patrick.net

pkennedy says

It seems the ammonia + long term seeping into the wood under the floor is what concerns people the most.

Again this is fixable and with some forethought is preventable and fixable:

To block (existing) pet odors:
http://www.kilz.com/masterchem/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=212f90033f9ff110VgnVCM1000008a05d103RCRD
KILZ COMPLETE, KILZ ORIGINAL or KILZ ODORLESS primers

KILZ COMPLETE, KILZ ORIGINAL and KILZ ODORLESS are the ideal primers for sealing in odors, especially those created by pets. These primers can be applied to flooring, walls and baseboards. For severe odors, two coats are recommended. NOTE: KILZ COMPLETE, KILZ ORIGINAL and KILZ ODORLESS primers should only be applied on flooring when carpet or tile will be applied after priming.

pkennedy says

It seems the ammonia + long term seeping into the wood under the floor is what concerns people the most.

You can also have a small supply of Nature's Miracle or similar product available on hand for your renters so they can take care of the problem right away.

Waterproof laminate flooring:

http://www.dumaplast.be/en/brands/dumafloor/

pkennedy says

It seems the ammonia + long term seeping into the wood under the floor is what concerns people the most.

An easier option might be to simply lay a waterproof barrier as is put under laminate flooring. This would eliminate the possibility of pet stains getting into the wood/concrete.

zzyzzx says

Cats that are fixed and declawed aren't going to be a problem. In fact, even most clawed cats aren't going to be a problem, if they are it's the owner's fault. I'm on my 5th cat, not counting the 3 I grew up with and none of them have ever damaged the house in any way. I had one that occasionally peed on a door mat, but that was may fault because she didn't like going to me basement where my litterbox was (which made the problem easily fixable) My GF is on her 16th cat, and all of them have had claws and none of them have ever damaged her house either. She only had one cat that didn't like using the litterbox, and it was a cat that lived in her crawlspace for about 6 years before she came inside. After switching to "Cat Attact" litter the cat started using the box. It does help when you have hardwood floors though.

We trim our cats' claws. Its easy to train even a crabby old cat to accept a trim, just never, ever cut too deep. Once the claws are trimmed they are much less likely to cause property damage. Declawing may be a last resort for a problem pet (better than the shelter) but trimming often works just fine.

robertoaribas says

I use quality porcelain tile.... and a special additive to the grout which makes it stain resistant. I can turn a damn hose in the house when i'm finished

Again pets or no pets tile with sealed grout is the best option.

ELC says

I've been in people's houses who have young children and the place smells like a zoo. Far nastier than pets. Can you charge a rugrat deposit?

Not legally.

There is a huge difference between bad smelling kids and ammonia/odors that seep into the floor and never go away.

ELC says

robertoaribas says

[patrick's cheap server won't let me upload a pic of the pets...]

Sure it will. First browse for the image THEN click Upload Image.

Dan was right. On the initial composition of a comment, the image upload works fine. But if you go to edit the comment and try to upload a new picture to that, it doesn't work.

Will work on it today.

@new renter

There is no repairing hardwood flooring that's been stained from (animal) urine. Human urine as well (ever have a tenant put the babys diaper hamper on wood flooring?). You can replace small sections of hardwood flooring, which is one benefit of having the real thing over that cheap, tacky, non-durable laminate, which you have to tongue and groove it together from a starting point, so its virtually impossible to repair

People use murphys oil soap and other cleaners (some with ammonia!) On poly coated hardwood, which is equally destructive

pkennedy says

There is a huge difference between bad smelling kids and ammonia/odors that seep into the floor and never go away.

You'd be surprised

One big difference is, you're not likely to have a new tenant be allergic to a prior stinky families stench, however, many people are highly allergic to cat dander. By opening your doors to people with cats, you close them to people with cat allergies

errc says

One big difference is, you're not likely to have a new tenant be allergic to a prior stinky families stench

One of the advantages amongst many of buying new construction is that you don't have to deal with "prior stinky families stench."

JohnAlexander says

no matter how you cut it.........pets do damage in one way or the other.

I have pets in my home......love dogs.......

Wife love cars......

They are unsanitary and not worth ruining a rental unless you can repaint and re-floor the entire unit I would never move into it.

Its almost impossible to get rid of animal smell.

having said all that treat it like a hotel room.smoking and non smoking

Pet rentals and non pet rentals....you will win some and lose some

One LL I know offered pet friendly because he knew he was going to recarpet after this tenant any way, due to the age / condition of the carpet, and the rest of the place is tiles.

Here are the reasons you should not allow pets. This list applies overwhelmingly to DOGS:

1) Odor
2) Flea infestations
3) Ticks
4) Possibility of worms
5) Excessive barking (and everything that comes along with that)
6) Defecating/Urinating in unit, halls, elevators, common areas etc
7) Allergens (some people are allergic to dogs)
8) Attack/Biting/ potential lawsuits involving your presence at court
9) Alienating quality renters. All else equal they will rent at the apartment with no mutts. This will gradually turn your apartment complex into a kennel.

