to cover the damage if necessary, to be returned upon termination if no damage is present......

I hope this doesn't sound chauvinistic but I'm also a little concerned about renting to a woman... this is the first time someone has asked me to make changes to the house prior to moving in. I usually paint the interior between renters but the recent guys were only there a year + a few months so it looks like it just need a little touch up.

First renter was a gay paralegal (not that there is anything wrong with that) who was quite as a mouse and left the house cleaner that when he moved in. I felt a little bad because I charge a high rent because of the location being one block from the ocean/park/bike & jogging path and there is a large grassy front yard for BBQine etc. and he didn't seem to utilize any of those options - he moved out because his dad was ailing and he was moving in with him to take care of him.

Second renter was a Palestinian gentleman and wife, he owned a couple of stores in the area. He did a lot of work on the house himself, a little odd in that he insisted on putting the rent in my hand... and sometimes paid in cash. They had a baby... then another baby and outgrew the house.

Third renters were two helicopter pilots from New Zealand who worked out of Long Beach that got job opps in Oregon. I was a little worried about them being two "wild and crazy guys" but they turned out to be very quite (girlfriend(s) must not be screamers) and always dropped the rent in the mail slot on the first of the month. I was glad to see them using the park and the front yard for BBQ's.

Anyway this lady will probably be a good renter... these are just the things that go through your mind when you are a landlord.

I'm a good lessee. Probably because I owned most of my life, and I respect my abode.

The only thing is, I am not physically able to do much in the way of home repair (plumbing, etc.) so I have to call the landlord for that, but that's what we're supposed to do anyway. If I were you, I would prefer that as well, better a job done right than totally f#ck it up.

I'm not the kind that calls the landlord for much though... I asked for a little paint before I moved in (it was pretty bad though), but the guy rarely hears from me.

What are your concerns about renting to a woman?

Usually when I rented to women, they would be quiet and clean. I had 1 guy with 2 dogs and the place stunk for 6 months afterwards, until I changed the carpets.

Not much concern really... I do 90% of the repairs myself and sub out some of the big stuff, paid a guy to paint the back two story, have a plumber snake the main once a year (old sewer)... just typical landlord worries with a new tenant.

Although the first three renters were pretty handy and rarely bothered me. (note that I live twenty feet away) I have no reason to expect her to do her own repairs but on the other hand I have a day job and don't want to be over there every other day fixing some little thing.

Gay men and single mothers are your best bet! Never, ever rent to young single men.

Oh, and always look at their car before you agree to rent. If the car hasn't been washed in a year and the back seat is filled with bags from Burger King, expect your house to look the same in short order.

I called on a sewer smell and I called on the sink leaking. I didn't call on the sewer smell right away cuz I hate to bother people, and they profusely yelled at me because they say they need to know these things, that if I don't call, things could potentially cause bad damage (it ended up being the vent trap on the roof).

I am pretty handy (basically) got my cordless screwdriver and drillbit, I am pretty self sufficient.

Bugging landlords for stupid crap I would think is not a gender thing as much as a pain-in-the-ass type anal person, and could take the form of anyone, it's a risk you take when you rent property, I suppose.

She may be a pain-in-the-ass, she may not be. Maybe you'll get as lucky as my landlord has with me. :)

Bags of burger king, yuck. Basically good advice, except in the winter, my car tends to get a little untidy. I get in and out ASAP. I hate winter. So I would like to amend this advice to state, look in the car in warm weather and.....

But you both live in sweet climates so nevermind....

I hired a nurse once who was continually fighting with her boyfriend. She said he was always yelling about what a slob she was and what a mess her apartment was. I couldn't understand it. She was a beautiful woman and dressed well.

One day I happened to walk past her car in the parking lot. There were countless empty diet Coke cans in the back seat along with bags from Burger King and McDonalds. Maybe a dozen of those plastic fast-food salad containers. Apparently she liked to eat breakfast in the car on her way to work. There was a half eaten bowl of oatmeal on the passenger seat and three more on the passenger side floorboard.

Her record keeping was as sloppy as her car so I had to let her go. I can't even imagine what her apartment looked like.

Another comment...seems a bit much to ask for a fence though....

Moses, that's so disgusting. I can't imagine (1) eating in the damn car all the time and (2) leaving that foodcrap in it. I have eaten in the car at times, but you throw that crap away right away.

My sister used to use my mom's car sometimes when my mother lived there, and she would leave empty soda cans in the back. I'd have to pick them up and throw them away when I was visiting (not easy for mom with her arthritis)... Used to piss me off.

Man that's a gross story, Moses.

Another good point to your story, with regard to renting, is you can get gross bugs on your property from leaving that crap out. More I think about it, that really is good advice.

If she is being demanding before she moves in, consider how she will be as a tenant. If you do allow a dog, she can build her own fence, with your prior approval of construction and design of course. Also, if dog is allowed, figure on replacing all the carpet and pads, depost should be charged to cover this expense.

Scott -

I own and rent multiple homes / duplex's as my retirement investment and to suppliment my low pay and P-Car hobby.

