Should you allow pets in your Myrtle Beach annual rental property? 

Service Animals:

South Carolina law requires a Landlord to allow a registered emotional or support animal to live with its owner. Service animals and emotional support animals are protected under the Fair Housing Law. 

Our Policy:

If you choose to allow family pets in your rental property, you will have a higher number of prospects interested. Conversely, if you say “no pets” in your rental listing, then the number of interested rental prospects decreases to 30% of the people looking for rental property.  Families with animals are a significant percentage of the family dynamic today.  Real Living Home Realty Group – Property Management requires Tenants to pay a pet deposit of $500 per pet before a lease is signed.  If they are emotional support or service animals, the Tenant prospect must show us written proof from a recognized agency that the animal is a registered service animal. 

When the Tenant vacates the home, our lease requires that the unit must be professionally cleaned. We also require pet decontamination procedures completed before the security deposit is released. In general, if you allow family animals in your annual rental, you attract Tenants that respect your property.  Limiting the number, size, and types of pets are the strategic keys to renting your property to Tenants with pets. 

Best Practices:

We believe the best practice is to limit no more than two pets per unit. Weight of pets should also be limited based on the type of flooring you have in the property.  If the house flooring is a scratch-resistant surface, the pet weight is not as much of a concern.  Allowing pets in your annual rental is typically a strategy that also encourages longer Tenant tenure.  Tenants are more likely to renew the lease, because once a family and their pets are comfortable, it is harder for them to relocate. 

We hope this helps you in your decision process to qualify how to manage your annual rental property and pet requirements. Click here for more information on service and emotional support animals