So, Dog Peoples, A Question?

I have a furnished house to rent out.
It's Tom's aunt's house, and we've pretty much cleaned it up and cleared a lot of stuff out.
(And left a lot of scary stuff in the basement for the next bout of cleaning.)
We rent it furnished, usually to academic types who are coming here short-term.
We don't want longer term tenants just yet, since we don't know when/if we may be selling it, and we are still getting repairs done (between tenants), and since emptying out all the rest of the crap is beyond me at the moment.

So I'm looking for the next tenants.
Partly it's that the economy sucks, and partly that the timing is a bit off, but things are thin.
I could try holding out for my profile tenants to turn up.
Or I could go with the nice people who saw it today.
They need a rental cos they rented out their house, but ended up coming back to Berkeley early and can't get into their own home until September.
They are ready to move in tomorrow.
And they have a dog.

I've never rented to someone with a dog.
I met him, he seems like a calm sweet guy.
I'm really tempted.
So, dogs as tenants, opinions people?

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Comments

Kelly

I wouldn't rule it out, necessarily. But it depends more on the owners than the dog. Are they good, responsible people who take their dog out on a regular basis? Or are they people who let the dog go to the bathroom inside?

Hannahbanana

I agree with Kelly. Don't, for example, rent to an arsehole like we did, who started off with one dog and accumulated four more by the time we were able to evict him. I shit you not (pun intended) this is what his dogs did to the carpet:

http://hannahs.vox.com/library/photo/6a00c225295ff88fdb00d414375390685e.html

lauowolf
It's a couple with a kid in high school.
They seemed fine.
This is their family pet.
I liked their interaction with him (hugs).
He responded immediately to voice commands.
(Went to look down basement stairs while we were talking, but came right back over when they called him.)
He seemed calm, didn't jump all over me, and seemed clean.
They are volunteering to put up extra deposit funds.
TreeSweater
I was going to suggest you should ask for a pet deposit, but if they're offering it, it sounds like they're making an extra effort to be responsible.
michellemybelle
If they're willing to put up extra funds and the dog appears to be well-trained, you should go for it. You can learn a lot from meeting a dog for the first time, and this dog sounds like a good one. If for some odd reason something happens that ends up costing more than the deposit, they're liable for the overage anyway, so you do have that. You could insert an extra clause into the lease to cover that should you feel the need. September's not that far away, so they wouldn't be there that long.
LBeeeze
Just like the others as long as the dog is let out when necessary and if he is calm and sweet you might never know a dog had lived there.

cat
hmmm tricky one. They can really mess a place up. We bought a house that we rent out but we rent it to two of our kids and one of their friends. I am going to let them get a dog. A very small dog. But if it wasn't my own kids I would say no. The reason being that I have rented places myself and had dogs and not cared at all about them running all over the place trashing it. And even if there were rules about the dogs staying otuside I'd always ignore them. So I am basing my opinion on my own terrible behaviour.
pyrit
They seem like a safe bet.
What breed of dog? Young, old? Big, small? Long or short hair?
lauowolf
It's not really a breed of dog.
Black with white muzzle and toes.
and weird texturey streak down it's back.
I could tell a fair dash of Lab (Berkeley black labs get around a lot), maybe some border collie, and then something that doesn't bark, is a little smaller, and has weird texturey bits.
Not oily like a lab, not long-haired, small-to-mid-sized.
Your basic Berkeley animal shelter black doggie.
rogue
From your post and responses to other comments, this dog (and its owners) sound like a good candidate. Have they shared more about their situation? (i.e. how long does the dog stay indoors alone while people are at work/school? who is responsible for it? how long have they had it? etc.) I would think that if it's a family pet (not just the kid's) and they've had it for a while and seem to treat it as a member of the family and have a routine, then it should be fine.
pyrit
"Berkeley black labs get around a lot"? Sounds like one went a round with a wirehair terrier...

So it's got brains, personality and the potential to rout out possums.....

The couple sound like good people.

I always have dogs and have rented 3 different houses from 3 different landlords and always got my security deposit back.


notjustanotherpumpkin
Wow....I know practically nothing about dogs (except that I'm allergic to them).
so no help.....except if you do rent to dog people the lease is really important, in its wording etc. ...which I'm sure you already know.

*sneezes and runs*
DKN
pet deposit would be a good idea. And ask to hang out with the dog and meet him first.
Pinkananda

I would ask for references. Wherever they went after they rented out their own house, they would have had either to lease or purchase something, so they should have a reference. Ask for an employer reference as well. I get calls all the time from apartment managers who want to know if my student assistants are responsible (Well, for one, they're not allowed to smoke crack or have keg parties in the office and, needless to say, there are NO SLEEPOVERS, but who knows WHAT they're up to at home! If you want me to spy on 'em, it'll cost ya!) and I think, for the most part, they are required to give at least three references AND first and last months' rent as a deposit. What appears to be a sweet, obedient dog in the presence of its owner can turn into a deranged destroyer when left alone during the day. Go with your gut. It's always a gamble anyway, pets or no pets.

Jem
we rented to a single mum who also had a german shepherd. We weren't keen, but our real estate agent suggested she put down a pet bond, just in case the dog damaged anything. Turns out she was one of the two cleanest tenants we ever had at that house. and the dog was a good boy.
Farfaraway

I say go for it. Ask if the dog has been obedience trained (specifically ask if they've taken it to classes), and ask if he/she is neutered/spayed. Ask its age. Generally, dogs over 2 years old are past their destructive phase.

I sure wish I lived where you do! I need to rent a house with three small dogs...I am hoping that my credentials as a professional dog trainer, and my dogs' resumes as show dogs, will help...

lauowolf
Just to follow up.
We did rent to them.
They seem incredibly nice, have been scrubbing the place out thoroughly.
Probably I will end up with a cleaner place for having them there, which is sort of funny.
pyrit
Oh good! You wont want them to leave. Yeah, that was my rental style too.

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