Daytona Landlords Can Be a Pet's Best Friend

If you are a pet owner who is also a renter, then you probably know how difficult it can sometimes be to find a rental house or apartment.  Sure, there are some out there, but more often than not, the landlord or management company will want an outrageous amount of money for additional pet deposits.  So what is a pet owner to do when shopping for a rental in Daytona Beach?  Some landlords or apartment complexes won't even consider accepting pets.

Being a responsible pet owner, you have trained you dog to do his or her business outside, or perhaps your cat to use the litter box appropriately.  Sure, your cat has claws, but because you give her all the attention she needs, she doesn't tend to scratch at the door wanting out.  Probably you always keep your furry feline friend indoors so that she isn't tempted to taste the tantalizing birds in the neighborhood, let alone your well-founded fear of her being hit by a car or meeting with foul play.  Dog owners who care teach their dogs not to chew up the floor boards or the carpet.  Just give a good dog a bone and the occasional treat, take him out for a walk twice a day, and he's more than content to not mess up your carpet or tear down your drapes.  So why all the hassle about your beloved pets when you are looking to rent a home or apartment in Volusia County?

Landlords and apartment managers, this is a call for you to take responsibility, too.  Daytona Today spoke with an animal rescue missionary who gave us some excellent pointers for landlords who are concerned about accepting pets.  Turns out, if you're a landlord who already accepts pets, these tips could be quite useful to you as well.  Landlords who want good tenants are missing out if they are not accepting pets.  Cherie Stockholm of Angels Have Whiskers says that landlords can ask three things of pet owners to assure a good outcome with pet-friendly rentals.  She outlined the following suggestions for landlords and managers when it comes to accepting pets:

• Show proof that the pet has been spayed or neutered.  Responsible pet owners know that the single best thing they can do for their dog or cat is to have it spayed or neutered.  This helps avoid unwanted puppies or kittens, and it also has some additional benefits, like females not going in heat (which must certainly be miserable), and males not spraying to "mark there territory" (which can definitely stink up a place).  So, when a landlord requires animals be spayed or neutered to qualify as tenants, they are helping out the pet population in a big way.

• Provide Documentation of current shots.  Annual trips to the veterinarian are a must for pets, so if your potential tenant is a responsible pet owner, they will be able to show that their pet has current, up to date shot records.  If a would be renter has unwittingly fallen short of this responsibility, this requirement will help you help a pet by giving a friendly reminder to their person to get them in for their annual check-up.

• Require veterinary flea prevention.  Ask that the pet owner has a six month supply of flea prevention obtained from their veterinarian.  No landlord wants their rental to become infested with fleas, and no dog or cat should have to constantly itch and scratch trying to be free from the jumping parasites.  Flea prevention is important, and keeps everyone happy.

When pet owners live up to their responsibility to their pet, it shows that they are probably responsible in general.  If you are a landlord or apartment manager, consider using these three requirements as a guideline when you have a potential renter who owns pets.  If you get proof of these three things from someone, then you know that they have a well-cared for dog or cat.  When dogs and cats are well cared for, you don't have to worry about the house or apartment getting messed up.  Certainly a pet who is tended to in the appropriate manner and cared for by a loving owner is not a pet who is going to soil the carpet or chew or scratch.  Think about charging a little less for a pet deposit, after all, you will know that you are getting a responsible tenant.

So, if you have rental homes or apartments in the Daytona Beach area, and you have been refusing to accept pets, perhaps it is time to reconsider.  Pet owners love their pets like children, and should never even have to consider giving up a pet to rent a place to live.  Landlords should not be sitting around with empty properties and turning away renters just because they have a pet.  A win-win-win situation can result when you take this well-thought out advice from an agency like Angels Have Whiskers.  Give a person a break, and give a pet a home.  You'll be glad you did, and so will they.