A survey by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) found that about 66% of families in the US own pets.
Most of these families will only consider living somewhere if they're allowed to bring their pet(s). With that said, you might not want animals in your rental properties. Before you make any decisions, it's important to understand the rules surrounding service and support animals, as well as the pros and cons of allowing tenants to have pets.
Let's take a closer look at this so you can make the best choices.
What Are Service Animals?
Service animals are trained to carry out specific tasks and services for their owners. These owners often have certain limitations that mean they need extra assistance, and service animals can provide this. Dogs are the most common service animals due to their intelligence and ease of training.
Some of the most common ways service animals help include:
- Guide dogs for people with vision impairments
- Hearing dogs for people with hearing impairments
- Holding open doors for people with physical impairments
Because some people require service animals, the law states that landlords can't refuse potential tenants for having them. However, if a service animal causes issues such as property damage, you may be able to seek compensation. In particularly bad cases, you might be able to have a service animal removed through legal processes.
What Are Support Animals
Emotional support animals are another type of animal that provides assistance for their owners but in a different way than service animals. They typically help people with emotional or mental health issues, such as:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress
- PTSD
- ADHD
Emotional support animal and service animal regulations are essentially the same, with both of them falling under the umbrella of "assistance animals". Their owners require them, so you can't refuse a tenant simply for having a support animal.
Again, you may be able to take legal action to seek compensation or remove the animal if they're causing certain issues.
How Are Pets Different?
Pets don't offer the same assistance as service or support animals and, therefore, aren't considered necessary. As such, landlords are under no obligation to allow pets in their rental properties. With that said, you may want to consider allowing them based on the pros and cons of doing so.
Some key benefits of pet-friendly rentals include:
- Access to a larger tenant pool
- Increased rental rate
- Pet owners typically look for longer tenancies
It's also important to think about the potential drawbacks, such as:
- Pets may cause property damage
- They can disturb neighbors
- There may be insurance implications
Think about all of these when deciding whether or not to allow pets in your properties.
Allowing Pets in Your Rental Properties
By law, you cannot refuse tenants for having service or support animals. You can, however, make your own decisions about pets. It can be hard to make the right choice, so you may want to seek guidance from a professional.
PMI Palms is a Dunedin-based real estate asset management company. We have years of experience and a deep understanding of tenant rights in Dunedin, so we can offer expert advice and guidance to help you make the best decisions regarding your investment properties.
Take a look at our residential property management page to find out more.
