how to rent with a pet

Please bear in mind that the following booklet is copyrighted and protected under federal law and duplication of any kind is strictly forbidden.

"How To Rent With A Pet"

The following booklet is not an outline of laws that protect pets or a listing of apartments that accept pets; it’s simply a system that I have used successfully over the past 10 years and one that friends of mine have used with great success too. It is intended to help you convince a landlord who does not normally accept pets to accept yours.

The bottom line is to create a professional looking packet that will blow away your potential new landlord with facts, figures and examples of you as a responsible pet owner. But, most of all, she will be so impressed that you have taken the time and were creative enough to make such a professional presentation that the information contained in the packet will only account for a small percentage of your success. It’s the fact that you did it and did it well. Remember a landlord is mostly concerned with: are you a responsible pet owner who will keep your pet from damaging my apartment. And that’s the bottom line.

You may not agree with everything in here, and that’s ok, I’m just outlining exactly what has worked for me. I wish you the best of luck in your search. And, by the way, whatever you do, do not give up your pet(s) they are your responsibility!

I have designed this booklet to be short, sweet, concise and most importantly effective. So lets get started.

Following is the master list. Everything that you’re going to need in order to charm a landlord will be in this packet that you create.

1) Your Pets Resume

2) A letter from your veterinarian

3) Letters from all past landlords (w/phone numbers)

4) A letter from yourself (explaining pet rental insurance)

1) Fido or Fluffy’s Resume (See sample below )

· Is he/she spayed or neutered

· Any surgery (this displays responsible ownership as surgery is expensive)

· Obedience School

· Vaccination Records

· List of medications. i.e., flea or tick-spray, heartworm pills, etc.

· What do you do with your pet daily to keep him out of mischief (Your future landlord wants to know that Fido will not be pent up at home for hours on end releasing pent up energy on her apartments structure…)

· Any rescue work or other noble helper (seeing eye dog, therapy dog)

Just like a resume you would make for yourself, print this and all other documents and letters that will be in your packet on high quality paper.

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Sample Pet Resume:

Fido Johnson
123 Smith St .
Anytown , USA 12345

Born: 09/1996 Jackson Hole , Wyoming

Also resided in Tuscany , Italy (6 months), San Diego , California (3 years), and New York (2.5 years)

Breed: Black Lab, male, 90 pounds.

Neutered: 07/1997

Trained: – at the suggestion of my vet as he believes this to be more effective than obedience school - by the world-renowned book The Art of Raising a Puppy by The Monks of New Skete. This book works as Fido is a perfectly trained dog

Exercise: Since Fido has had surgery on both his knees, he swims for exercise every morning at xyz beach and walks for 45 minutes every night. On weekends we often do extended outings at the beach or hiking. This active lifestyle ensures that Fido spends most of his time at home resting.

Medication: Fido also takes heartguard and frontline to combat heart-worm, fleas and ticks. He is up to date on all his shots.

*Attach a photo if you have a good one.

All facts listed herein may be documented upon request.

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

2) Letter from your Veterinarian

Remember, your vet is an animal lover too. This is good because vets are well respected members of most communities and her word carries significant weight.

Simply ask your vet for a letter indicating that your pet(s) is up to date with his shots, medication, etc and that you are always on time for your appointments and are clearly a responsible pet owner. Some vets may charge for their time, so you may want to go ahead and write the letter yourself and ask your vet - if she agrees with what you have written – to sign it.

Don’t forget to include a line or two that indicate that you are a responsible and organized person; remember, the landlord is interested in who you are more so than your pet. This entire presentation is a reflection of your organization, responsibility and commitment to your pet. It’s the sum of the whole that will get a landlord to allow you and your pet.

Sample letter from a veterinarian:

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

To whom it may concern:

I am happy to write on Fido’s behalf. Fido is up to date on all of his shots, and is fortunate to have Mary as his guardian. Mary is a model pet owner who understands her responsibilities as such and takes them very seriously (as she should).

Were I a landlord I would feel confident renting to Mary and Fido (and unfortunately I can’t say that about all of my patients owners).

Sincerely,

Your Veterinarian

*Make sure that this letter is on your veterinarian’s official stationary.

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

You may also want to copy some of your vaccination records and put them into your packet.

3) Letters from past landlords

In your packet you want to have as many letters from past landlords as possible. This in and of itself is very important, because this is who your future landlord can relate to best.

Include in the letter:

· Length of lease

· Type of rental unit

· Current contact info.

· Proximity of landlords dwelling (if close) to your apartment at the time

Sample letter from a past landlord

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

To whom it may concern:

I had the pleasure of renting to Mary and Fido for nearly two years from 06/98 – 03/00. Mary and Fido occupied a waterfront home of mine that is valued at over $500,000 and I had not one single mishap during their stay. Rent was always paid on time, Mary never had any complaints, and Fido was always a happy dog as Mary is a very responsible pet owner. I stopped by the home once or twice a week to work on the garden and never saw anything I disliked of either Mary or Fido’s doing.

I would be happy to verify this information over the telephone. You may call me between the hours of 10am and 5 pm EST at (123)555-1212.

Sincerely,

Your Old Land Lord

*As with your veterinarian’s letter, you may want to write these letters and have your past landlord – if they agree with what you have written – to sign them.

