Tenants with pets

[loosenknot]

So... trying to rent out my house. It has just had a major refurbishment - including beautiful wood floor downstairs, light in colour. I’ve been warned by the builders that it’s hard to sand (quite thin) and difficult to take up (waterproofing system and underfloor heating).
A middle aged couple with two dogs want to take the house (unfurnished). They are offering an obove the asking price rent and a larger depositi.
My issue is that I don’t want to compensate for damage - I don’t want damage in the first place
Should I be nervous about renting to a person with a Labrador and a tiny little scuffle dog (Pomeranian)

Yes I would

We allow pets in our properties and take a higher deposit.

We are also tenants ourselves with dogs, so sit on both sides on the fence. It's tough to find good quality properties that are finished to a very good standard & ones that allow dogs. We self manage so always meet prospective tenants and go with our gut feel, we also charge on the higher side of rent. Not all tenants (dogs or not) will trash the place.

Go for it and do regular checks

I wouldn't unless it was going to be very difficult to find alternative tenants.

It's worth bearing in mind that even if you do choose to accept these tenants and their dog damages the floor you are not entitled to a replacement floor so a higher deposit won't make any difference really.

I would suggest that you research how much it would cost to repair any damage (that you can reasonably imagine happening) and ensure that the deposit at least covers that as you will only be entitled to a contribution when they leave.

We rented our house to a family with 2 dogs and they lived in our house for 6 months and these family left me with thousands of pounds in repairs and that left me not to rent my houses to anyone with dogs.

I think your floor’s likely to get damaged anyway if it’s light coloured real wood and quite thin... at least with those tenants they’d have already paid for that damage...

Can you put a light wood effect Linoleum over the top of your decent wooden flooring?

It wouldn't be a huge outlay and it will protect the floor from pets.

There is always some damage even with the most conscientious tenants. General wear and tear, when it's not you that's caused it can seem like damage.

I wouldn't if the floor absolutely must not be damaged. Put down laminate, carpet or lino on top. Worth the extra outlay if the tenants seem reliable.

There are advantages to renting to families with well behaved dogs: less likely to be burgled, with all the associated damage and hassle.