Four legged tenants: the low down

Yet landlords who do allow pets gain access to a larger pool of tenants who are likely to stay put for longer and they can also potentially charge higher rent.

Resistance to pets tends to derive from fear of the damage a pet could do to a property.

However, when NZ Property Investor magazine spoke to a range of experts for an article in the August issue, they all said the underlying cause of pet problems is always the owners.

In their view, the type of responsible person who takes good care of their pets is also likely to take good care of a rental property, be insured and pay their rent reliably.

The experts said that landlords who introduce a little flexibility into their pet policies could reduce their vacancies, increase their rent and secure an excellent, long-term tenant.

As long as a pet is documented in the tenancy agreement, and there are good processes and systems to avoid any negative repercussions, pets in rentals may deliver a win-win for both landlords and tenants. 

To find out more about how to effectively manage the issue of pets in rental properties, click here to get the digital issue of NZ Property Investor magazine.

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