As a landlord, there is usually hesitation, or at least consideration, about allowing pets in your rental properties. Pets are messy, unpredictable, and can cause property damage. So, why go pet-friendly at all?
The short answer is that pets are popular. Denying pets at your rentals immediately creates a large limitation on your rental audience. If your property doesn’t have a specific audience that doesn’t largely overlap with pet owners, you’re ruling out too many potential tenants. This leads to a higher chance of your property going vacant, and a vacant property is money down the drain. Roughly 71% of U.S. households now own a pet (mostly dogs and cats), so allowing pets in your rental is simply accommodating the masses. Beyond that, there are actually many reasons why allowing pets in the lease is more beneficial than banning them.
Here is how the demand looks heading into 2026:
- About 71% of U.S. households own a pet, per the American Pet Products Association.
- 81% of rental housing operators report that pet ownership is still growing, and 68% now describe their properties as pet-friendly.
- More than half of renters who use pet filters search specifically for dog-friendly homes (Apartments.com listing data).
Decrease Vacancies
In addition to opening up your properties to a larger tenant pool, having pet-owning tenants might actually decrease your vacancy rate further. Surveys show that pet owners, on average, stay significantly longer in their rentals than non-pet owners. In fact, over two-thirds longer, with an average stay of 23 months compared to 15 months. This means when you rent to pet owners, you’re more likely to have lease renewals and less chance of vacancy in the long run. By these statistics, you should actually prefer pet owners in your rentals.
Increase Rent
It is true that pets have a higher chance of causing property damage, and generally require more cleaning, upkeep, and maintenance. However, pet owners are aware that allowing their furry friends in a rental is an accommodation, and doesn’t come free. There are often additional charges associated with pets to account for potential damage or costs to the landlord. You have multiple options for collecting additional revenue from pet-friendly tenants.
One way is to increase rent or charge a monthly pet rent. Charging a separate pet rent allows you to charge appropriate fees according to the number and type of animals. It also encourages a system for registering and documenting each pet so you can better keep track and control what goes on in your real estate. The same can be done with the security deposit, though how far you can go with a deposit now depends heavily on where the property sits.
The common 2026 charges landlords use look roughly like this:
- Pet rent: usually $25 to $50 per month, per pet.
- One-time pet fee: often $200 to $500 per pet, non-refundable, where state law allows it.
- California, under AB 12: the total security deposit is capped at one month’s rent, and any pet deposit has to fit inside that cap rather than being charged on top.
- California small-landlord exception: a natural-person owner of no more than two properties (four units total) may collect up to two months’ rent as a deposit.
While these additional charges may be spent on deep cleaning or property repairs when the tenants move out, pets don’t always wreak havoc. The deposit and fee rules in particular change from state to state, so always consult your local laws on pet rental fees before making any adjustments. This is general information for landlords, not legal advice.
Discourage Illegal Pets
Many pet owners struggle to find rentals that accommodate their animals, so when they need to move, they are often tempted to sneak in their animals illegally. If you allow pets, it is extremely unlikely that a tenant will have an animal on the property without giving full disclosure. This helps you to stay informed and properly compensated for any pets on the premises. Having an upfront pet policy in the lease also makes it easier to enforce rules and fees concerning the types and sizes of pets that you allow, and it gives you cleaner footing if you ever have to handle an unauthorized pet. You can also require screening for obedience training and vet records, and it is worth checking for animals left behind after a move-out.
Know Which Animals Your Policy Cannot Cover
Before you set any of this in stone, it helps to know which animals a pet policy does not actually reach. A trained service animal is treated as an assistance animal under the Fair Housing Act, not a pet, so as a general rule you cannot refuse it, charge it pet rent or a pet deposit, or hold it to your breed and weight limits, even in a no-pets building. Emotional support animals sit in a grayer area in 2026, and the rules there are worth checking carefully.
- Assistance animals are exempt from pet rent, pet deposits, and pet fees under the Fair Housing Act.
- For an assistance animal, what you can ask for is a current letter from a licensed health professional documenting the disability-related need.
- In May 2026, HUD said it will pursue Fair Housing accommodation complaints only for animals individually trained to do work or tasks, the same standard the ADA uses for service animals.
- That is an enforcement shift, not a rewrite of the law, and many state and local rules still protect emotional support animals, so check the ones that apply to your property.
Attractive Amenities
Allowing pets in the first place allows you to add pet-friendly amenities to your property and listings to attract tenants. Pet owners love, and I mean love, pet-friendly attractions. Emphasize nearby dog parks, grooming services, and veterinarian locations in your property listing, as well as any other nearby activities that their little friends might enjoy. You can also squeeze in details like pet beds in the listing photos to give potential tenants an image of how their pet would feel at home in the space. And if you really want to commit, install pet doors and optimize any outdoor spaces for dogs and cats. At the end of the day, happy pets means happy tenants.
If you are still weighing the trade-offs, our companion guide on pet-friendly rentals and the considerations for landlords walks through the screening, insurance, and policy side in more detail. This piece is squarely about why going pet-friendly tends to pay off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth allowing pets in your rental?
For most landlords, yes. Pets are popular, so denying them immediately creates a large limitation on your rental audience and a higher chance of your property going vacant. Pet owners also stay significantly longer, on average 23 months compared to 15, which means more lease renewals. By these statistics, you should actually prefer pet owners in your rentals.
How much more can you charge for pets?
You have multiple options for collecting additional revenue from pet-friendly tenants. The most common is a monthly pet rent, usually $25 to $50 per pet in 2026, which lets you set fees according to the number and type of animals. Some landlords also add a one-time pet fee, often $200 to $500 per pet, where state law allows it.
What are the rules on pet deposits?
The same can be done with the security deposit, but how far you can go depends on the state. In California, AB 12 caps the total deposit at one month’s rent, and any pet deposit has to fit inside that cap rather than being charged on top. The deposit rules change from state to state, so always consult your local laws before making any adjustments.
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