A proposed bill that would ban charging pet rent is being considered in Oregon. Currently, most landlords charge a monthly fee for each pet a tenant owns. People are debating on whether or not this charge should be taken away.
The “pet rent” payment is used to cover any damage done by the animal, but a common question is: “What if my pet does not cause any damage?. A following concern of some is that if the pet rent is taken away, landlords may end up not allowing pets at all, narrowing the amount of places they can live and take their pets with them. Another possibility is that landlords could raise the security deposit.
“I say no [pet rent] because I don’t like to pay more rent.” Oregon State University student Emily Appleman said. “Housing is already expensive enough without having to pay an extra $10 to $20 every month to have your pet live with you.”
How does this affect tenants without pets? Many are worried that if this bill is passed, overall prices will rise to make up for the money that is not being made from charging for pets. Almost half of renters want or own a pet.
“I do think that a landlord does have a right to charge a little bit extra knowing some pets are a little bit un-potty trained and can make a mess but I think they should just have to pay after for whatever mess needs to be cleaned up. I think an initial fee is good but not monthly because that just adds on until you’re overpaying them.” Says Lynzie Scott ‘21, who lives in an apartment with her dog. “I think it’s fair if they are doing an initial fee type of thing. Plus they should have insurance on whatever they’re selling to cover things.” Scott states.
When tenants leave, it can be very expensive for property owners to repair everything after the pet has been there.
“I do not think it should be banned because pets are messy gross and they can cause a lot of damage, but I don’t think it should be based on size, and [should be] just a general fee for all pets.” Argues Elisabeth Rich ‘22. Without money from pet rent, landowners might not have enough money to cover any damages after the tenant moves out.