4) A letter from you, a.k.a. Cover Letter

In this letter, you want to introduce yourself, “plead your case,” and if you so desire mention pet damage insurance. (I strongly suggest that you at least offer to make this investment).

Before we start on the letter: what is pet damage insurance?

Pet damage insurance is insurance that either you or the landlord purchases that will cover any damage to the rental unit caused by your pet(s). One company that provides such insurance is leasewithpets.com. They simply allow landlords to rent to tenants with pets risk free. Due to legal issues I cannot cover this are in much detail other than informing you that it exists.

Sample Cover Letter

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Date

Mary Dogowner
123 Any Street
Anytown , USA 12345

(123) 555-1212

Use landlords name if you know it:

Although I am very interested in renting an apartment from you, I wish only to do so if we have a comfortable landlord/tenant relationship specifically in regards to my cat Fluffy.

I have enclosed any information that I could imagine would be important for you to know about myself as a pet owner and my cat herself.

Enclosed you will find a letter from my veterinarian, letters from past landlords, and Fluffy’s “resume.”

Lastly, I would like you to know that I am willing to get pet damage insurance, which is simply a policy that I will purchase from a company that specializes in this and it will cover any damage to your apartment in the unlikely event that Fluffy does cause some damage.

Thank you for your consideration,

Mary Pet-owner

_{___________________________________________________________________________________________}

Once you have your packet, follow the following steps:

Step 1) Set up an appointment to see the rental unit that you wish to see, BUT do not bring up a pet with the landlord when you make this appointment.

Step 2) Show up to your appointment 5 minutes early, well dressed and groomed.

Why is being well dressed and groomed important you may ask: because landlords know that a pet is a reflection of its owner and if you’re disheveled looking, unshaven, hair uncombed… these are all signs that your priorities are not neatness and cleanliness which are 2 factors that are very important to landlords and reflect upon you as a pet owner. Maybe you don’t think it should be this way, but it is, so have your most conservative clothes pressed and your hair combed…

By the way, when I say well dressed, I don’t mean over dressed. A suit and tie is not necessary, but dockers and an oxford shirt are far better than ripped jeans and a t-shirt…

Step 3) Bring up your pet

Look at the apartment. If you like it, say “We’ll take it! I’ve prepared a packet about my chocolate lab Fido for you to examine so that you’ll be comfortable with him too.” And hand the landlord your impressive packet. (Chances are she has never been handed a packet like this before so she’ll probably start thumbing through it, starting with your cover letter of course, so make sure that’s strong…)

If the landlord gets mad and says “Hey the ad said ‘no pets’ you just wasted my time,” you may want to pretend that you never saw the ad in the paper and didn’t know that it read no pets… A friend told you about it…

Say “I’m sorry, I thought that you may have only written that as a matter of course, and I was hoping to plead to your common senses. Take this packet anyways and give it a look. Pay special attention to the part about pet damage insurance. If you feel like we might be able to work something out, please give us a call because it is awfully hard to find a place to rent with my dog.”

Important: What ever you say to a potential landlord, say it with a smile!

Step 4: Repeat Steps 1 thru 3 until successful. Be patient and persistent and do not ever give up your pet. Good Luck!

Even More Great Information:

A Bakers Dozen of Commandments for Renting with a Pet

I will never wash my Pets bedding (or similar) in the units/complexes washing machines

I will pick up after my pet daily and will not put pet waste in the units trash receptacles (I will use public trash cans on our walking route)

I will introduce my pet to all of the neighbors so that they are comfortable with him

I will control barking

I will control pet odor by bathing my pet regularly

I will exercise my pet twice daily so that he has a happy temperament and does not develop pent up energy

I will not leave my pet outside when I am not home

I have someone to sit my pet when I am away

I will report any pet damage immediately and not attempt to hide or repair it myself

I will maintain all proper shots & medication including flea and tick control

11.     I will never leave my pet for an unusual period of time (cats 24 hours/dogs 12 hours (max)) without having
          someone check in on him

12.     I will purchase pet damage insurance so that in the unlikely event that any damage that may be a result of
          my pet that is not covered by my security deposit will be covered by this insurance policy (up to $5000)

Signed: ________________________________________ Date: ______________

Note: Retype this page so that it matches the rest of your documents and can be personalized to your own pets and adding or omitting the correct information.

EVEN MORE GOOF STUFF...

Some additional things you can do …

· Agree to occasional – scheduled or unscheduled – inspections

· Invite your prospective landlord to see your current apartment

· Get letters of reference from your current neighbors

· Brag about the high quality of pet food you feed your pets (this displays responsibility)

· Bathe your pet(s) before introducing them to prospective landlord

· If your dog is particularly hyper, exercise him (big time) a couple of hours before the landlord meets him so that he’s calm because he’s tired…

· If you do have your prospective landlord over for a visit, and your dog is a beggar, do not offer food, so that Fido won’t annoy your new landlord by begging for his cheese and crackers

· If you’re totally desperate: Offer extra security deposit

· If your cat or dog is “crate-trained” definitely inform the landlord (You will also want to explain what crate-training is)

· If you work from home or are a “homebody” let the landlord know (this displays that your pet will not be left unattended very often)

· Similarly, if you take your pet to work, let him know

GOOD LUCK!

The Staff at petrent.net