If you aren't a self-confessed animal person, you might think it strange to read a story about animals visiting patients in a hospital.
But this is not a rare occurrence. It's becoming a more popular form of therapy, and for good reason. Animals can provide support and comfort that's hard to replicate with books, technology, or counseling sessions.
That's one reason why support animals have become more prevalent. Learn more about support animals and how they might impact your property business in Santa Clara.
Support Animals in Residents
When people think of support animals, the first thing that comes to mind is a guide dog for the visually impaired.
However, technically, this is a service dog, whereas support animals are broader in scope. These animals offer mental health benefits, such as therapy after a traumatic event.
If you own a rental, you must understand the difference between service and support animals. It's also essential to know that it could include animals other than dogs, such as cats, birds, and rabbits.
The Benefits of Support and Therapy Animals
If you own a property, allowing support animals in your rental has many advantages. First, it will help you maintain a positive relationship with your tenant.
Support animals boost people's emotional well-being, thus making your rental more pleasant.
It could encourage your most reliable tenants to renew their leases, reducing the costs of remarketing a property or the expense of owning a vacant property.
By allowing support animals, you'll also mark yourself as an inclusive and compassionate landlord who considers all your resident's needs. A positive reputation as a landlord can help you in the future in real estate and boost property values.
The Legal Side of Accepting Emotional Support Pets
If you are a property manager or landlord, you'll know about laws like the Fair Housing Act. So you'll understand that rental properties must make reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities.
That goes for support animals, too. An outright ban on support animals could land you with legal challenges unless you have sound practical reasons for not having animals on your property.
Always check the latest laws on tenant rights and support animals.
Writing Pet-Friendly Policies
The best way to handle a request for support animals is to update your pet policy.
A robust and comprehensive set of rules will help protect you and your property. It is also the best way to ensure your lease agreement and tenant rules comply with the latest laws.
Outline any pet fees in your lease agreement, such as any additional security deposit or a cleaning and maintenance fee after the lease ends. Have specific policies about how you will handle issues, such as complaints from neighbors.
You can also use this rulebook to outline any banned breeds, such as dangerous dogs.
Support Animals: Meeting Your Tenant's Needs
Before you say no to a pet request, make sure you understand the law on support animals. The emotional help they give your tenants can be a win-win if you are careful with your policies and rules.
At PMI Southbay, our trusted, expert team can help you navigate some of the intricacies of property management in Santa Clara - like requests for support animals. To discover more about how we can help you, visit our services page.
