Cedar Falls / Waterloo "No Pets" in so many rentals! Why? (Craig: appointed, renters)

[Sally_Sparrow]

I thought at first it was just my imagination, but over 3 or 4 months now I've been browsing the Waterloo / Cedar Falls Craigslist ads for rentals, to see what's available, and I have noticed OVER AND OVER that most of what's available have "no pets" policies.

I thought it was odd, then I notice also there are many "wanted" posts where people are practically begging for a rental that IS pet friendly.

I am not understanding why, this just seems bizarre to me. Sure, I understand hefty pet deposits; my mom has been a landlady all of my life and she always charges a pet deposit that is rather huge! But NO pets allowed at all, anywhere? Or almost anywhere?

This is really starting to worry me. We are thinking of moving there and we'll both be full time students at UNI, and so we already have competition for a large place with all the young and single college students who will rent as roomies and therefore on individual leases for more money for the property owner. It's going to be hard to find a place that is a single family unit, 3 bedrooms, rented as one unit (not "per bedroom"), PLUS pets allowed too (one being a black lab)... !? Ugh.

This is when I start thinking we might do better just buying some fixer upper house for 15k and hope it's liveable to be sure that we can bring our animals! Don't laugh too hard, I've seen quite a few!

[scimitar12]

As a landlord myself I totally understand why pets are not allowed in many rentals. Even with large pet deposits the chances of a pet(s) ruining a place is considerable and to repair damages generally go way beyond reasonable deposits. It is not unheard of to have pets continually use a part of a room as its bathroom over time and that causes the urine to eventually soak through the underlayment and even the floorboards. When that happens there is no choice but to rip up everything. Pets just aren't worth the hassle. But, it really boils down to supply and demand. If landlords feel they have to rent out to folks with pets to make cash flow, then they will. If they feel there are enough folks out there with no pets to rent to then there will be no motivation for them to rent to those with pets.

[Sally_Sparrow]

Originally Posted by scimitar12

As a landlord myself I totally understand why pets are not allowed in many rentals. Even with large pet deposits the chances of a pet(s) ruining a place is considerable and to repair damages generally go way beyond reasonable deposits. It is not unheard of to have pets continually use a part of a room as its bathroom over time and that causes the urine to eventually soak through the underlayment and even the floorboards. When that happens there is no choice but to rip up everything. Pets just aren't worth the hassle. But, it really boils down to supply and demand. If landlords feel they have to rent out to folks with pets to make cash flow, then they will. If they feel there are enough folks out there with no pets to rent to then there will be no motivation for them to rent to those with pets.

It must be the supply & demand aspect then. I guess there are enough college students wanting rentals in this area, most without pets or who left their pets with mom/dad, that allowing pets isn't necessary. I hadn't thought of it from that standpoint but it explains a lot. I was just amazed; I've rented here in Texas for most of my life (though the last 4 years as a homeowner) and I'd just never encountered so many "no pets" policies.

I do understand the damage that can occur. Like I said, my mom has been a landlord for decades... and some pets have done some awful damage, but for the most part, she's had good pet owners in her rentals and has always charged a non-refundable pet deposit anyway.

Well, at least now I have an understanding of the "why" but don't know what we're going to do when / if we move there! Getting rid of our pets is just not an option.

[sequoias]

Yeah, I am disappointed how unfriendly the pet community around here. It's not like that in Seattle where tons have pet allowed.

[Sally_Sparrow]

Originally Posted by sequoias

Yeah, I am disappointed how unfriendly the pet community around here. It's not like that in Seattle where tons have pet allowed.

Yep here (in Texas) in my neighborhood, we have the opposite extreme sometimes and in a negative way. For example, the landlord across the street owns a triplex and there is no complete fence around the yard yet he allows the tenants to have dogs and allows them to chain them up outside 24/7! Something I would never allow if I was the owner!

I am super bummed because I just realized how much cheaper on-campus family housing is for UNI, compared to local rents, and they are definitely "no pets" as well. This is very frustrating. If we move we have a full year to find something affordable that allows pets, but at this rate I think we'll need it!

[capitalcityguy]

Large dogs are very hard on yards....especially if it is a small yard and the owners don't properly walk them (i.e...so they doing their business over and over again in the same small area. )

IMO, part of the problem (and why you see landlards shying away from allowing pets) is that too many people have too large a dog given their modest accomodations. Large dogs needs space. They don't need to be confined to a house with a postage stamp sized yard.

[wrcousert]

Tell the potential landlord that your dog is a service animal.

[sequoias]

Originally Posted by sabride

Yep here (in Texas) in my neighborhood, we have the opposite extreme sometimes and in a negative way. For example, the landlord across the street owns a triplex and there is no complete fence around the yard yet he allows the tenants to have dogs and allows them to chain them up outside 24/7! Something I would never allow if I was the owner!

I am super bummed because I just realized how much cheaper on-campus family housing is for UNI, compared to local rents, and they are definitely "no pets" as well. This is very frustrating. If we move we have a full year to find something affordable that allows pets, but at this rate I think we'll need it!

Ouch! That's very cruel... You might get lucky finding one that allow pets around in W'loo/CF area.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by wrcousert

Tell the potential landlord that your dog is a service animal.

Wow. That is illegal. If you tell a boldfaced lie like that you are liable to be evicted. I'd rather have a tenant with a dog than a dishonest one like you.

[WyoNewk]

When my son was discharged from the Navy he just HAD to get a dog. I told him it was foolish for renters to have pets, but common sense didn't come into play. So he got his dog, then couldn't find a place to rent. He finally had to build a new house with a fenced yard -- just him, his dog, and a 2000 sq. ft. home with a big yard.

He bought another home last year just after his dog died -- big fancy home of the golf course. No pets allowed, at least not yet. He loves pets, but he's seen what they can do to one's property and wants no more of it.

As a landlord I've seldom allowed pets in my rentals. I do have one that has a fenced yard and have, on occasion, allowed pets. A year ago I had to replace all the carpet and much of the subfloor thanks to a damned cat ($5,000), not to mention a patio door and siding ($1,000) because of a dog that liked to scratch to get in. And I'll be sodding the yard this month because the dog tore it up so bad that there's nothing left. ($1,000).

The renters, seemingly a very nice couple, paid me a $1,000 deposit but were always a little late with their rent. When they finally left they owed me $1,300 plus the deposit. I sued for it and got a judgment, but I didn't even sue for the $7,000 damage. Heck, I haven't been able to get all the judgment from them yet. You can't get blood from a turnip.

I'm sorry you're having trouble finding a rental, but this is why landlords don't allow pets. It's not that we don't like animals. (I have a dog and a cat.) It's that we can't collect the kind of deposit that we need to cover potential damages. (I once had a dog that did $20,000 in damages to our home just in carpet and some custom-built furniture.)