Why It Is Advisable To Make Your Vacation Rental Pet Friendly

Aug 13, 2015

This holiday home offers all the luxuries and amenities. I would really want to holiday here with our kids, but what a shame we couldn’t bring Xena along. They have a no pets policy.

A lot of vacation rental searchers go through such moments where they love everything about the place – amenities, location, cost, etc but still they have to strike off the option because of zero tolerance policy of the management on the pets issue.

According to research, over 60% of US populations have at least one pet. Holiday home owners must understand that there is a very high percentage of population who wish to take along their furry friends when on a family vacation. Vacation rental owner who are flexible and accommodating on the pets clause, find it easy to get customers for their rental and overtime the pool of their prospective clientele increase, keeping their rental properties fully occupied during holiday season.

Myth Vs Reality

It’s a myth that properties who allow pets aren’t as profitable for the owner due to the damage caused by the pets. On the contrary, research has shown that in most cases there is limited or no damage at all when a property is let to renters with pets. Most pet owners appreciate that they are allowed to spend vacations with their pet and take good care of the property.

Pet owners are also willing to pay 20-30% higher rentals and greater security deposits. They are also more likely to repeat their visits as it is difficult to find another pet friendly property and it is inconvenient for the pet to change its environment each time. On the other hand, holding on to a vacant space and advertising for it is more expensive for home owners as compared to letting tenant who owns a pet. This means that home owners stand to make good profits when they allow pets in their home.

How to Make Your Rental Pet Friendly

You may use baby gates to demarcate areas where you would not like the pets to enter. Install easily maintainable spill proof floors; lock up low cabinets that have cleaning equipment and keep breakable items in higher shelf. These arrangements cost way less as compared to profits earned by retaining a long term tenant.

To make the stay more convenient for guests with pets, you may keep food and water bowl for pets, some chew toys and waste baggies. These arrangements will not only make things convenient for pet owners but also help to keep your rental clean and safe.

A good way of ensuring that pet fury is not hurled towards the property is to keep handy information for pet parks in the nearby areas that can be used by tenants for energy dissipation of their furry friends.

A pet keeping agreement should be signed between the home owner and the tenant so as to keep things clear in black and white as to what is acceptable and what is not.

Checks should be made at the end of the stay to ensure that the terms of the agreement are adhered to and no damage to the property is done.

The landlord must have an insurance against damage done by pets or take a chunkier security deposit to accommodate the risk undertaken.

Just the way it is difficult for a holiday makers to find a good property that is pet friendly, it is difficult for property owners to find guests who would stay for long and also repeat their visits. The equilibrium of this gap can be reached by keeping your no pets policy flexible and making your property pet friendly. This simply reduces the stress levels on either sides and makes the society that much happier.