Landlords often worry about different issues with tenants, including when tenants try to sneak animals into their property. While support animals are allowed under the Fair Housing Act, other types of animals are not typically allowed by most landlords. Creating a clear pet policy is vital to preventing tenants from sneaking in pets and possibly leaving landlords with a property riddled with pet damage. However, there are always going to be some people that take it upon themselves to sneak in pets despite what the rental or lease agreement states. What can you do as a landlord if you do suspect a tenant is sneaking in a pet?

Unauthorized Pets
Unauthorized pets can be a major issues that landlords deal with. There will always be that one tenant that tries to push their luck and will violate a pet policy. During a drive by inspection, or a routine inspection, landlords can quickly discover the tenant has a pet. Sometimes neighboring tenants will complain about the pet to the property management company or landlord. Landlords need to be ready to handle the lease violation and take the right steps to handle the situation. The problem is handling pets and leases can vary by state, so it is best to start working directly with the tenant to try and resolve the situation amicably.

Lease Violation
Tenants will already have a bond and connection to the animal, so it is not always the easiest thing to try and get the tenants to send the animal away. However, landlords have to be clear and strict with tenants to make sure they are aware they are violating the policy and they will be fined.

A lease agreement needs to clearly state what the pet policy is, and what the fine is for anyone caught violating the policy. Stick to the lease terms because other tenants will try and break the lease terms if they find out that particular tenant was allowed to keep their pet. A no-pet policy needs to be clearly marked in the lease agreement. Cite this policy when you bring up the situation with the tenant. A lease violation means fines will be assessed.

Provide Ongoing Inspections
One way to prevent tenants from trying to sneak in a pet is to let them know that you will perform routine maintenance and upgrades on the property. If they know you will be coming by monthly to check on the property, they are less likely to try and hide a pet. If a pet is found, send a notice to the tenant, charge them the lease violation fine, and let them know an eviction process will occur if the pet is not removed. Of course, the other option is to change the policy and to include a pet deposit to pay for any pet damage if someone already has snuck in a pet.

Handling an Unauthorized Pet
If you do find out the person has a pet, take pictures. You need to have evidence of the pet, especially if the pet causes damage. From here, simply follow through on the agreement as stated above. Most landlords will provide a timeline as to when the pet needs to be removed, or the tenant can face eviction. There currently is not a statute in Washington DC, to a timeframe for eviction related to a pet violation. In other places, landlords give a tenant 24 hours while others provide 3-7 days. No matter what you decide, you must make sure the information was stated in the original lease.

Keep it Official
It’s easy to want to send out a quick text message, but it pays to follow through with proper legal procedures when it comes to pets. You need to make sure you provide a formal letter to the tenant stating the violation, the fine, and the amount of time in which the tenant will be allowed to have the pet removed or they will face eviction. We recommend using an unauthorized pet lease violation form to assist with this process.

Keyrenter Property Management Washington DC has a clear pet policy in place, and our experts have handled hundreds of cases pertaining to unauthorized pets. Working with a skilled property management company will allow you to prevent people from abusing the contract, and to make sure everyone is fulfilling the rent terms correctly.

Over the past decade, the rise in high income renters has steadily increased. Households earning over $150,000 per year fit into this high income renter bracket. The higher income renters are not the same as lower income with high turnover rates. The difficult aspect is finding a tenant who can afford to pay higher rental rates.

Studies have concluded that the city of Seattle experienced a 16.7% increase in high-income renters. Working with a property management company is one way to stay in the loop with high-income renters. Many of the renters in this category have access to other resources to find property. Some people work through property managers and realtors to help them locate places to rent. Failure to have your information in systems and networks that they use could cost you the home! 

