Setting up a new rental home can be draining financially. More often than not, you’re on the tail end of a PCS move where you’ve tossed money at hotels, gas, and food while you're on the road, and then you find a mountain of fees awaiting you at your new rental property: security deposits, the first month of rent, and if you have a pet, then pet fees.
Security deposits and advance rental payments are justifiable, but pet fees? Many of us wonder if they’re necessary. While renters can feel this wall of financial commitment is too much, landlords use it as protection. After all, a landlord’s investment in a property is far greater than rent and requires effort to ensure a high return on their investment.
Read on to learn about fees associated with pet-friendly rental properties, what they are, why they matter, and if they’re legal.
Quick definitions:
Now, let’s break each one down a little further.
The pet fee is the one-and-done approach to pet-associated costs in rental properties. It's a non-refundable fee meant to cover the wear and tear that a tenant’s pet may cause to the property. On average, pet fees typically run between $250 to $500.
A pet fee can be a great option for both parties since the renter pays it upfront, and there’s no sliding scale that could cause a disagreement when the lease is up.
However, there are a couple of negative aspects for both parties.
The pet deposit is most closely related to the security deposit. It’s a one-time fee that covers wear and tear plus damage to the property caused by the pet and is refundable if there's no pet damage. Pet deposits range between $100-$600 on average.
Think about pet rent the same way you think about rent for the tenant. Each month, the tenant owes the landlord a set amount to allow their pet to live in the rental with them. This cost helps the landlord cover wear and tear plus any damage the pet causes to the property. Many landlords charge between $25 to $50 per animal per month for pet rent.
Pet rent increased in popularity in the mid-2000s as it allows for smaller incremental payments to help cover pet-associated fees. However, the concept has caused some push-back in the rental community for a couple of reasons:
All of these fees might have you wondering if they’re even legal. To some surprise, the answer is not always.
“Landlords who allow pets sometimes require tenants to pay a separate deposit to cover any damages caused by the pet. In some states, this is legal; in others, it's not. Regardless of state law, under federal law, landlords may never charge a pet fee or deposit to disabled tenants who have a service or assistance animal.” –NOLO
If you have a pet and are looking for a rental property, you’ll likely face a pet fee, pet deposit, or pet rent. And in some cases, more than one. A landlord or property manager might require a pet deposit in conjunction with a nonrefundable option.
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“An assistance animal is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. An assistance animal is not a pet.” — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
The Fair Housing Act, which you may be familiar with whether you’re a landlord or a tenant, extends protection beyond renter applicants and includes both service animals and emotional support animals. According to HUD, reasonable requests for rental applicants with assistance animals include:
If a landlord refuses to comply, HUD offers a formal complaint route to assist this category of applicants in securing a rental property.
Pet fees, pet deposits, and pet rent are all open to negotiation before the lease is signed.
Just as tenants have the right to question the policies in place, landlords, in most cases, have the right to reject them. As a renter enters the conversation, they should have an accurate pulse on the housing market. If the landlord has ten additional applicants knocking on the door, the tenant loses their negotiating power. Conversely, if crickets are chirping, a tenant may find they can whittle down the pet fee.
These pet-associated costs serve a purpose. While they might feel like a cash grab to tenants, they act as a protection for the landlord or property management company to maintain the quality of homes for rent. While that means tenants can expect to pay a deposit of some kind, it doesn’t mean it’s a closed topic with the landlord. Communication is critical, and opening up the discussion between a potential landlord and tenant can provide a viable outcome for both.