Dog Owners Pls Advise (lease, tenant, renter, house)

[Ann Alison]

In case I need to rent a house I can't sell.....

Assuming you're a dog owner, what do you look for when you look for a house to rent? And what do you avoid? The inside is fine; I'm just concerned with the yard.

I have 1/3 acre, the back yard is large, fenced, lots of shade, perfect for dogs. I planted numerous trees and shrubs; it's very pretty and private, but mowing the back yard is a pain. Is this a big issue?

Bottom line from a tenant's perspective...does finding a landlord who allows dogs outweigh the drudgery of mowing with lots of stops and turns?

Thanks.

[Katie1]

I would check to see if any plants are toxic.....then request you to remove them!
Check fence to make sure it to the ground! & how high it is...can my dog jump out??

Will you supply the lawn mower? As a tenant I would hate to buy something & not need it at the next rental....

[libbykt]

I'd be so happy to have a place that takes my dog that I wouldn't think twice about it, as long as it was completely fenced and she couldn't get out. Although it sounds like you might have a harder time attracting non-dog owners, who may have a larger selection of homes from which to choose. If you really think going to be an issue, you could always include a gardening service with the rent. That way you can be assured that your yard is being well maintained for when you sell in the future.

[sskkc]

A high fence is nice... a little side 'dog run' makes a house even more attractive. As long as the yard is large enough, I don't think most folks realize the difficulty level of mowing a particular yard until after they've tried it.

[MaryS80]

Renting with a dog, would look for good latching gates that can not easily swing open. I would also try to find a place not too close to a major roadway.

I would think that if someone is renting a house, they would realize mowing is just something they will have to do.

As for you being the homeowner make sure your insurance coves dog bites, etc. also be aware that some policies do not allow certain breeds. I have seen homes where the vinyl flooring/linoleum was ruined by large dogs.

[Ann Alison]

Thank you, everyone.

[paramour]

Back when we were renting, with dog(s), the only things that mattered (regarding the dogs) were that the place allowed animals and that there was an adequately fenced in back yard. Mowing was always a pain in the rear due to trees right smack in the middle of the yard but we didn't nix any place due to it being "too difficult" to mow. If renting a house, I certainly would not expect the landlord to provide us with a lawnmower and/oor landscaping services.

[scorp200]

I would mow in a heartbeat for a place that takes dogs...as long as I didn't have to pay for the lawn mower!

[pitt_transplant]

It wont be pretty for long if a hyper dog gets a-hold of it. Some dogs like to attack shrubs/plants smalll trees for fun. I would look that the fence doesnt have wiggle hole gaps. You can buy cheap wire fence on a roll. to put in those gaps. I would put it all the way around if its a wooden fence to protect from damage.
Security light out back for nightly dog poos.
Hire a service to do the yard and just tack it onto the rent as the total cost of the rental property. That way poo wont fill the yard either.

[fierce_flawless]

I would absolutely mow AND bring a lawnmower.. heck, you can pick one up for $50 at a pawn shop then sell it if/when you move.

There are sooooo many owners that won't allow dogs, it's worth it.

I would look for a place that didn't have an arbitrary weight limit on dogs. I say this becuase I have a 65 pound lab that would exclude me from renting a lot of places. I also have a 20 pound Shih-tzu mix. He is much more trouble and much more of a "concern" as a renter/landlord. He's better now but when he was younger I had a lot of worry and had to watch him/crate him to ensure that he wasn't destructive. My big dog is perfectly behaved and perfectly housetrained, doesn't dig up the yard, etc. I don't get the "no big dogs" restriction (when we aren't talking about breeds that relate to insurance exclusions).

Now, if I were a landlady I'd def. have provisions in the lease to make sure the tenant cleaned up the poo regularly, didn't chain the dog up, treated it humanely, etc. The property owner across the street from me "allowed" dogs and every tenant was the sort who chained the dog up with no water, left them outside 24/7 to bark, that sort of thing.

I've also rented places where if I couldn't bring a lawnmower and didn't take it upon myself to pay for a service, the owner would call a service and tack it on to the rent.