The Smart Host’s Guide to Pet-Friendly MTRs

Hey, this is Shauna. I'm gonna do a live stream on pets. I'm just gonna do a few things in the background and we'll go live. If you're just tuning in, let me know in the comments. Just gonna get things going here, make sure I'm live on all the platforms. For tuning in, I really appreciate it. Um, love talking about this stuff, so hopefully everyone can see me and hear me. If not, like, please please let me know. Otherwise I'm just talking to myself, which I don't want to do. So, um, let me just pin this to the top of Facebook and we'll get started and I'll share my screen, talk about pets. Um, so I'm going to pin this, give people a few minutes to let everyone know. If you can, um, just let me know what— if you're here and if you can see me and hear me, and maybe let me know if you love pets. I know it's a controversial topic. A lot of people have told me they, um, did not— were not— they became open to being pet friendly after you're hearing me. So I thought maybe I should do a little live training on it. So just let me know if you can see me and hear me, and we're going to kick this off in like 2 minutes. I'd love to know if anyone, um, is pet friendly or has like questions or concerns. Um, I know it's a little bit controversial. Hopefully I'll convince you that it's definitely worth it to be pet friendly and give you some tips and tricks to make you feel better. So again, just let me know where you're calling in from. Um, hey Cindy, awesome! Are you pet friendly? Let me know. Just doing a little poll here really fast. We'll get started in like 2 minutes. Um, yeah, I'm just curious because I hear from a lot of people they're not, and I've heard quite a few people say they heard me talk about it and they are. So I just thought it'd be a fun little topic. So as people are coming in, just feel free to comment on that. So we're a little bit past 5, so I'm going to kick this off. I'm going to share my screen and share my presentation. Um, um, and again, I will get to Q&A. I can't see it while I'm doing this, so Hopefully you can all see my screen. Okay. So here we go. Okay. I'm going to try and go into full mode presentation mode. It's a little easier on the eyes. One second. Present. Okay. All right. Hopefully that worked. I'm just checking everything. Okay. So this is the Smart Host Guide to Pet Friendly Midterm Rentals. Hey, Rebecca from MD, you can hear me? Okay. Awesome. Thank you so much, Rebecca. I appreciate that. I was like, I'm talking to myself, so it's a little awkward. Okay, so if you haven't met me, I'm Shona. It's really nice to meet you. Thank you for joining. Just a quick little bio here. We're going to kick it off. I'm the founder of She's Got Assets. Shona buys houses, senior and porch properties, and newly added the Asset Society. I'm also the host of the She's Got Assets podcast and also the host of the She's Got Assets community on Facebook, which is free. We currently have 17 doors, 7 midterms and counting. And yes, I actually do this and you can find me in all these spots. Definitely check out the podcast. I've had tons of good hosts, um, or good guests. Sorry, just got distracted by a comment. Um, Cindy is saying, um, I have not been, but I'm thinking of going pet friendly. Well, hopefully this will convince you. If you have any questions or concerns, like, definitely drop them in the chat, um, because I'm happy to answer them. All right. A little bit about me. So why you should be pet-friendly. This I think is so important. There's a way larger guest pool, about 70% of guests have pets. So you're going to attract more guests. You're going to have reduced vacancies, right? I think pets are really part of your family. You can get like a little bit higher rent. You're going to, you're going to generally have longer stays with pets. And again, I think that one of the big things too here, you've probably heard me talk about insurance leads for displaced families who've had like damage in their home, flood or fire or whatnot. You know, they've been displaced, they're going through a really hard time, and pets are part of the family. So they're not going to, you know, put them in a kennel while they're, while they're displaced looking for temporary housing, right? So these are kind of the key points, and I'll show you some data here. So I highly recommend you just go do a search, like dial in your filters. Like, here's an example, right? Go to Airbnb, go to Furnished Finder, any one of the big platforms and like kind of dial in your beds and baths and then, um, go down to pet friendly, right? I did a search for a 2-month stay for a 3-bedroom, right? The results were 99, but then when I narrowed it down to pet friendly, there were only 65 results, right? So it drastically dropped. So there's so many people that are not pet friendly. So if you are pet friendly, you're really going to stand out and you're going to get those bookings, right? So that's super important. So just, go do it really quickly. I could even, I could do it live. I wonder if I could do it live. I'm gonna, well, I don't wanna get off the screen, but maybe afterwards if we have time, we'll do a little live demo. But just go to like any platform, Airbnb, Furnished Finder, put in your criteria, your filters, and then filter out pets and you'll see who, how many, how fewer listings are. They generally drop in half when I do this. So just good data. Okay. So we're going to talk about pet-friendly and protections. Like, I think there's risk in everything. I think having a rental can be risky, but I think there's lots of ways to protect yourself. So these are kind of high-level. What we do, we cover all this in the course. The first thing I think that's really important is to check with your insurance provider, ask if there's any restricted breeds, because you don't want to have a pet that's not allowed and then you file a claim and you're kind of screwed, right? So generally these are kind of aggressive breeds. Every policy is different. So just make sure that you're checking with your provider, um, that there's no— if there's any restricted breeds. Again, if obviously if it's an ESA, we have to follow those laws, right? But typically aggressive dogs are not ESA dogs, so make sure that you're compliant with