In my new (vacant) rental I have a 7mm laminate in the living room, hallway, and one of the bedrooms (baths are tiled). Do I need to institute a “no pets” (or at least no cats & dogs) policy for the future renters? One the one hand I’ve heard that laminates can be pretty durable, but on the other I know they can’t be repaired, if damaged. Thanks.
I don’t mind dogs/cats in houses w/ HW floors. Some laminate is pretty durable. The cheap stuff peels up at the corners easily. The part that really sucks is having to take up the entire floor up to the point of repair to replace the bad pieces. You could always charge an extra pet deposit (maybe even with some of that non-refundable).
That depends on what is an acceptable turnover cost to you. Will they sign at least a one-year lease if they bring in pets? Do they have a good job to recover the damage cost if you sue them for the damage?
Personally, I haven’t had a problem with cats doing damage, but I have a no dog policy in all my places. I just say it’s a barking-noise issue, but I’ve seen other places where dogs have clawed away at laminate and baseboards or chewed on baseboards, plus there’s that obvious dog smell that haunts the apartment after it’s vacant which doesn’t seem to vanish unless you replace the flooring.
^ thanks for the responses. I haven’t had any problem with it peeling, but the house is still vacant. I may try a no dogs policy with this house and see if I can still get people. I hate having to listen to all their pleas about how sweet their pitbull is, etc. anyway
Pit Bulls are on our insurance company’s “Dangerous Dog” list so they’re forbidden on our property. Might want to see if your company has the same policy.
Oh I don’t allow them, but I’ve found that their owners call anyway. I put in the ad I posted on craigs today “cats and small dogs allowed” and then a couple hours later someone called with a doberman pincher puppy and thought it should be allowed because it was “small”. :rolleyes I’m making the ad more explicit and listing all the dogs breeds I won’t accept when I repost the ad tomorrow.