There are additional methods to use to capture high income tenants. Start with the following tips to find tenants that will be able to afford the property:

1. Have strict tenant criteria. People need to know what is expected of them as a tenant. Having a narrow target market can actually help you get your advertisements for vacancy in front of the right people. Use an Internet listing service to ensure you are getting the placement in the groups you are targeting. 
2. Use professional photography! When you are creating a real estate rental listing, think of it from their eyes. What do people want to see as they browse the listing? Paying for professional photography does make a difference in the type of renter that will view the property. While some immediately feel the professional photos help to push it out of the market for lower-income people, others find it does enhance the listing for the right audience. Videos in addition to photography are commonly-used methods to attract the right renters.
3. Effective maintenance and upkeep. For the higher income bracket to consider the property, it must be well-maintained. If the property doesn’t have regular exterior and interior maintenance completed, it will start to age and you could miss out on potential renters. Hiring a property management company can help to ensure the property will always have a fresh look and feel. The property will be safe, and will be well-cared for by the property managers. 
4. Streamline communications. People need to know who they need to contact when the property has an issue. Hiring a company to manage the property reduces the burden and stress on your part. Allowing trained professionals to handle this area can also enhance your reputation as a property owner as you always have a team ready to fix problems for tenants.
5. Stay organized. A sign of a good property manager is one who is organized. If your tenant meets you in person and you have forgotten things, it will reflect poorly. Tenants in the higher income bracket have come to expect a certain level of professionalism and organization and they might pass your property by due to lack of organization. 

Keyrenter Property Management Washington DC provides real estate investment opportunities. Our expert team has the tools, training, education, and resources needed to ensure your property will be a successful investment.

Do you want to focus on finding ways to retain your good tenants? Tenant retention is one of the top priorities of a good property management company. Turnover causes stress to property owners as you need to go back to advertising, tenant screening, property preparation for move ins, and more. Here are some ways you can focus on retaining the good tenants.

1. Keep up with the market trends. What do other rental properties look like in the area? Is your property able to keep up with the look, style, and overall feeling of the other locations? Knowing your market does a great deal to ensure you can keep the property looking great and meeting the expectations of the renters.
2. Talk to the tenant about their property needs. How often do you stop and talk to your tenants? Do you ask them about their satisfaction with the property? Tenant retention comes down to communicating with the tenants and finding out what they would like. Perhaps a simple thing like adding a fresh coat of paint is all they need to continue being satisfied with the property.
3. Maintenance and upkeep. Tenants want to come home to a nice place to live. Failure to perform basic upkeep and maintenance will be prevalent to the tenant. Checking on appliance, making fixes to the exterior, cleaning out the gutters, and other maintenance tasks are beneficial for landlords as it can reduce the risk of serious problems occurring.
4. Referral program with tenants. Encourage your good tenants to tell their friends and family members to rent another unit you own. Most people want to live by people they are comfortable with, so why not enact a referral program to gain access to some potential good tenants, and offer a discount on lease renewal or rent, or even provide some upgrades to the property.
5. Have an effective screening process. Landlords can save themselves a lot of frustration with some tenants simply by having a screening process in place. Look at more than just the credit rating of the tenant as you want to make sure they pose little risk as a tenant. Screening can also help you avoid the short-term tenants that are likely to cause property damage and other issues for landlords.
6. Keep accurate renter files. When it comes to managing your tenants, you will need to have information on file for each tenant. The information you store should be more than just a contract as you want to have a few notes about the tenant personally to engage in general conversation next time you talk. Having some notes about the person helps to build a connection with them, which makes the tenant feel better about renewing a lease.
7. Provide notice for rent increase. When you deal with rental rate hikes, people are always going to start out annoyed. It is a wise idea to raise rent yearly, even by a small amount to help pay for the maintenance and upkeep costs. When you maintain a consistent fee increase, long-term tenants will know to expect a small increase yearly on the same date.
8. Provide notice. When you do need to perform a property inspection, give your tenant plenty of notice. Try to find a time when the tenant can walk through the property with you so they can point out some issues. The goal is to work with the tenant and do everything you can to provide a nice place to live.
9. Evict bad tenants. If you want to keep the good tenants, you need to trim out the bad tenants. Bad tenants often pay late, but they can end up being a nuisance to many other tenants by failing to adhere to the contract and property rules.
10. Lease renewal discounts. A good tenant deserves to be rewarded. A lease renewal should be more than an extension of the last contract, you want to provide discounts or some type of reward to the tenant. New flooring can go a long way for a tenant. Consider what options you can afford and start enacting them into your rental agreement.

Keyrenter Property Management in Washington, DC focuses on tenant retention using our proven techniques and tactics. Contact our office to discuss your property management needs.