Before final approval of an application, go visit their current home & see if there is damage or cat pee smell.

Observe a dog obey the most basic commands every responsible owner should teach their dog.

Charge prime rent to include an animal (I call it an animal inclusive rental)

Put rules right up front on the animal application. Yes, I have a separate application for ANIMALS, not pets.

Ray, have you had luck collecting for pet damages?

I had not considered that before, but it makes sense. I mean, damage is damage. It shouldn't matter who or what did it.

I take adult dogs. No other animals and definitely no cats. With the exception that I am required by law to take verified emotional support animals of any type and service dogs or service horses.

My insurance company has a "dangerous" dogs list and I have my own list and I don't take those breeds of dog. Dogs must pass an interview before they are accepted and the house they have been living in must pass the in-home inspection.

I have no size limit on dogs, and I prefer the large ones. I will take two dogs and will stretch the limit to three dogs if the dogs are well behaved and the owner is well qualified.

Hard surface flooring in all houses and fenced yards at all houses.

Collectively I believe landlords are not against pets. We are against irresponsible ownership and care.

So renter's insurance just imposes a barrier to entry for someone who might be a bit less responsible.

I accept and charge extra. I have been getting a lot of disqualified dog breeds lately. Oh well I am still looking

Here’s my policy. It works for me. About half on my places have pets. I don’t allow pets in the midterm rentals

V Animals are allowed on a case by case, rental by rental basis.

V Animal size, type, and number of animals are a possible disqualifier.

V We do not accept animals on the forbidden dog breed list (see below).

V Puppies and Non-Neutered / Non-Spayed animals are not allowed.

V No reptiles, fish, birds / fowl, cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, or any other type animal.

V Tenant must possess equipment sufficient to clean up all feces on and off property.

V Duplexes are limited to 1 cat or 1 small dog. Homes are limited to 2 animals.

Non-Refundable Animal Registration Fee of $300

Additional Animal Rent of

$25 per animal per month for animals under 40 lbs

$50 per animal per month for animals over 40 lbs.

FORBIDDEN DOG BREEDS:

Akita Alaskan Malamute / Husky Bull Terrier

Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) Chow Chow Doberman Pinscher

Fila Brasileiro German / Dutch Shepherd Great Dane

Mastiff Pitbull Presa Canario

Rhodesian Ridgeback Rottweiler Shar Pei

St Bernard Staffordshire Terriers Wolf Hybrids

Or a mix of any of the above - List compiled from Center for Disease Control on dog breeds

involved in dog-bite-related fatalities and is disallowed by our property insurance company

To have an animal be considered in your rental application, you must include the following:

1. Photo and name of the animal.

2. Recent medical letterhead from a local vet which includes:

a) If your animal is spayed or neutered

b) Up to date on vaccinations

c) Breed type and weight

To have an animal be considered in your rental application as a support animal, you must

include the following with your filled-out application:

1. A written request for a support animal as a reasonable accommodation.

2. Evidence from your healthcare provider of a disability and that you have a

disability-related need for an assistance animal.

Our LL group just had someone ask about an "ESA" ™ that was often listed as a "dangerous breed."

Here was the response to which I responded "and THIS is why insurance rates are so high particularly in New York."

The law has changed where an insurance company cannot discriminate based on a breed of dog, but many companies will have dog bite exclusions allowing them to deny a dog bite claim I did a little research as noted below. If you are having problems with this situation we may be able to help you with insurance coverage:

What the law says in New York

In 2022, New York enacted Insurance Law § 3421, which places restrictions on insurers’ ability to deny or limit homeowners (and related) policies based solely on dog breed. Animal Law+2Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+2

Key points:

Under § 3421, insurers cannot refuse to issue or renew, cancel a policy, or charge a higher premium simply because the policyholder owns a specific breed of dog (or mix). ASPCA+3Animal Law+3Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+3

Also, insurers may not exclude, limit, restrict, or reduce coverage under a policy just because of dog breed. Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+2Barclay Damon+2

However, there is an exception: if the dog (regardless of breed) has been legally designated a “dangerous dog” under New York Agriculture & Markets Law § 123, then insurers may underwrite differently (refuse, cancel, or adjust based on reasonable underwriting principles) due to the elevated risk. Animal Law+2Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+2

Thus, under current law, simply owning a dog of a particular breed (e.g. a breed commonly viewed as aggressive) cannot serve as the sole basis for denying a homeowner’s insurance policy (or canceling or raising rates) in New York. Barclay Damon+3Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+3Animal Law+3

Application to a landlord’s insurance (rental / landlord policies)

The law is written in the context of homeowners’ insurance (and recent amendments have extended protections further). PropertyCasualty360+3Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+3Barclay Damon+3

For landlord or rental-property insurance, the situation can be more complex:

Insurers may still impose liability or dog bite exclusions in the policy, or may decline to cover damages or injuries caused by a dog, depending on policy language. (Even before § 3421, many policies had “dog liability exclusions” for breeds with known histories or for dogs with prior bite incidents.) Department of Financial Services+2Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+2

The new law’s protections may not fully cover all types of insurance (depending on how “homeowner’s policy” is defined and how courts interpret applicability to landlord policies). Law Offices of Richard A. Fogel, P.C.+1

If a dog is designated “dangerous,” insurers may refuse or limit coverage even under § 3421. Animal Law+2Barclay Damon+2

Insurance underwriting still considers risk factors such as a dog’s prior bite history, aggressiveness, how the dog is restrained, and other behavioral or situational factors — not merely breed alone.

So, while an insurer cannot deny a policy solely because of a certain breed, they may deny or exclude coverage (or impose conditions) based on actual risk associated with the dog (history, behavior, dangerous designation).

Summary

No, under current New York law, insurance companies cannot deny coverage solely because a landlord (or homeowner) owns a specific dog breed.

Yes, they may deny or exclude coverage if the dog is legally designated as “dangerous” or if there is evidence of high risk or prior incidents, so long as their decisions are based on sound underwriting and actuarial principles. (Not just breed stereotypes.)

While I allow animals I do not see how the government can declare that I must do so in my own property.

Our policy was similar to Bonanza's. If we didn't allow pets, we would significantly reduce the pool of tenants. Yes they do damage, but the income we received more than offset the repairs/odors.

One example of an issue we had...and we changed the wording in our lease to account for this...