Nashville is an excellent place to own both long- and short-term rentals. The city has no shortage of people wanting to enjoy its many attractions and year-round recreational opportunities.
Yet, profiting from a rental property is no easy task. It involves many ongoing responsibilities and hinges on making the best decisions for your business. One of these is whether to allow pets in your units or not, although you don't always have the final say in these matters when it comes to assistance animals.
Keep reading to learn more about service and support animals and how to accommodate them in your Nashville rental properties.
About Service Animals
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a service animal is a dog trained to fulfill specific tasks for someone with a disability. These animals receive widespread privileges compared to other animals.
Seeing-eye dogs are the best-known types of service animals, but trained dogs can also perform other important tasks, like:
- Retrieving objects
- Reminding people to take medication
- Alert people with PTSD about an impending panic attack
- Keep their owner safe during a seizure
Under Tennessee law, landlords must make reasonable accommodations for service and support animals. This means waiving your no-pet policy and the pet deposit.
What Are Support Animals?
Support animals don't always have specialized training, but they play an important role in the lives of people with psychological conditions. These animals may:
- Help their owners overcome fears, like agoraphobia
- Alleviate loneliness
- Soothe anxiety and depression
In Tennessee, a landlord may request documentation to prove the person's need for a service or support animal if this need isn't obvious.
Should You Allow Pets in Your Rental Property?
Over two-thirds of Americans own pets, from tiny goldfish to large dogs and even horses. When you allow pets in your rental accommodation, you increase your pool of potential tenants by all these people.
These families are also prepared to pay more for pet-friendly accommodation and usually make good tenants. They're reluctant to repeat a search for a pet-accommodating rental, so they take good care of your property and usually renew their leases.
Some risks associated with allowing pets in your property include:
- Noise disturbances from barking dogs
- Lingering unpleasant pet smells in your unit
- Damage to flooring from claws
One way to limit these risks is by interviewing prospective tenants with their pets present. This can help you determine the animals' level of training and obedience.
You may also charge a pet deposit in addition to the usual security deposit to help cover the cost of pet damages.
Managing Animal Occupation the Easy Way
While Tennessee landlords may make up their minds about accommodating pets, they must make provisions for service and support animals in their rental properties. An experienced property manager can help ensure this is a stress-free process.
PMI Greater Nashville is a full-service residential property management company. Our state-of-the-art technologies ensure every landlord is kept in the loop regarding their properties' performance.
We can help you navigate every eventuality associated with your Nashville rentals to maximize your profits. Discover how we can help you today.