I do not allow pet's , it was a hard choice to make but I did so with the advice of my realtor / property manager , insurance agent and attorney.

While some will tell you to simply get a " pet deposit " up front this is often not enough to begin to cover the damage's of even a determined small animal (ie ferret , ask me how I know) or even a less than determined large animal (german shepard).

Also if you check with your insurance agent or on the web you will see that the Number One claim on homeowners policy in America is ta dah " dog bite ". Your property your liability.

So having said that I would say No, Nope, Not , Nada on the animals, I have a clause in my lease that if an animal is found to be staying on the property it is a breach and they (renter's) are gone-zo.

IMHO

Todd SmileWavy

Dogs can do alot of damage!! Renters seem to leave their dogs home alone alot and they rip up the yard, bark and piss off the neighbors, pee on the carpet/floor and damage the floor down to the subflooring, etc... Don't get me wrong, I like dogs, just not in a rental, just asking for trouble!

I wasn't telling him he should, I said if it were me I wouldn't allow pets. I was just suggesting, if he's changing his heart, that he should at least do that.....AND up the rent......

geez...all these responses dodging the real issue:

is she hot?

Just got off the phone with her... good thing too because my dad being retired has been showing the house for me and started this whole mess (I love the guy but he has hit 80 and loosing some of his edge).

I was firm about the no dog rule and she is okay with that although she volunteered that if I ever wanted to dog she would help take care of it :rolleyes:

She saw some cigarettes on the front porch and I think there is a cigar butt out there too and was worried about the house smelling bad... I am pretty sure the cigarettes and cigar were from previous BBQ's held on the front porch/yard area... I have been in the house and don't smell anything but I'm a guy :D

The fence is a bit much but I think it will help with the look of the house (garbage cans are visible from the street, the fence will hide them).

As Torba said, I a little worried if she is this demanding before she moves in what kind of tenant will she be. On the other hand maybe she just wants to get the house just right before she moves in.

look at it this way: someone who wants it made right before moving in might just keep it that way. Someone who doesn't really care what the place looks like before moving in will likely keep that attitude...

When we had a guest house at our place in Pasadena we inherited a tenant. Single woman with cats. Lots of cats. When she finally moved out (she was whack) near as I can figure she had over a dozen cats in a 500 sq ft 1br house. Took me a week of bleaching the concrete sub floor (after tearing the carpeting out) and baseboards to get the smell of cat piss out of the place. I love cats, but that was insane...

When the Palestinian guy lived there with his family a skunk died under the house and he didn't tell me for two weeks. :eek:

Although he did paint the inside of the house for free... and offered to put new carpet in the two bedrooms... but when he pulled up the carpets he liked the hardwood floors so much he just had them refinished... again at no charge to me.

Put in hardwood floors. Carpet sucks. For the life of me, I don't understand why 99% of the apartments out there insist on installing the cheapest-crap beige puke-colored carpet imaginable and then defending the stuff like it's Persian rugs. Hardwood or tile. Indestructible.

Hmmmmm... only met her once... probably not hot by your hip swingin standards.


OTOH by my standards... just between you and me... I'd do her ;)

As it stands now in the rental house the bedrooms and living room are hardwood, linoleum kitchen, tile bathroom. Dad talked me into getting carpet in the bedrooms and livingroom in my back house where I live and I hate it.

Yea, about the only thing I don't like about the place where I live now (apartment) is the carpeting. The stuff is good only as a dirt/grime/flea/crap collector - not exactly what I want as part of my living space. All of the condos and homes I've been looking at stipulate hardwood as a requirement. Carpet in the bedroom I could possibly live with, but I'd personally prefer area rugs over tile or hardwood, because you can at least pull those out once every six months and clean 'em thoroughly.

Maybe it's personal preference, but when I see "wall-to-wall-carpeting" in a listing, it's usually the end of my interest - it's hardly a selling point far as I'm concerned.

so why is this even a question? Just make sure she has family close that likes to babysit.

Hey nostatic

If she was " hot " she would not need a dog ....lol hahahahaha

Todd :D

Doesn't matter. She already has a kid. She's toast.

Renters have the power in court around here big time. A problem renter can cost me thousands of bucks. If they have court power over you your screwed.

I have a 2 family. A new possibility is told "No pets of any kind." From that point i'll work with the pet issue.

That said i've morphed into a fatalistic landlord given this 45k population hick town. No lease, no deposit, no bs. Friends get notified first and never an agent. The rent $ is slightly lower than comparative apts. If the renter doesn't like the deal or my rep he can go elsewhere.

Old renters stop around during summer to hang or to use the 2 person outside shower after coming off the beach or to sober up. The current renter took the apt sight unseen and it was on my closed market for 45 minutes. The usual is 2 weeks to 2 months. My current guy says he's in apt heaven and is staying another 5 years. He knows increases are $25/mo each additional year. He's tension free.

I know this is all in jest but seriously... no way I would "get involved" with a renter, I tried dating a gal at work once and when it didn't work it was very painful... root canal without anesthesia painful... can't and don't want to even imagine how badly this would turn out if things got ugly. So no way that is going to happen.