that, of course, right? Um, so that's the first thing, make sure that— know what breeds are not allowed. Um, different policies are different, right? Um, I also don't like aggressive breeds when I have to have like, you know, repairs done or whatnot. I've had subs be really uncomfortable, right? You just want to make sure that we've got friendly pets. So here's some of the fees that I charge with, with pets, right? And some of this is nuanced for insurance claims, because that's a whole ball of wax that I can't go into depth right now. But generally it's a little bit different, right? But typically, if it's an insurance lead, I'm charging a smaller deposit. So I'm compensating for that in the fees, right? There's a lot of nuance to that. But typically I'll charge a pet fee that's non-refundable, right? That just covers the extra cleaning and whatnot. I will also charge a pet rent. Back in the day when I was a landlord, I never charged pet rent. I just, I think I felt guilty about it or something, but now I do. I mean, that kind of varies. The other thing you can do is actually, I mean, I think generally when you screen your guests, your most pet owners, if they ever, if you come back with good screenings, they're going to be responsible pet owners. There is a new service. I personally haven't used it, but it's petscreening.com. They actually do a very thorough check on the pet, especially ESA, because that is a trend. And, you know, just making sure that's legitimate. It's an actual doctor's thing, right? So you can use petscreening.com. It's no charge to you. There is a charge for the guests, but I definitely think if you're worried about it, it's a great thing to check out. Just go to petscreening.com. You can sign up for that. I also highly recommend a pet addendum. That should come with your software. If not, you know, contact your local landlord-tenant association. But I typically— it's like state-specific. Spells out all of your rules. And also best practices, collect like a refundable security deposit that can cover any pet damage, right? That's also variable based on what type of lead it is. If it's an insurance lead, that's typically lower. I'm getting a lot of requests for like deposits rolled into the pricing, right? So there's a lot of nuance with that. But in general, if you can collect a deposit, it's best practice, right? Typically for a regular guest, that's equal to one month's rent. You can also look into a damage waiver, right, for extra protection. If you're doing like an on-platform booking, make sure you're asking your guests to agree to the house rules. You just put those in there and you just make sure they read them and agree to them and you kind of go over what your expectations are. I have that in the course, what our house rules are. And then you can, you know, charge a little bit higher of a cleaning fee if, you know, I mean, the pet hair does get everywhere. It's definitely extra cleaning. The other optional thing you can do, I don't always do this, but you can require like a mid-stay cleaning and just build that into the price, right? Just so you get eyes on the house, make sure there's no damage. That is an option. I don't do it, but it's just another way to kind of protect yourself so that you're having eyes on the property, like while the guest is staying there. So that is kind of fees and protection, pretty high level. Again, I think this, um, petscreening.com is a great new service. I haven't used it, but I just heard about it. So I wanted to share it because I know People are very worried about PATs. So I think that really can alleviate a lot of worries and they have a database and again, they screen for ESA and stuff. So that's something definitely to check out. And again, there's no charge to you. I see a question. How much is your PAT fee and PAT rent? It really varies. It varies on the type of lead for insurance, right? It just depends on like, if I need to not roll the deposit into it, then I'm going to charge higher fees. So that's kind of nuanced. We cover that in the course. For like a typical renter, like a traveling nurse, I'm not charging a pet fee. I'm just charging them a full deposit. So there was just a bit of nuance to that. Um, but I will say for a regular MTR renter that's not insurance, typically my pet rent is $45. I'm not charging a pet fee. Again, insurance is a little bit different because the deposits can vary quite a bit. Um, so I hope that makes sense. Good question. Um, You're asking about a higher cleaning fee. You said you have to know, like, what— there's just typically more hair involved with pets and things like that. It gets everywhere. Again, if it's also— if we're doing, um, you know, insurance, where sometimes we're usually doing a much lower deposit, we're going to charge a higher cleaning fee just to kind of compensate for that, if that makes sense. So it's a little nuance to that, but you have to know, like, what is your typical cleaning fee, like, for your property, and then you know, how much more you could ask your cleaner. Hey, have you noticed, like, usually there's just extra cleaning because the hair gets everywhere. It's just one of those things. So yeah, it's a little bit nuanced, but that's what I— that's kind of how I navigate that. Good question. Um, so some pet-friendly tips in general. Um, I, I use couch and— whoops, I have couch twice— um, couch and chair covers. They're not very pretty. I always photograph the property without the covers on it, but they're kind of stretchy and they, they kind of COVID the couch. And it just, it just, it's a great way to protect your furniture. And then you can throw that in the washing machine, um, you know, at checkout. Um, and that really protects your furniture also from like scratching and stuff. So I definitely recommend furniture protection. Um, you can get them on Amazon. You can even put a throw over your couch, but I like the, the covers because they're a little bit tighter and they don't slip off. Um, so that's one thing I highly recommend. It's pretty cost effective too versus like replacing your furniture. Because, you know, you can't get the hair out of, you know, if it's like upholstered couch, it's pretty tricky. And then cats is the tip I just learned, you know, that you're requiring guests with