And last but not least:

10) Dog owner behavior.

Dog owners EXPECT everyone to love their dogs and if you don’t then there is something wrong with you. Dog owners invade your space. They ALWAYS let their dogs come up to complete strangers and press their wet noses on their leg. I’ve had this happen literally 5 minutes after leaving with expensive pressed pants. It pressed it’s nose on my leg leaving a wet spot. I told the owner “you know these pants are brand new $150 and I really don’t appreciate you allowing your dog to come up to me”. He starts saying he’s sorry “oh she never does that I’m sorry etc.” and the dog (sensing I was pissed) starts barking at me while he’s pulling it back saying “hey! Stop that!” all within the confines of an elevator. This COMMON when dog owners interact with your tenants who are non-dog owners. I suspect many dog owners have little to no social life. They use the dog as a proxy. If it wasn’t for their dog they would never meet anyone.

Dog owners will always deny these facts due to their love of their pets. Their emotions totally overrule their logic 100%. I have seen this entire life all the way up until a few months ago. One particular instance I remember… as a teenager.. I was in a dog owner’s house and it was full of fleas. I said "um excuse me but did you know your house has fleas?". That's all it took. They both flew off the handle "Our Dog Ain't Got No Fleas!!!!" “What’s he talkin bout?!?!” I said "yes it does see" and put my hand down on the carpet… "look there they are". His fat trailer trash wife yells "I don't see nothin!!!" and he says "I don't see nothin either!" “he don’t like our dog!” etc.. And I said “but…but”’ and before I could demonstrate again they yelled "You don’t like our house then get out!!!". All the while the dog was barking at me. This is typical dog owner logic.

The dogs will bark non-stop and you will have a tenant issue on your hands. For all of the above reasons this why most quality places (keyword: quality) do not allow dogs. At most they only allow small pets like cats, fish, birds etc.

I think if you need pet owners it shows you must really need tenants. I know the “pet deposits” and "pet rent" are tempting because you make more money and (if you are an unscrupulous landlord, like many are) you can legally take the deposits by claiming the dog went in the house and there is little if anything they can do. No judge is going to agree with the typical emotional whining dog owner when they saw “but your honor my dog doesn’t go in the house” etc.

You also run the costs of cleanup and flea control. When the typical inconsiderate dog owner moves out they will leave a parting gift - fleas. Even if you gut and replace everything some fleas and flea eggs WILL remain in the apartment. And they WILL hatch and YOU will have to pay to eradicate them. This will inconvenience you and the new tenants. They will come home to a poisoned sprayed apartment and the bug man may have to come back again and again until the problem is corrected. Your new tenants will not appreciate this.

I would just do a cost benefit analysis; unless the benefits outweigh the costs I would keep the place dog free or set a dog quota and gouge them for the absolute highest prices on pet rents and deposits. The minute your quota is met and more want to move in raise your pet rent, clean them out and get the new ones in.

New Renter says

robertoaribas says

I use quality porcelain tile.... and a special additive to the grout which makes it stain resistant. I can turn a damn hose in the house when i'm finished

Again pets or no pets tile with sealed grout is the best option.

What about this artificial hardwood floor stuff I hear many landlords swearing by? Allure, I think it's called?

underwaterman says

The most expensive repair I ate was the laminate flooring

Then stop using cheap substitutes when you should have been using the real thing.

Robertoaribas

I would like to add an exception:

Toy Dogs

These are fine. I actually like Chiwawas. I would also like to add I feel my whiny bitchy rant applies to the overwhelming majority of dog owners. There is always the exception to the rule. For instance my aunt owns a very nice dog but she is rich and they clean the house constantly while constantly caring for their dog in every possible way. But as I said, they are rich and can afford it.

This does not apply to the majority of dog owners.

robertoaribas says

Or i have another plan: don't rent to whiny bitchy little people like Michael cooke above! what a rant, go see a psychologist about your mental problems!

Yea no shit. And $150 new pants that she's getting all fussy over because the dog pressed its nose against? And you're calling other people anti social. What kind of cheap ass buys 150 pants and then gets upset because a dog sniffs them?

And what are you doing in the house of fat trailer trash strangers with fleas?
What are you, a door to door vacuum cleaner saleswoman?

Michael Cooke says

I told the owner “you know these pants are brand new $150 and I really don’t appreciate you allowing your dog to come up to me”.

Vultures wear $150 pants? All the ones I meet already have snot and urine stains on their little Dickies. :)

Dan was right. On the initial composition of a comment, the image upload works fine. But if you go to edit the comment and try to upload a new picture to that, it doesn't work.

Will work on it today.

