How to Write a Pet Policy for Rental Properties That Actually Protects You

Most landlords think about their pet policy for about ten minutes and then write something like “pets allowed with approval” in the lease and call it a day. We’ve seen how that ends. Spoiler: not great.

A pet policy isn’t just a line item in your lease agreement. It’s a legal document, a revenue tool, and your first line of defense if a tenant’s dog decides to redecorate your hardwood floors. Get it right and you widen your applicant pool, collect additional monthly income, and have clear documentation if something goes wrong. Get it vague and you’re the owner who calls us after absorbing a $2,800 subfloor repair with nothing to show for it.

This guide covers what to put in a pet policy, what to leave out, and a few things that catch landlords completely off guard.

In This Guide

Why Your No-Pet Policy Might Be Hurting You More Than Helping

Let’s be real. A no-pet policy feels protective. No pets, no damage, right?

Not exactly. Pet-free tenants cause plenty of damage too, and you can’t charge a pet fee to offset it. Meanwhile, you’re quietly turning away somewhere around 60–70% of renters. In Salt Lake City, where the renter base skews heavily millennial and Gen Z, that number hits hard. A lot of these people have dogs. They’re not giving them up to rent your property.

We worked with one owner who had a strict no-pet policy across two single-family homes. Both units sat vacant for 47 days each leasing cycle. He opened both up to pets using monthly pet rent and a third-party screening process. The next cycle, both leased in 18 days.

Vacancy has a real cost. And right now, our vacancy rate runs at 8.66%. Owners with flexible, well-written pet policies consistently fill faster than those who don’t.

Decide What Pets You’ll Allow (and Be Specific)

Vague language gets you nowhere. “Pets allowed with approval” is an invitation for a dispute down the road. Your policy needs specifics.

Start by deciding:

• Species: Dogs and cats only? Small caged animals? Fish tanks up to a certain gallon limit?
• Number: One pet? Two? Most SLC-area HOAs cap at two animals, and if your property is in an HOA, their rules govern regardless of what your lease says.
• Size: A 25 lb weight limit is common in condos and townhomes locally. Know your HOA’s CC&Rs before you set a cap.
• Breed restrictions: Utah has no statewide landlord breed restriction law, but some insurance carriers exclude liability coverage for specific breeds like pit bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds. If a tenant moves in with an undisclosed 90-lb Rottweiler and your policy is silent on breeds, and that dog injures someone, your coverage could be void. Legal exposure in those situations can reach $50,000 or more.

Every one of these decisions needs to be in writing, in the addendum, before keys change hands.

Build the Financial Layer Into Your Policy

A one-time pet deposit is not a pet policy. We hear this from self-managing owners all the time.

Here’s why it falls short: a $300 pet deposit sounds reasonable at signing. But if a dog lives in your unit for two years, that $300 covers maybe 10% of what carpet replacement, subfloor repair, and door/trim refinishing actually costs. We’ve seen pet damage claims run anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500 on a single-family home after a tenancy.

Monthly pet rent is the better structure. At $25–$75 per pet per month, you’re collecting a steady offset over the life of the lease. Over 24 months at $50/month, that’s $1,200. Combined with a one-time non-refundable pet fee at move-in (typically $200–$500 in this market), you’ve built a real cushion.

Require Third-Party Pet Screening

This is the piece most independent landlords skip. Don’t.

A third-party pet screening service collects a pet profile that includes breed, weight, age, vaccination records, and owner history. It standardizes your approval process, reduces Fair Housing risk, and creates a paper trail if a dispute arises later.

We screen all pets through a third-party process before approval. That means every animal in our managed units is documented before it steps through the door. We store the pet agreements, photos, and vaccination records directly in AppFolio, so if a damage claim or dispute comes up at move-out, everything is already in the file. No scrambling. No “I thought I had a copy of that somewhere.”

This matters more than landlords realize. One owner came to us after self-managing a townhome where a tenant’s unreported dog caused about $2,800 in subfloor damage beneath carpet. There was no pet addendum, no pet deposit, no documentation that the animal existed at all. The owner absorbed the full cost. A $150 pet screening and a signed addendum would have changed that story completely.

Write the Rules for During the Tenancy, Not Just Move-In

A lot of pet policies are front-loaded. They collect the fee, screen the animal, and then go silent. What happens during the lease matters too.

Your addendum should spell out:

• Tenant responsibility for pet-related damage beyond normal wear
• Requirement to notify management if a pet is added or replaced mid-tenancy
• Rules around common areas, noise, and waste removal
• Right to inspect for compliance with the pet policy (with proper notice)

Tanya, who handles escalated lease situations for us, has worked through cases where a pet clause was written so vaguely that it created a real dispute over whether a second large dog added mid-lease required new approval or a new pet fee. The ambiguity meant months of back-and-forth and ultimately zero additional fees collected. A few extra sentences in the original addendum would have settled it before it started.