cats to place a waterproof mat under the litter box to protect the floors. So that's another good thing to require. And then just in general, I always like to leave a little welcome gift, like a pet treat and waste bags, things like that. Not mandatory, it's more just like a nice thing to do when someone has pets. And then cleaning tips, I saw a comment earlier, someone had a lingering smell. My best tip there is an ozone machine, you can rent them. I don't, I recently bought, we have 2 now, I bought one, I don't know why I didn't buy one sooner. Just go on Amazon, get an ozone machine. You just have to be really careful that nothing living is in the house, right? It has to be totally empty. You have to take all your plants out and whatnot, so. Absolutely love ozone machines. They just, they clean the air. You just, you have to be really careful. No one could be in the property when they're running because they can, they're pretty dangerous if they are, right? So those are my like very high-level tips. But in general, like I've, I've had really good pet experiences and I just think they're part of the family and you're going to lose out on a lot of bookings if you're not pet friendly. So hopefully that persuaded some of you to be pet friendly and how to navigate that. And I think in general, just if they're, If the guests are responsible with screenings and stuff, any red flags are going to come up. You know, they're generally responsible pet owners and they're very appreciative of you being pet friendly. So that's kind of it. Oh, the other thing, just the top amenities, it's kind of obvious, but having a fenced yard is super, super important. Even if it's an issue, if you can fence it right, it's, it's, I know it can be expensive, but people want to let their pet out and not worry about like putting on a leash. So fence yard is one of the top, top amenities that I see requests for. And if you have like a duplex, I always really do try and define the yards. Like I have one duplex and each yard is like delegated to one side of the unit, right? So they're not shared yards. I have one property that has a shared yard and it is what it is. Just be really transparent about it. And then I don't love carpet, right? So ideally no carpet, LVP or hardwood floors, right? That's ideal. Um, just some tips there. Um, yeah, that's, that is the, my, my pet tips. But just generally be pet friendly, just take those precautions and you'll probably be fine. And yes, we all have stories, but I really think, um, when you're able to help a family out that's been displaced, or you just even like a traveling nurse, I travel with pets, right? You're going to miss out on a lot of opportunity for not pet friendly. So Hopefully that changed some of your minds. Um, if you have any questions or comments, drop them in. Um, if you want to learn more about this stuff, there's a couple ways to work with me. I have the Asset Society. It's really cost-effective. You get access to the MTR Essentials. Um, we have weekly calls. Um, you have access to all my tools, tips, and resources. Um, just all that good stuff like MTR calculator, house notes, pat notes, all that stuff. And then I am, I'm doing a masterclass this Friday. It's totally free, How to 2X Your Income. I go a lot more into MTRs and what makes a good MTR and lots of tips and tricks. So be sure to register for that if you're interested. Um, that's kind of it. So hopefully that answered some questions about, um, pets. I'm happy to, um, answer any other questions or if anyone has concerns. I just hear a lot of people say they're not pet friendly and I think it's really important if you can be. So, and again, obviously if it's an ESA pet, you don't have a choice, right? So make sure that you know your laws, but hopefully that helped. Feel free to drop in any other questions. I'm going to check the other channels. I see a few people on Instagram. Hey Keith. Hey Peggy. Yeah. Awesome. All right. Well, I don't see any questions, but I've been pet friendly for a long time, even as a long-term landlord. And I, you know, I have a few stories, but in general, the ozone machine is taking care of most, most issues that I've had, or a good carpet cleaning if you happen to have carpet in one of your properties, right? So awesome. All right, well, um, yeah, Phil, and if you're watching the replay, definitely, um, reach out with any questions, or I'd love to hear any takeaways in the comments, or if anyone tries out the new pet screening service. I think it's a great option. Again, it's no cost to you, and I think it will just help make sure that the pet is being screened properly and alleviate some of those concerns, hopefully. So yeah, lots of new, new things coming out all the time. All right, last chance for questions. Happy to answer anything. And be sure to sign up for that masterclass that's coming up on Friday. And if you can't make it, you will get a replay. Um, but yeah, I know also just one more tip, I think, you know, when you— if you are pet friendly, it's something you want to build into your listing and make that super clear because sometimes people don't know that. So it's It's an important part of your marketing too. In general, I would say that you're pet friendly because that's in such high demand. So, and I would say most of my insurance leads have a pet, mostly dogs, sometimes a cat. I know people have mixed feelings about cats, but, um, I'm, I have dogs and cats and occasionally with insurance lead because they're families, um, there'll be the odd pet that gets thrown in there, like a lizard or a chicken. I don't know. Pretty random, but I've never actually placed them with those kind of, you know, unusual pets. But it does, does come in. It's always kind of amusing. So anyway, because these— you have to remember, these are homeowners, they're not renters. If they're a displaced family with an insurance lien, so, you know, they're not going to like put their pet up again and like, um, in a kennel for a few months while their home is being rehabbed. So, all right, thanks for joining. Um, again, if you have other questions or comments watching the replay, just drop them in the chat. And I try and do this weekly, so, um, I will see you next week and reach out with any questions. All right, thanks for joining.