OK, I think you can now successfully upload images to comments when you edit them.

Earlier, image upload seemed to work only when you first create the comment.

Please tell me about other bugs!

pkennedy says

odors that seep into the floor and never go away.

Has anyone tried an industrial ionizer. I was looking at an apartment that had one running and it was impossible to smell anything. It was like the ions made the whole place smell fresh in a very neutral way. I even turned off the ionizer and it still was perfect. It just made me wonder why they had it there in the first place. Grow house?

JohnAlexander says

I have pets in my home......love dogs.......
Wife love cars......

Hey, I like cars too!

I have two cats and when I was looking for my rental house in California I originally avoided everything that mentioned "No Pets." But then I realized there was almost nothing left and changed my strategy.

Being that I am one of the best tenants ever (only been a homeowner), I put together a family resume with photos, to include my cat. I have the best cat ever so I didn't need to embelish anything, but I mentioned his age, his vet, and some cute quirks of his. Included photos of the house I had just left due to divorce, a beautiful place with gorgeous landscaping.

After touring desirable properties with the owner/manager, I brought out copies of my resume, copy of my credit report, and a filled out generic rental application. I then mentioned my cat. Needless to say the house I chose made an exception to their pet policy and allowed my cat. It was the perfect house, only had three owners and had never been rented before. We were very happy there.

I took beautiful care of it, even doing some upgrades using my own money. Absolutely no smell as the catbox stayed in the garage with access via a pet door through the garage door, replaced that door before I moved.

As long as you look and act like the exact tenant they want in their house, they will likely make an exception for you. Don't show up with your makeup streaked down your face from the night before, wearing sweats and dragging a snotty kid. I toured during the week so I was fully dressed and ready for work - hair done, makeup on, work clothes and heels.

I had numerous properties that wanted to rent to me after I had my ducks in a row.

I had no problems in the inner Bay finding a place that allowed pets. I've rented houses, duplexes and am now in an Apartment building. I didn't get "laid away" per se, although my current unit is a bit pricey. Most of my rentals have been under 2K. No pet fee nor deposit, except on the apartment building.

The newer construction multi-family buildings have a lot of nice soundproofing, serviceable carpeting, frequent janitorial service, gardeners, etc, but most importantly good clientele. My building has a lot of professionals, Doctors, hipsters and whatnot. Two fast elevators means that many, even with friendly dogs, just wait for the next available elevator (which arrives in under a minute or two). They also take the stairs, or wait until you pass. Everyone is very courteous!

Just my .02. Rent to good people and it won't be an issue!

Landru3000 says

On warm days, the whole neighborhood smells like ... piss.

Just Jack London Square? Nowhere else in Oakland? (Or S.F.?)

errc says

What kind of cheap ass buys 150 pants and then gets upset because a dog sniffs them?

Uh...I've never paid more than 29.99 for a pair of pants. Shirts, I don't even bother with anymore.

Regarding the previous concerns of fleas the carpets and furniture should be professionally cleaned between tenants anyway. This takes care of the vast majority of any flea infestation. A few flea bombs will eliminate the rest. After the carpets have dried sprinkle boric acid onto the carpet. This stuff works wonders at preventing flea infestations and even to eliminate chronic flea problems. Heck you could even treat your tenants to free frontline/advantage.

As for pet stains on hardwood I don't know of any fix but I have not had to confront such a problem firsthand. I suppose replacement of the panels as a last resort. Prevention with a good wood sealent is probably the best course but that is just a guess.

robertoaribas says

Or i have another plan: don't rent to whiny bitchy little people like Michael cooke above! what a rant, go see a psychologist about your mental problems!

patrick, really, you oughta silence this prankster hoaxster for masquerading as a community college teacher that s/he is trying to make look bad.

JodyChunder says

errc says

What kind of cheap ass buys 150 pants and then gets upset because a dog sniffs them?

Uh...I've never paid more than 29.99 for a pair of pants. Shirts, I don't even bother with anymore.

You still wear pants? Why?

What do you mean by "premium people"?

New Renter says

Regarding the previous concerns of fleas the carpets and furniture should be professionally cleaned between tenants anyway. This takes care of the vast majority of any flea infestation. A few flea bombs will eliminate the rest. After the carpets have dried sprinkle boric acid onto the carpet. This stuff works wonders at preventing flea infestations and even to eliminate chronic flea problems. Heck you could even treat your tenants to free frontline/advantage.

As for pet stains on hardwood I don't know of any fix but I have not had to confront such a problem firsthand. I suppose replacement of the panels as a last resort. Prevention with a good wood sealent is probably the best course but that is just a guess.

What a hassle. I have a better idea: Don't rent to dog owners.

You know a flea is a parasitic blood sucking organism? And it spreads the following diseases:

Lyme Disease, Cat Scratch Fever, Rocky Mountain Fever, General Plague, Endemic typhus, Zootonic Disease, Bartonella, Erlichiosis, Rickettsiae, Meningoencephalitis, Tapeworms.

