Not all landlords are open to allowing pets in their rentals. And this is understandable. Pets can make messes. They leave hair and odors behind that your next renters may not want to deal with. However, there is a lot of demand for pet-friendly apartments, so if you're willing to rent to pet owners, you can expect a long list of applicants. Here are some tips to follow as you begin offering pet-friendly rentals.

Charge "pet rent."

A good way to make up for the extra costs related to having pets in your units is to charge an extra fee called pet rent. This could be as little as $25 a month, or as much as a couple of hundred dollars a month. You'd only charge this fee to renters who have pets. This way, if you need to have the carpet cleaned, some baseboard re-painted, or the home professionally deodorized once that tenant leaves, you should have the money to do this maintenance.

Ask for pet references.

Before renting to a pet owner, ask them for references who can speak on behalf of the pet. They could, for example, give you the name of their own landlord, who can tell you whether they did a good job of cleaning up after their pet. Or, they might give you the name of the trainer who worked with their pet, who can attest to the fact that the pet is well-trained. If there's someone else willing to speak positively about the pet, you can be more confident the owner and pet will be good tenants.

Use pet-friendly materials, when possible.

You probably don't want to spend the money to re-do the entire home in pet-friendly materials. But if you do need to make a few updates, do them with pets in mind. For example, you might rip out the old carpet and put hard flooring down instead, making pet "accidents" easier to clean up. As you make additional updates over the years, your units will become more and more pet-friendly. You could also add some amenities that will prove convenient to pet owners, such as a laundry sink for doggy baths or a window perch for cats.

Offering pet-friendly apartments is not for everyone, but pet owners very much appreciate the landlords who do allow pets. Keep the advice above in mind as you begin to accept pets at some or all of your rental units. TO learn more information about pet-friendly rentals, reach out to a company such as Aria of Zionsville Apartments.