Recent research shows that tenants are willing to pay hundreds of pounds extra to rent a pet-friendly place to live, so should you allow pets in your rental property?
The country is full of pet lovers, with around 16 million dogs and cats living in British homes, not to mention the rabbits, fish, birds, hamsters and other critters that share our space.
Weroom.com recently released research showing that flatsharers are willing to pay £484 more in rent per year for a home where they can take their dog, which suggests landlords could be missing out on extra cash by banning furry friends.
Plus, just because you don’t allow pets doesn’t mean your tenants don’t have them. OnePulse research last year suggested that around 19 per cent of the country’s renters are secretly keeping pets.
But is it a good idea to let your tenants have pets? Many landlords worry about the possible property damage, the lingering smell of a canine companion, and the potential nuisance to neighbours if the animal is noisy or aggressive.
Still, there are good sides to renting to pet owners too. Since so many landlords ban pets, animal charity Dogs Trust has set up the Lets with Pets website, which provides information and guidance for pet owners, landlords and letting agents.
To help you make a decision on whether or not to allow pets, we've summarised some of the pros and cons.
If you’ve weighed up the pros and cons of allowing pets and decided to go ahead, these are some of the things to think about:
What are your reasons for allowing or disallowing pets in your rental property? Tell us in the comments.
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