15 December Best Ways to Manage Pets on Your Property December 15, 2021 By sma Property Investment, Property Maintenance, Property Management apartment, exterior maintenance, interior maintenance, multi-family property 0 BEST WAYS TO MANAGE PETS ON YOUR PROPERTY December 15, 2021 | Management, Maintenance, Investment | apartment, exterior maintenance, interior maintenance, multi-family property As a commercial property owner, you may have to manage more than just people. The animals that live in your building are entitled to a place that’s safe for them as well. Close to 70 percent of renters today own a dog or a cat. With the number of remote workers rising, there’s also been an increase in the number of pet adoptions. If you’re worried about accommodating all these animals, here are some tips to make it easier. Make sure your tenants know the rules. First and foremost, you need to clearly state the rules of pet ownership to your tenants. This way you’ll prevent any gray areas and also limit your liability. You can set weight limits, health or shot requirements, and the number of animals each unit can have. You can also include a pet security deposit to use in case something needs fixed. Most likely there’s a section in your lease, but it might be a good idea to revisit it. Always be sure to get your tenants to agree to the terms in writing, and invite them to ask questions. Keep track of all pet records. After you get your tenants to sign off on the agreement, keep all the documents in a safe location. Make sure you have copies of pet records as well, such as vet records, shot statuses, and any other history of the animal that’s relevant. It’s also good to track incident reports or complaints about an animal. Any pets that make your building unsafe for other people and pets should be taken care of quickly. Create a space for play on your property. All animals, especially bigger ones, have a lot of energy they need to burn off. Designating a play area on your property will help keep them healthy and allow your tenants to mingle with each other. You should have a large enough fenced area for pets to spread out and not be too close together. Include some equipment for them to run around on and burn off some of their mental energy as well. Designate a waste and disposal area. One of the downsides of having a lot of animals on your property is cleaning up after them. While it can sometimes be due to forgetful tenants, often it’s due to not having a designated spot for animals to go. It should be somewhere out of the way from regular foot traffic. That way your building will maintain its curb appeal and you won’t have visitors stepping in something. A small station with a sign stating to pick up after pets, waste bags, and a trash can is a common option. Just remember to regularly empty out the can and not let it overflow. Meet the pets in your building. Getting to know the animals that live in your building will make it easier to care for them. Particularly during the tenant application process, it’ll give you a better idea of how the animal behaves and any potential problems there could be. While you won’t be able to cater to each individual animal, getting a baseline of what they’ll need will make them and their owners feel more welcome. It’s a small gesture that benefits everyone! Schedule Your Commercial Inspection With NPI Whether you’re buying, selling, or renting out your commercial building,schedule your NPI inspection today. Comments are closed.