by Dakota Murphey
Pet ownership has soared in recent years with more of us welcoming dogs, cats, rabbits, and other pets into our homes than ever before. While landlords, agencies, and facility managers appreciate the need to avoid disputes that keep their pet-friendly tenants happy, they’ll also need to ensure their properties are respected and kept in good order.
Over time, while pets are lovely they can inflict a level of damage and disrepair to homes so being aware of the potential issues is useful. Managing wear and tear in properties and staying on top of maintenance can be a balancing act. This article explores what to expect when pets and people live together.
Understanding wear and tear
Natural wear and tear refers to the gradual deterioration of a property and its fixtures through normal, everyday use. For property managers, distinguishing between normal wear and deterioration and damage caused by pets living in a building you look after is key. Not only will this help you to maintain the property’s value, and manage maintenance budgets effectively, it will similarly alleviate the worry of having a property ruined by pets running amok.
Typically, there are common areas in a home that are more susceptible to wear and tear, such as carpets, on stairways and in hallways, wall surfaces at animal height, and door frames. Different pets present varying challenges and issues in properties, some common issues might include:
- Carpet damage from claws, scratches, and accidents
- Chipped wooden floors or door frames
- Chewed electrical wiring and damage to fixtures
- Garden holes and mess
- Lingering odours in soft furnishings and rooms
- Potential allergens that might affect occupants
Likewise, holiday lets and shared-use buildings or houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) often experience more concentrated wear due to higher turnover and multiple pets sharing spaces. Although covered and less utilised areas inside and outside properties might seem less likely to be damaged by pets, it’s worth knowing the examples of wear and tear caused by pets in properties.
Managing pets and property
With recent reports suggesting that 36% of households own a dog and roughly 26% house cats in the UK, property managers must adapt their approaches when looking after these residences. The current Renters Rights Bill grants tenants the right to request a pet in the property, which the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. To support this, landlords will be able to require pet insurance to cover any damage to their property.
Despite the growing demand for pet-friendly properties, landlords and property managers might still be hesitant to welcome them. This reluctance stems from concerns about potential property damage, increased maintenance costs, and the complexity of managing pet-related issues. Yet, the challenge is not about preventing pets from coming in, but in developing effective strategies to manage their presence and safeguard a property’s interiors and outside areas.
While you might have met a tenant’s pets or seen their pet portraits following a home inspection, it’s always useful to find out exactly what you might be dealing with. Not only will the size of a dog or the number of cats impact the level of potential wear and tear you’ll face, some dogs cause more visible damage to floors and gardens. Cats are likely to damage curtains and wallpaper from regular scratching, and rabbits relentlessly chew wires putting themselves and a home in danger.
Implementing practical solutions
To effectively mitigate wear and tear in pet-friendly properties, a holistic managerial approach to building is essential across all spaces. Consider installing hard-wearing, scratch-resistant flooring that provides durability against dog paws or cat nails, while washable paint finishes on walls offer easy maintenance and quick recovery from potential marks. Protective corners on door frames and skirting boards can prevent structural damage, and selecting easy-clean upholstery fabrics will also ensure longevity and simplify cleaning processes alongside the following:
- Pet-specific cleaning protocols
- Air purification systems in shared spaces
- Protective coverings on high-wear surfaces
- Pet-specific tenancy policies
The overall security of a building is always paramount and so too is ensuring that any pets can be safely locked in if they’re left alone for a short amount of time. Ideally, windows, doors, and other entry points in a property or garden should be sealed off and secured to prevent unnecessary pet escapes or dogs from dashing off.
Likewise, with pets needing to exercise outside, pay attention to safeguarding exterior areas of a property. For communal gardens, you might want to provide outdoor taps so pet owners can clean muddy dogs and to encourage responsible pet ownership that will ultimately help maintain the property's overall appearance. By implementing these comprehensive approaches, property managers can effectively balance the growing demand for pet-friendly properties with the need to maintain quality standards and add value to a property.
Caring for buildings with proactive measures
If and when accidental damage to a property by a pet does occur, you'll want to know your rights about holding back a deposit or asking for repair costs to be met. At this point it’s a good idea to record any issues during any routine inspections. This involves implementing a multi-tiered inspection regime that ranges from monthly visual checks across heavily used areas of a property to an annual comprehensive property assessment. These checks will include detailed inventory reports with photographic evidence, together with standardised forms to ensure consistency in reporting.
The effectiveness of this management approach hinges on maintaining clear and transparent communication channels between tenants and management. By keeping detailed communication emails and records of visible pet-related wear, property managers can create a clear account of the property's condition to help address maintenance issues, protecting both the property owner's interests and maintaining positive relationships with tenants who have pets.
The key to managing pet-friendly properties is not to view pets as a problem to be solved, but rather as a reality to be effectively tackled with proper planning, awareness, and maintenance procedures. Pets present unique challenges, but with routine checks and preventative strategies, it's possible to maintain high standards of maintenance and security.