To Allow Pets in Your Kansas City Apartment or Rental Home or Not Is a Serious Decision - Kansas City Apartment and Rental advice for owners

Kansas City Property owners and managers who have years of experience in the field know the importance of setting policies and sticking to them. From deposit policies to credit check guidelines, there’s a basic need to remain rigid. If a rule is made and then broken for one resident, all residents will rightfully expect the same courtesy. The exception to the rule rule, however, comes in when pets are mentioned.

While many Kansas City rental properties will prohibit pets, this policy might need to be broken in the case of working animals. These animals that act as the eyes and ears for some disabled people might be protected under the law as an exception to any rule you set, so make sure when you’re drafting a pet policy to obtain some legal advice, too. The particular laws to keep in mind when drafting a pet policy are the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act. These can override any personal complex rules, no matter how well written, so bear them in mind.

Now, when it comes to residents who rely on their pets for companions rather than for any specialized training they might have, a Kansas City property owner or manager has a little more leeway to decide whether to accept them or not. Before settling one way or another on the pet question, however, it’s a good idea to consider the pros and cons.

There are many advantages to allowing pets of one form or another. First off, a lot of potential residents own pets. If you choose to make your Kansas City apartment community or rental property off limits to cats and dogs, you may find that good residents take their business elsewhere. By restricting your property to only those residents who don’t own pets, you’re closing off your potential pool of renters.

Other advantages to allowing pets are numerous, but perhaps a little more subjective. Many pet owners, especially those who take impeccable care of their animals, show a lot of inherent responsibility. Taking care of a pet is akin to a full-time job. Those who do so well are more likely to care for their environs with as much fervor as well.

Pet owners are also a little more likely to be willing to overlook older carpets and be willing to pay a slightly higher fee in the form of deposits and even rents.

The disadvantages to allowing pets are mostly on the financial side, but there are a few others. When it comes to allowing pets, there is a greater chance the rental property will be damaged during the course of the lease. Even with cats, the property runs a risk of flea infestation and odors. Carpet sometimes has to be replaced after a pet owner moves out and the deposits generally aren’t enough to cover all the costs. In addition, dogs can create problems with other residents if barking is an issue, biting is a problem or if the owner doesn’t clean up after their animal on walks.

Those things aside, the decision to allow pets is entirely up to the owner or manager of the property. If you choose to allow them, you can put restrictions on the number and size of the critters allowed and you can make it mandatory that animals be leashed and cleaned up after when they’re outside on your property. Add in a clause about nuisance barking or trouble animals, and you should have your bases covered.

Many Kansas City apartment communities and rental properties that do allow animals will set weight restrictions and set limits on the number of pets. For example, two cats or a cat and a dog or a single pet period. The combinations vary from property to property, but oftentimes they’re set with the size of the rental in mind.

The decision to allow or disallow pets is a personal one, but it makes good sense to review your options and bear in mind no matter your policy there may be certain circumstances under which you need to allow pets to live among your human residents.

If you choose to allow animals, do be sure to set fair pet deposits to help you pay for any damage that might result. This is your right whether the pet is simply that or it’s a working animal as well. Once your policy is set, stick with it inasmuch as you can under the law. This is important to create a fair environment for all of your residents human and otherwise.