Data from Pew Research Center shows that about 62% of Americans have a pet, and 97% of these consider their pets to be a part of the family.
Most pet owners won't want to live somewhere that doesn't allow pets, but landlords are free to make their own pet policies. However, the same rules may not apply to service or support animals. As a landlord, it's important to know what the laws are surrounding different animals.
In this guide, we'll explain how service animals, support animals, and pets differ so you can gain a better understanding. Keep reading for more.
Service Animals
A service animal is one that's specially trained so that it can perform specific tasks and services. They're often owned by people who have certain limitations or other issues that their service animals can help with. Dogs are the most common animals for these roles and some common examples include:
- Guiding people with vision impairments
- Identifying sounds for people with hearing impairments
- Holding doors for people with physical impairments
Service animal regulations mean that landlords cannot refuse them in most cases. If a tenant has a service animal, you can't deny them simply for that reason.
However, you might be able to seek compensation if a service animal causes property damage. If things get too bad, you may be able to take legal action to remove a service animal.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional support animal laws are similar to service animal laws. This is because they serve a similar purpose.
Emotional support animals also help their owners, but usually in the form of emotional support for mental health issues like:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Stress
- ADHD
- PTSD
Support animals and service animals are both considered "assistance animals", so the same laws apply. You can't deny a support animal but may be able to have one legally removed in a particularly bad case.
Pets
Pets don't offer a distinct service or form of support to their owners. As such, the same laws don't apply.
Tenant rights mean that they can have service or support animals in any property, but they can only have pets in a property if the landlord allows them. It's down to you to decide your own pet policies in rentals you own.
There are benefits to allowing pets, such as:
- Larger tenant pool
- You can charge more rent
- Pet owners often look for longer tenancies
However, there are also some downsides, including:
- Potential property damage
- They can disturb neighbors
- Possible insurance implications
Ultimately, you need to consider the pros and cons and make your own decision about whether or not to allow pets in your rental properties.
Pets and Rental Properties
As a landlord, it's important to understand the different laws that apply to service animals, support animals, and pets. A good understanding will help ensure you don't end up facing any legal issues for breaching tenant rights. It can be difficult to stay up to date with housing laws, so you can benefit from working with a professional property manager.
GEM Realty Group is the PREMIER Property Management and Real Estate company in Fredericksburg, VA. Our vision to redefine industry standards drives us to provide exceptional service to all of our clients at all times. Take a look at our property management page for more information.
