Renting my 100 yr. old nicely renovated home~~~~ (to rent, gardening)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JanND

$10 lb for a 200 lb dog is $2000, not $200.

Exactly. I wouldn't dream of doing it for less than a $2000 deposit, plus a certificate showing valid coverage naming me as an additional insured.

[LovelySummer]

I wouldn't rent my house (especially furnished) to anyone with a pet. However, if you are willing, you could consider requiring them to take out insurance to cover the cost of re-building your house from the ground as well as the cost for property damage. That way, if they damage the house in any way (including pet-related stuff), they will be required to use their deductible and fix the property with their insurance, not yours. Of course, you have to write that into the lease. Since you will be gone for a year, you definitely need a management company or just someone reliable who is going to do walk-thru inspections of your property from time to time. You can't just rent your home and then come back in a year. I know someone who used to do that and everytime he came back after a year, he had a bunch of nasty surprises. One time there was black smoke all over the walls and ceilings, another time, the guy had been on drugs and there was all sorts of drug stuff all over hte house ... and trash. Um, yeah, write in at least quarterly inspections and have someone do them for you. Even unintentional damage can be caught and addressed this way before it gets out of hand.

Originally Posted by lyndsmar

My home is 100 yrs. old and I am renting it furnished (very nicely furnished) while I travel for one year.

I have had several inquiries, but one is interested in bringing a 200 lb. dog, which I am ok with, but I am curious as to what amount of non-refundable pet deposit I should charge for a dog this size.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[gtcorndog]

I have a provision where I will allow dogs under 25 lbs in my rental property with an additional $350 fee. My property isn't furnished though.

200 lbs? Awwwww hell nah.

[AnsleyPark]

What breed is the dog? I'm guessing a Great Dane. If so, I would tend to believe that you'll have no pet-caused problems. On the other hand, if a Mastiff, well, their slobber alone may do some damage to furniture.

[jeoff]

Yeah, yeah. My math was off by a little bit . Still, it is a scary proposition.

Originally Posted by JanND

$10 lb for a 200 lb dog is $2000, not $200. But even $2000 is not enough to repair a home you love. Renters insurance will usually only cover their property. You should check w/ your homeowners insurance. Sometimes there are stipulations when you rent out your home.
I would not consider a dog that size unless you know the owner as a friend. Or you can go visit them in person and see what their present home looks like. It would be hard to rent to anyone.....good luck on this.

[Strangejelly]

It this aint the 200lb dog, then I am wondering myself what it is.

[diosa78]

There's so much to consider when deciding to rent. Many people consider their pets part of their family, so I just don't understand how anyone would outright refuse to rent to someone who has a dog. Have them do an application and an interview. We had 4 dogs when we moved cross-country. We needed to rent before our house was built. A very kind lady had us do a contract and she met with us and she rented to us with our 4 dogs (45-75 lbs). She had just renovated the house and it was furnished with new furniture. I assured her our dogs would not jump up on any of her furniture, but we bought slipcovers for her sofas. When we left, she told us we were the cleanest tenants she had ever had. We left her house very, very clean, but we are OCD about cleanliness (ie cleaning the floors everyday, getting our dogs groomed, etc.). There seem to be alot of jaded people on here, but if you have a responsible pet owner that is clean, maintains your home as if it were their own, and pays rent on time, what more could you ask for?

We left our former landlord with alot of positive feelings about people with dogs. The next tenant she had did not have a pet, but he left her house a mess. Ask for a pet deposit - I think we paid $100/dog.

[LovelySummer]

Well, I am a dog lover. Had a pomeranian for 16 years who was definitely family. However, during that time, my little pom did poop on the carpet a few times, pee on my hardwoods and generally liked to gnaw on stuff when he was a puppy. So, you see, everyone who says no to pets is not a non-pet lover. Some of us know about the potential from our own personal experience and our little guy was 6 lbs. We loved him dearly, he stayed at the best doggy hotels with his own room, couch and tv and a full daily schedule with walks, etc. whenever we went out of town. He also flew at least 20 times in his life...right under my airplane seat. He had the most beautiful dog casket you ever did see. However, as much as I loved him, he did have a few accidents. That's not a knock against our family member. He was just human (well, sort of ) and he made mistakes like we all do.

Originally Posted by diosa78

There's so much to consider when deciding to rent. Many people consider their pets part of their family, so I just don't understand how anyone would outright refuse to rent to someone who has a dog. Have them do an application and an interview. We had 4 dogs when we moved cross-country. We needed to rent before our house was built. A very kind lady had us do a contract and she met with us and she rented to us with our 4 dogs (45-75 lbs). She had just renovated the house and it was furnished with new furniture. I assured her our dogs would not jump up on any of her furniture, but we bought slipcovers for her sofas. When we left, she told us we were the cleanest tenants she had ever had. We left her house very, very clean, but we are OCD about cleanliness (ie cleaning the floors everyday, getting our dogs groomed, etc.). There seem to be alot of jaded people on here, but if you have a responsible pet owner that is clean, maintains your home as if it were their own, and pays rent on time, what more could you ask for?

We left our former landlord with alot of positive feelings about people with dogs. The next tenant she had did not have a pet, but he left her house a mess. Ask for a pet deposit - I think we paid $100/dog.

[WestsideATLCindy]

$100 a dog is not enough. I laughed when I read that. A deposit is collected in case things go wrong, you need money to fix the issues. If nothing goes wrong, fine. If they do...$100 fixes nearly nothing. Refinishing floors...over $1,000. Furniture? Stink? $100 does not even pay a cleaning crew. As far as the Great Dane comment above...not true at all. I have witnessed Great Danes that were so stinky the whole house stank, and oh yes indeed many of them do slobber, all over the walls and furniture and floors. Boogers too. Any 200 pound dog is probably going to slobber, and likely stink up the place unless bathed every 4 weeks. And probably mess up the floors. To the OP...just do not do it. If you do, good luck. Some dogs do no damage at all. But woe upon you if this one does, because it can be amazing. I know of a home with big dogs that stinks even before you get all the way inside and all floors are shredded and there are boogers and slime all over the walls and furniture and floors. Now if my dog does that in my house...no problem But if your dog does that in my house...problem !

[Tarzanman]

If you will only be gone a year and are leaving your house furnished then do not rent to anyone who has any pets at all.

The benefit is not worth the risk. Even declawed cats can pee on floors or gnaw on shelves or furniture.