(trailer park accent) "I don't care I love my dawg!"

Ha Ha Ha

New Renter says

You still wear pants? Why?

I have a buffalo sofa and I'd chafe like hell sitting on that without some sansabelts. Sometimes I can get away with just a Kimono.

rufita11 says

What do you mean by "premium people"?

You caught that, too...I think it means eugenically engineered humans within one or two degrees of mammalian perfection, but just shy of the sheer brilliance required for being a SFH rental baron in Redwood City.

Michael Cooke says

Ha Ha Ha

(necessary footnote denoting hilarity)

robertoaribas says

I have 2 dogs now, one just passed away but I'm looking at puppies, and a cat. I rent to people with multiple dogs, because I find that they have a hard time renting, and hence my places rent faster this way. Plus, since they know how hard it will be to get another place, they tend to stay and stay. I charge $250 non refundable pet fee per pet, and nobody really every complains about it. I set up the flooring impervious to pets, as in all tile everywhere.

That's how I roll, ymmv.

[patrick's cheap server won't let me upload a pic of the pets...]

Robert just became my hero. Sorry about your loss :(

All of my landlords have LOVED our dalmatian. He's super quiet, doesn't destroy anything and loves everyone, so we were able to get a good resume on him. We also put up lots of videos and pics, so anyone can check him out. Now he's earning Google ad money every quarter ;p

Our favorite place was a tiny house with wall to wall tile. I absolutely hate carpet anyway. There's really no reason for it in the Bay Area.

pkennedy says

There is a huge difference between bad smelling kids and ammonia/odors that seep into the floor and never go away.

Nope. My best friend let her baby crawl around without a diaper a lot and the landlord had to replace the carpet when they moved out of the house. Pretty disgusting. The landlord thought they had been keeping a pet without permission. Nope--just a kid peeing all over the place.

Michael Cooke says

You know a flea is a parasitic blood sucking organism?

As are slumlords.

Are you really complaining about cleaning the carpets between tenancies? Isn't this required by law in many areas? Flea foggers and boric acid powder are neither expensive nor a hassle.

That is unless you are a slumlord...

rufita11 says

I absolutely hate carpet anyway. There's really no reason for it in the Bay Area.

Sound transmission. Tile, hardwood, laminate, vinyl all reflect sound while carpet kills it. Carpet keeps the home much quieter.

Michael Cooke says

Dog owners EXPECT everyone to love their dogs and if you don’t then there is something wrong with you. Dog owners invade your space. They ALWAYS let their dogs come up to complete strangers and press their wet noses on their leg.

How much does a brush that broad cost? Is it more expensive than your pants?

All snark aside, I will not let my dog put his nose on anyone and will not get in an elevator with him if there are others in it. I am always surprised at the number of strangers who run up and love on my dog, even kissing him in the face--I won't even do that. I was in downtown Walnut Creek and a perfectly normal looking guy leaned over and gave my dog an ear massage, sticking his fingers all the way in--my dog was in heaven :).

rufita11 says

ope. My best friend let her baby crawl around without a diaper a lot and the landlord had to replace the carpet when they moved out of the house. Pretty disgusting. The landlord thought they had been keeping a pet without permission. Nope--just a kid peeing all over the place.

How old was the carpet and how long had your friend been living there? The carpet may have needed replacing anyways.

New Renter says

rufita11 says

ope. My best friend let her baby crawl around without a diaper a lot and the landlord had to replace the carpet when they moved out of the house. Pretty disgusting. The landlord thought they had been keeping a pet without permission. Nope--just a kid peeing all over the place.

How old was the carpet and how long had your friend been living there? The carpet may have needed replacing anyways.

I visited a few times and the carpet looked new. The house itself was only about 15 years old. They kept the house very clean, but liked to air out the baby ;p.

Regarding carpet and pet/kid stains.

Mohawk did a publicity stunt a few years ago where they installed smartstrand (triexta) carpet in the living enclosures of a black rhinoceros, six African elephants and a few camels. The animals lived on the carpets for a few weeks doing what they do best. The carpets were then cleaned using ordinary methods (hot water extraction, spot cleaning etc.) The results were pretty impressive, at least what can be seen on the videos.

http://www.smartstrandchallenge.com/

I have since read some comments elsewhere that the test samples did have some residual odor but given the severity of the tests and the ordinary methods of cleaning this is not surprising. I'd guess that using a dilute bleach solution would kill any residual odors.

It shouldn't matter anyway as the carpet has a lifetime warranty for pet stains. Put this or similar carpet over a good spillguard carpet pad and pet/kid stains should not be much of an issue.

rufita11 says

They kept the house very clean, but liked to air out the baby ;p.

That's what lawns are for!