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Should I Allow Pets in My San Diego Rental Property? Professional Property Manager Explains

The decision about whether or not to allow pets in your San Diego rental property comes down to two things. First, you have to think about your goals for the property, and then how much risk you’re willing to take to accomplish that goal.

Risk vs. Returns

I equate this to a stocks and bonds discussion. Stocks will get you a higher rate of return but there’s more volatility and risk involved. It’s the same with pets. Bonds might give you a smoother, easier ride, but there’s less return that goes with your risk level.

Flooring and Pets

Flooring has an impact on whether you should accept pets. Carpet is bad for pets because it wears down faster and gets damaged from urine. Hardwood flooring can also be damaged from scratches. If you have a well-engineered hardwood floor with thick finish, you should be fine.

Tile and stone are also good. If you have a mix of flooring in your home, it also helps. If there’s damage in one area, you can take care of it, but if you have carpet throughout the entire home, it’s harder to patch that.

Avoiding Damage and Implementing Restrictions

Most of the pet damage we see is in the flooring. You can also get damage on the door, with scratching. If you have made a decision to be open to pets, there are other things to consider. Check with your HOA to make sure you don’t need to be aware of any rules or violations. Sometimes they restrict the size or quantity of pets.

Restricted breeds should be researched. These are normal dog breeds that insurance companies believe are too risky to rent to. So even though we love those animals, you don’t want to take on that risk.

If you do decide to allow pets, say that they are approved with restrictions. Then, if you get a bad reference, you can deny the pet. Or, you can say you’re open to a mature pet but not a puppy. Ask for a photo and information like the pet’s name, age, and weight. You’re going to write that pet into the lease as an occupant. This tells your tenant that a specific pet is approved, not all pets.

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Steve Welty

Steve Welty is the founder and CEO of Good Life Property Management. Since its establishment in 2013, Steve and his team have made owning rental property easy for over 1,000 San Diego homeowners.Their purpose is Life Improved–creating opportunity, enjoyment, and impact for their community is what matters most. DRE #01744610

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Hi, my name is Steve Welty. I’m the broker and owner at Good Life Property Management, where we manage single-family homes, condos, and small apartment buildings throughout the Greater San Diego area. Today, I’m going to talk about whether or not you should accept pets for your rental property. Now, this decision really comes down to number one, your goals with the property and number two, how much risk you’re willing to take to accomplish those goals. I liken this decision to a stocks versus bonds analysis. Stocks are usually going to get you a higher rate of return but there’s also more volatility and risk involved. Same thing with pets. As opposed to bonds, if you’re not accepting pets, you just want more of a smoother ride and are willing to take a little less return for a little less risk associated with that. So big consideration is the type of flooring you have in your house. Carpet is very commonly damaged by pets through wear and also through urine damage. Hardwood flooring is commonly damaged by pets through scratches, but if you have a well engineered hardwood floor with a really thick finish on it you should be fine. And then tile and stone, those are also good as well. If you have a good mix of flooring in your house, that’s going to help as well. That way up if the pet damage is in one area, you can replace that, as opposed to if you have continuous carpet throughout your place, it’s a little more difficult to patch that. Most of the pet damage i see like i mentioned is in the flooring, but you can also get damage on the doors and scratching. So sometimes if you’ve got really nice doors or finishes, then that might going to sway your decision one way or another whether to accept that pet. So if you’ve made a decision to be open to pets, there’s a couple other considerations you want to make. First, check with your HOA to make sure you don’t violate the rules and regulations. A lot of times they have rules on quantity or size of pet. And then also restricted breeds. Do a quick Google search and you’ll find a ton of stuff on restricted breeds. And what these are are normal dog breeds that insurance companies deemed too risky to rent to. So you want to stay with them and not rent to those pets as well. Even though we love pets here, it’s just not going to be in your best interest to take on that risk. And then lastly, if you are open to pets, say approved with restrictions. So if you get a bad reference, the age of the pet, maybe you’re open to a mature pet but not a puppy. And then always require a photo so you can see the pet. And then information, the pet’s name, age, and weight because you’re actually going to write that pet into the lease as another occupant in that property. That way you’re letting the tenant know this pet is approved but future pets would need to be approved through you. If you have any questions with this topic or if we can help you in any way, please do give us a call and make it a great day!