The, I just turned 50... 99% of the women I date have kids.

Probably bad timing on my part that I posted this thread just when the "My dog flash smiling for the camera" thread popped up again.:D

Okay so where are the two people who voted pro-dog? :D

Seems like everyone posting is supporting my no dog stance.

Just to reiterate, I love dogs! Just as long as I don't have to take care of them. I was at a pub in Redondo yesterday for some pre-St Pats beers and there was a big yellow dog tied up out front greeting everyone as they walked by.. he was great!

i'm supporting "no pets of any kind" in hard paper then work with renter if he's worth it.

my friend allowed a renter with one of those snakes that eat mice. Mice got loose and infested the house.

FWIW, the paint, fence no big deal.

FWIW, the dog, that is a personal thing. I have a dog, we make sure she is taken care of. Not everyone does. She might be looking for a friend for her daughter, I'm thinking recent divorce, daughter having to adjust. Not all dogs bark. Our old terrier only barked when playing or telling a stranger to get the fuch out!! Our current dog only barks, and only once or twice to let us know someone is near or to tell someone to stay AWAY FROM my Wife. When the dog barks, she means it.

I would NOT let puppies in. And you can get a good rescue dog for much cheaper than a puppy mill puppy.

You are not responsible if her dog gets out, but I would think you to be responsible to check to ensure there is not an easy way for the dog to get out, IE holes in the fence. Dogs can be house trained to not go potty in the home.

If you allow the dog, I would not think requesting a deposit to be out of line. Picking up after the dog would be part of the rules. It is also a good way for her daughter to start learning responsibility, etc...

Solution: More snakes. :)

Scott, I'd simply say "sorry, but I've had renters who have had dogs before and it ended up not working out well", even if that's a little white lie. I suspect she'll understand. Most rentals don't allow dogs. Comes with the territory. Most that do stipulate small (under 25#) dogs, which tend to be the hyper, yap-yap type, which are arguably even worse from a rental standpoint. If they get a dog and the thing ends up being a hyperactive basketcase and yapping all day and night - YOU (not they) will be liable and bear the brunt of the neighbors' wrath. If they complain to HER, she might move out to keep the dog in a situation without (from her perspective) "********* neighbors", which means you lose the renter.

Think of your bottom line only - that's what being a landlord is all about. It's not about being a "nice guy" to your tenants, it's about making money.

I'd take a close look, and check at her job and renting history as a start, and go from there.
Everything stable, and verifyable, for 2-5 years? Good. Unions are sometimes good for keeping salaries continuous(if nothing else).

The fence thing sounds a little wierd, like she's coaxing you into the dog idea even before being accepted, but it could be the property really needed a fence anyways. It could possibly be a good sign as well.
The dog idea could be a good sign of being protective for the kid: i.e. that she tries to make everything around her safe and secure. That could prove nice when the roof is occasionally leaking and she tells you about it immediately.
Mabye she just needs security lights instead, and/or some other forms of protection. This would add property value as well and will probably be tax deductable.

Her "demands" seem quite natural (and good) as a single woman/mom looking for a place. Good tenants are hard to find-depending on the location.

However, the "nesting instinct" can go haywire sometimes, leading to unnecessary court appearances for petty things, and unauthorized redecorating of the unit. I knew a co-tenant chick who was an "interior decorator"(i.e. coke stripper) who painted the whole place fusia with magazine cut-outs stuck into the fresh paint.

No dogs. Period. No cats. Period.

And what's this "hardwood floors are indestructible" talk??? Hardwood is not renter flooring. Tile is because it *IS* indestructible - as long as you seal the grout with HD stuff. Carpet is cheap and easily replaced. That is why it's the rental standard. Hardwood...ah no. Easily damaged and expensive to redo. Hardwood is the homeowner flooring - we have our entire lower floor in it. :)

I will second the above poster on Hardwood it is not a rental material to use, when my properties were built they used carpet and the standard linoleum in kitchen, dining and bath area's , after that wore out I replaced everything with good cheap ceramic tile and sealed the grout, easy to maintain and clean almost (almost) indestructable.

As to a poster saying you are not liable for her dog on your property, as the primary homeowner/property owner your policy will bear the brunt of the lawsuit on a dog bite, and most roll right over and pay then hike your rates or drop you.

Bottom line : It's your property you decide what will or will not be allowed, there is always more renters than places to rent I don't care where you live in the USA.

Todd SmileWavy

PS... as you can see from my handle, I am a dog person both at work and at home.

I have had a rental house for 11 years. We allow dogs BY EXCEPTION only.

For instance, clean single older woman with a great rental history who has a poddle...yes.

Couple who both work and have an Akita...nope.

I will echo the fact that single mothers have been the best renters. We have had very little turnover.

+1

I'm a dog lover, but I would be pretty damn fussy about renting to a dog owner.

The problem is you can control your own actions, but not the actions of others. And once the dog is there, if they're neglectful owners, there's nothing you can do.