A practical guide from Jeffrey White
The short answer: allowing pets usually widens your tenant pool, lengthens stays and can support a monthly pet rent — at the cost of some extra wear, noise management and screening work. Landlords who do it successfully treat pets as a written policy with clear rules, deposits where the law allows and the right flooring, not as a casual favour granted at the kitchen table.
The pros: demand, retention and pet rent
Pet owners are a large share of the renter pool, with fewer options because so many landlords refuse animals outright. A pet-friendly Denver listing therefore draws more applicants, faster — and lets you be choosier among them, which is where the real value sits.
Retention is the second dividend: moving with a pet is disruptive and pet-friendly alternatives are scarce, so pet-owning tenants tend to renew — and every avoided turnover saves cleaning, repairs, marketing and vacancy. Many landlords also charge a modest monthly pet rent and, where current law allows, a refundable pet deposit, pricing the wear into the deal.
The cons: wear, noise and the neighbours
The risks are real. Scratched doors and floors, carpet damage, yard wear and accidents are the ordinary costs; barking and shared-wall noise generate the complaints, especially in duplexes and rent-by-room layouts where other tenants — or you, in a house hack — live metres away.
There is also liability to think through: confirm with your insurance carrier which animals your policy covers, because breed and size restrictions in a policy override your lease if the two conflict. None of these risks is a reason to refuse pets categorically. They are reasons to screen the animal as deliberately as the applicant and to choose finishes — hard flooring over carpet, for a start — that assume a pet lives there.
Assistance animals are not pets — know the line
One rule outranks every pet policy: assistance animals for people with disabilities are not pets under fair housing law. Pet rent, pet deposits and breed or size restrictions do not apply to them, and a no-pets policy does not exclude them. This area has specific documentation rules and genuine legal exposure for getting it wrong.
Treat this as a bright line. If an applicant requests an accommodation for an assistance animal, follow the fair housing guidance precisely or hand the question to a Colorado landlord-tenant attorney. The rest of this article covers companion pets, where you have real discretion — use it lawfully and consistently.
How to allow pets and keep control of the property
Put the policy in writing and apply it to everyone identically: which animals, maximum number, and any size or breed limits that mirror your insurance. Meet the animal or require a photo and vet records, confirm vaccinations, and spell out the tenant's responsibilities — waste, noise, shared spaces, and what happens to the deposit when a door gets scratched.
Price it properly: a fair monthly pet rent, a deposit only in the form and amount current Colorado and Denver rules allow (these limits change — verify before each lease rather than copying an old template), and a mid-lease walk-through in the lease terms. Clear, kind and written beats friendly and vague.
Questions, answered
How much pet rent should a Denver landlord charge?
Enough to price in the extra wear — many landlords charge a modest fixed monthly amount per animal, which tenants accept readily and which tracks the ongoing risk. Check comparable pet-friendly listings nearby, and confirm any deposit paired with it complies with current Colorado rules.
Can I refuse certain dog breeds in my rental?
Generally, landlords can set breed and size limits for pets — but your insurance policy may impose its own restrictions, and those govern in practice. Whatever limits you choose must be written, applied consistently to every applicant, and never applied to assistance animals, which are not pets under fair housing law.
Can I charge a pet deposit for an assistance animal?
No. Assistance animals are not pets, so pet rent, pet deposits and pet fees cannot be charged for them, and a no-pets policy does not apply. If you are unsure whether an animal qualifies, follow the fair housing documentation guidance or consult a Colorado landlord-tenant attorney before responding.
Do pets really make tenants stay longer?
In practice, yes — pet owners have fewer alternative rentals, moving is harder with an animal, and tenants whose landlord accepts their pet tend to renew. Longer stays mean fewer turnovers and lower re-letting costs, which is where much of the financial case for a pet-friendly policy comes from.
What flooring works best in a pet-friendly rental?
Hard, water-resistant surfaces — rigid vinyl plank is the common landlord choice — because it shrugs off accidents and claws that would ruin carpet, and individual planks can be replaced. Reserve carpet, if you use it at all, for bedrooms, and expect it to have a shorter life in a pet-friendly unit when you budget your reserves.
Important: This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, lending, financial, or investment advice. Market conditions and property-specific facts change. Verify current information and consult appropriately licensed professionals before making decisions.
Deciding the pet policy for a Denver rental, mid-term rental or house hack? Jeffrey helps owners set up screening, licensing and lease basics properly — 118 closings, 30 five-star reviews. Bring your property's situation to a call.
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