Pets and Rental Properties

In a renter’s market, landlords must find niche approaches to minimise vacancy in their properties.

According to the RSPCA, 63% of Australian households own a pet, with 14.9% planning to get a pet in the next six months.

In a recent article by the Courier Mail, RSPCA Queensland media spokesman Michael Beatty said new figures (from March 2015-March 2016) showed ‘landlords won’t allow’ is listed as the most common reason for animals being surrendered to RSPCA’s Wacol shelter in Queensland.

In a country as pet friendly as Australia, finding a rental property where pets are welcome is a stressful and often heartbreaking experience.

We see the potential for landlords to tap into a proven market of potential tenants who are often willing to pay more rent and who are likely to stay longer than non-pet-owning tenants as they know how difficult it is to find a pet-friendly property.

Pet-friendly properties are proven to lease more quickly and, with tenants more likely to stay long‑term, marketing and vacancy costs for a property are minimised.

Landlords need not feel they lose control by offering a ‘pets considered’ property. Property Managers can advise on pet application and agreement forms that will help to identify responsible pet owning tenants and which clearly detail the expectations of how pets will be managed in the rental premises.

Image Property supports advertising appropriate properties as ‘pets considered’ to ensure the choice to permit a pet remains wholly to the landlord while at the same time dramatically increasing the number of potential quality tenants.

Mr Beatty said that while some landlords allowed pets within a 10 kg limit, they exclude the perfect apartment pets, such as greyhounds and great Danes.

“These animals are very chilled and don’t need much exercise, but because of their size, they’ll never be considered,” he said.

There is a misconception that units and townhouses are not suitable for pets. In fact, both dogs and cats can be kept in small spaces and cats, in particular, can adapt well to an indoor or high-rise environment. Assessing a particular pet and its suitability for a townhouse or unit would be a collaborative process between the prospective tenant, the landlord and the Image Property team.

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of considering pets at your investment property, please get in touch with the Image Property team today to discuss. You may just save the life of a treasured furry friend.