Understand ESAs Before You Dismiss Them

This is where landlords get into serious trouble.

Emotional Support Animals are generally not treated as pets under the Fair Housing Act, and landlords typically cannot charge standard pet fees or deposits for a verified ESA—however, HUD’s updated guidance has narrowed these protections, and housing providers may in some cases enforce pet policies against untrained ESAs. That’s $0 in additional fees, regardless of your pet policy.

But here’s what landlords often get wrong: you do not have to accept any documentation a tenant hands you. You can and should require legitimate supporting documentation and screen the request through a vetted third-party process before approving an ESA.

We had an owner receive a mid-tenancy ESA request backed by paperwork purchased from a certification website. Because we screen all ESA requests through a proper vetting process before approval, the documentation was flagged as insufficient. The request went back to the tenant for legitimate supporting materials. That one step protected the owner from setting a precedent based on a questionable claim.

Account for HOA Rules Before You Promise Anything

If your property sits inside an HOA, read the CC&Rs before you write a single word of your pet policy.

In Salt Lake City, many condo and townhome HOAs cap pets at two animals and restrict breeds by weight, often 25–50 lb limits. Some prohibit certain species entirely. If your lease says “two dogs allowed” and the HOA says “one pet under 25 lbs,” the HOA wins. And you could be looking at $50–$200 per month in HOA fines while the tenant happily stays put with a dog twice the allowed weight.

Get the HOA rules in writing, align your pet addendum to them, and disclose the restrictions to applicants before they apply.

What a Complete Pet Addendum Covers

To keep it scannable, here’s what your pet addendum should include at a minimum:

• Approved animal(s): species, breed, weight, age, number
• Pet fees: non-refundable move-in fee amount
• Pet rent: monthly amount per animal
• Screening requirement: third-party approval required before move-in
• Documentation: vaccination records, photo, and owner certification on file
• Tenant liability: full cost of pet-related damage beyond normal wear
• Mid-lease changes: prior written approval required to add or change any animal
• HOA alignment: applicable HOA pet restrictions incorporated by reference
• ESA carve-out: language noting that verified ESAs are handled under a separate accommodation process

Making the Policy Work Long-Term

Writing the policy is step one. Enforcing it consistently is what actually protects you.

We built Envy on a pretty simple idea. Nick started managing his own properties, applied the same standards he expected as an owner, and eventually started doing it for others. Same standards, every property. That consistency is what keeps owners from dealing with surprise damage bills and mid-lease disputes.

One client described it this way: “As a tenant now they continue to surprise me with how quick they are to address any questions or concerns I may have.” That responsiveness matters on the owner side too. A well-documented pet policy, actively managed, keeps both sides of the relationship clear.

If you’re managing your own property in this market and your current pet policy is a sentence or two buried in a lease, it’s worth revisiting before your next tenant moves in with a Bernese Mountain Dog and a vague verbal agreement.

If building out a proper pet policy feels like more work than it should be, we’re open to a conversation.

FAQ

Can a landlord deny an ESA in Utah?

Generally, no. Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords of most residential properties must make reasonable accommodations for Emotional Support Animals regardless of a no-pet policy. You cannot charge pet fees for a verified ESA, but you can and should require legitimate supporting documentation and screen the request before approving it.

How much should I charge for pet rent in Salt Lake City?

Monthly pet rent in this market typically runs $25–$75 per pet. Combined with a one-time non-refundable pet fee of $200–$500 at move-in, most owners find this structure covers a meaningful portion of any damage that shows up at move-out.

Do HOA pet restrictions override my lease in Utah?

Yes. If your property is governed by an HOA, the CC&Rs take precedence over your lease. SLC-area HOAs commonly cap pets at two animals and restrict breeds by weight. Align your pet addendum to the HOA rules before signing any pet-owning tenant, or you risk HOA fines that can run $50–$200 per month.

What documentation can I require for an ESA request?

Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords have generally been permitted to request documentation from a licensed healthcare provider establishing a tenant’s disability-related need for an assistance animal; however, the federal guidance that specifically addressed what forms of documentation landlords could and could not require has changed, so landlords and tenants should consult current HUD guidance or a qualified attorney before relying on any particular documentation standard. Routing ESA requests through a vetted third-party screening process is the cleanest way to handle this consistently.

Does Utah law cap security deposits?

Utah state law does not cap the amount a landlord may collect as a security deposit, though landlords should check whether their municipality has adopted any local limits. However, under Utah Code Title 57, landlords must return the deposit within 30 days of lease termination along with an itemized statement of any deductions. Miss that window and you may be required to return the full deposit plus a $100 penalty, court costs, and attorney fees.

What happens if a tenant sneaks in a pet without disclosure?

If there’s no pet addendum and no documented approval, your ability to charge for damage or terminate the lease over the violation is significantly weaker. A clear addendum, signed at move-in, gives you the legal tools to act. Without it, you’re negotiating instead of enforcing.