Amusing Tenant Inquiry RE Pets

[Sherilynn]

We just had an amusing inquiry from a prospective tenant regarding pets in one of our suites:Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:43 PMSubject: Re: RentEdmonton.com - Rental Inquiry
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Right now I am scouting out my options for accommodation in case i do need to move. I currently have 1 cat, an orange winged amazon parrot, various small birds and various small caged or aquarium animals. I most likely need to get another cat. The reason that i am looking into other rental opportunities is my current living situation. About 6 weeks ago my youngest cat got very, very sick. He stayed in intensive care for 8 days but unfortunately his condition turned out to fatal. I had to make the devastating decision to euthanize him. My older cat has a very difficult time being a single kitty and has even been put on antidepressants twice in the past. A few days after my cat died i found out that my landlord was not going to allow me to get another cat even though i paid a pet deposit for two cats. The consequence of that decision has resulted in my older cat to be extremely clingy and require a great amount of my time, this in turn has taken time away from my parrot. No one is happy at this time. If i need another place to live will depend on the adjustments that are made in the next little bit and whether or not my landlord changes his mind. He lives in the same residence so neither of us are covered by the landlord tenant act so i have no recourse in this matter. To make a long story short I would be looking for accommodation indefinitely but am unsure of any possible dates.
{In case you were wondering, I had just filled the vacancy -- otherwise I would be jumping at the opportunity!}

 

[ChrisDavies]

I`m sure there`s someone out there looking to fill a vacancy in a Zoo they own. Maybe it`s a chance to rent out the garage by itself!

 

[Anonymous]

LOL. Tenant profile: Lonely female pensioner? She sounds like a nice enough person but I woudln`t rent to anyone with that many animal roomates either.

 

[Dan_Eisenhauer]

I am curious to know what the "small caged and aquarium" animals are... a boa constrictor? King Cobra? Pirhana?

I dropped in on one of my tenants recently, only to discover a very large, unfriendly lizzard living in a wooden shipping box in the basement.

This particular tenant is causing me to think about adding several clauses to my leases:

• Quantity and types of pets
• No smoking indoors
• Number of people to occupy the houseQuality of house keeping (The interior is a pig sty, but I am unsure if coming down on this would impinge on quiet enjoyment of the tenant.)Caring for the yard

I think it would a great resource if someone started an "unusual clause" thread for us to use when confronted with situations like these.

 

[retiredby50]

Hey Sherilynn,

Keith here, I believe we met at Quickstart Calgary(the guy staring off into space. he he)

Anyway, I know it may sound crazy, but other than the flaky nature of this person, i think there is opportunity in pets, especially if you have hardwood, or laminate floors.

I tell people they can have certain pets, as long as I approve them, and I charge money for them. So if you were to charge a per head rate of, say $30-40 a month, with a person like this, you could make a fortune.

One could charge a fortune for a fish tank, on the premise that if it ever leaks, the damage could be expensive. Then again, I suppose that`s a reason for not having them at all.

The other thing is that this person views their pets as being more important than any people, and not just anyone will take her on, so she would certainly pay extra to be able to have another cat, or platapus, or water buffalo, or whale, or whatever else she keeps as `friends`...

Wait, why do I assume it`s a woman? Maybe that`s a bit presumptive, based on a stereotype. Sorry.

...and so it goes.

Cheers
Keith

 

[RedlineBrett]

We had a zoo in one of our suites too... two small dogs, a cat and a big parrot. But great tenants with excellent jobs.

We get big rents from pet owners! The above posters are right when they say you need the right type of owner and house to make it work. But by and large pet owners are up against the wall to find good accommodation and thus are quite well behaved for the most part.

QUOTE (retiredby50 @ Sep 2 2008, 10:31 AM) Hey Sherilynn,

Keith here, I believe we met at Quickstart Calgary(the guy staring off into space. he he)

Anyway, I know it may sound crazy, but other than the flaky nature of this person, i think there is opportunity in pets, especially if you have hardwood, or laminate floors.

I tell people they can have certain pets, as long as I approve them, and I charge money for them. So if you were to charge a per head rate of, say $30-40 a month, with a person like this, you could make a fortune.

One could charge a fortune for a fish tank, on the premise that if it ever leaks, the damage could be expensive. Then again, I suppose that`s a reason for not having them at all.

The other thing is that this person views their pets as being more important than any people, and not just anyone will take her on, so she would certainly pay extra to be able to have another cat, or platapus, or water buffalo, or whale, or whatever else she keeps as `friends`...

Wait, why do I assume it`s a woman? Maybe that`s a bit presumptive, based on a stereotype. Sorry.

...and so it goes.

Cheers
Keith

 

[invst4profit]

Two of the mobile homes in my park were rented out to tenants with pets (dogs and cats).
When they moved out the homes could not be rented again until extensive renovation work was completed. One home had to have the sub floor removed in a bedroom the urine damage was so extensive. All flooring was replaced in both and wall repair was required up about 18" on many walls.
On hot humid days in the summer the smell is still evident.
No pets in my units regardless of how much they pay.

 

[Sherilynn]

My "pet policy" fluctuates depending on the suite, the applicant, and the pet(s) in question.

While I agree that pet premiums can be a great way to increase rents, pet "deposits" (please excuse the dreadful pun) can cause a great deal of damage.

And laminate is by no means petproof -- we discovered quite by "accident" (another dreadful pun, sorry) that dog pee is the same exact shade as oak laminate, and if your tenant is unable to clean the mess promptly it will soak into the joints and swell the edges.

As for Dr. Dolittle here, I would worry that such a high number of pets would either cause too much mess or too much noise for one person to handle.

Sherilynn