A rental owner can spend considerable time preparing a home, setting the rent, and reviewing applicants—only to lose a qualified prospect because the property does not allow pets.
That does not mean every animal belongs in every rental. It means a pet policy should be a considered business decision, with the potential benefits weighed alongside the property’s condition, liability concerns, and available protections.
At Rentals America, we generally recommend allowing pets with reasonable restrictions. Our experience has shown that welcoming responsible pet owners can broaden rental demand and support longer tenancies. The key is pairing that flexibility with clear approval standards, refundable deposits, and expectations for property care.
A No-Pets Policy Can Narrow Your Rental Market
For many households, finding a rental means finding a home for their animals, too. A property that excludes pets may never make their shortlist, even if the price and location otherwise fit.
Zillow’s 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report found that 59% of renter households have at least one pet. Among renters living in single-family detached homes, 73% consider allowing pets essential when deciding whether to rent a property.
Those are national figures, rather than a measurement of Tucson renters. They nevertheless highlight how much demand a landlord may exclude with a blanket no-pets rule.
Allowing pets does not require lowering your resident screening standards. Applicants should still meet the property’s income, credit, rental history, and other qualification requirements.
The objective is to reach more qualified applicants, then make a careful selection.
Consider Vacancy and Turnover Alongside Pet Damage
Owners understandably focus on what an animal might damage. Scratched doors, stained carpet, lingering odors, and damaged landscaping can all create expenses.
However, vacancy has a cost as well. For a home renting for $1,800 per month, each additional week without a resident represents approximately $420 in lost rent, using a 30-day month. That is an illustration, not a prediction that allowing pets will shorten vacancy by a particular amount.
Zillow’s analysis of 2024 rental listings, published in July 2025, found that pet-friendly listings typically rented eight days sooner nationwide. That finding does not establish a Tucson-specific result or prove that pet policies alone caused faster leasing, but it supports considering rental demand when setting your policy.
Retention also matters. A resident who has found a suitable home for themselves and their pets may have fewer reasons to move. Another move means locating an accepting property, paying moving expenses, and settling the animals into a new environment.
We view longer tenancy as a potential benefit of a reasonable pet policy. For owners, fewer turnovers can mean less downtime, fewer make-ready expenses, and less frequent leasing costs.
Start With the Home and the Pet Owner
A useful pet policy considers the actual property rather than treating every rental as interchangeable.
For a rental home with a yard, review the condition of gates, fencing, and landscaping. A yard can be appealing to pet owners, but it does not automatically make the property suitable for every animal.
For a condo or a home in an association, check applicable animal rules before advertising it as pet-friendly. Insurance requirements also deserve attention.
Inside the home, flooring and finishes affect the practical risk. Carpet, wood surfaces, doors, and baseboards may need different levels of care. Durable flooring can simplify some cleanup, but no material makes a home immune to damage.
These considerations help shape an appropriate policy. They should be paired with an equally important question: Will the resident take responsibility for the animal and the home?
In our experience, property care often depends more on the pet owner’s habits than on the animal itself. Training, supervision, regular cleaning, and prompt attention to accidents can make a substantial difference.
The Safeguards We Recommend
Set Clear Approval Requirements
At Rentals America, we recommend allowing ordinary pets within defined limits. Our policies generally include:
Breed restrictions to help address liability and insurance concerns.
No puppies or kittens, which can create greater damage risks during training.
Restrictions on other animal types, with approvals generally focused on commonly accepted household pets.
Limits on the number of pets approved for the property.
Size or weight limits, when appropriate for the home or required by the HOA or insurance provider.
Review of HOA and insurance requirements that may affect approval.
Residents should understand which animals have been approved and that adding another animal requires approval as well.
Lease requirements should also address waste removal, nuisance behavior, supervision, and responsibility for damage. Clear expectations are easier to enforce than an informal agreement that pets are “probably fine.”
Qualifying assistance animals require a separate review under applicable fair housing requirements.
Prefer Refundable Pet Deposits
We recommend refundable pet deposits rather than nonrefundable pet fees.
A refundable deposit gives residents something to preserve: money they can recover by caring for the home and meeting their lease obligations.
A nonrefundable fee is paid regardless of the property’s condition at move-out. We believe refundable deposits create a better incentive for responsible care.
The deposit should be part of a properly written lease and comply with Arizona’s security deposit requirements. Required security, however labeled, including prepaid rent, generally cannot exceed one and one-half months’ rent. A refundable pet deposit counts toward that total.
For example, at $1,800 in monthly rent, the general cap is $2,700. An owner cannot treat a refundable pet deposit as an additional amount outside that limit.
Understand Which Deposits Can Cover Damage
A common misconception is that pet damage can only be deducted from the pet deposit.
The available refundable security deposits can generally be applied toward legitimate pet-related damage—not just the portion labeled a pet deposit, subject to Arizona law and the lease terms.
If an approved animal damages a door or carpet, the pet deposit is not necessarily the limit of the resident’s financial responsibility. Owners still need to document the damage, distinguish it from ordinary wear, and follow the required deduction and refund process.
A deposit is a source of security, not a substitute for clear records or proper accounting.
Add Pet Damage Protection
Rentals America’s Resident Benefits Package includes up to $1,000 in pet damage coverage.
This protection applies to leases enrolled in the RBP program while Rentals America actively provides property management services, subject to applicable terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions.
It adds protection alongside resident screening, deposits, and lease requirements. Owners should still expect careful approval and documentation rather than relying on coverage alone.
Record the Property’s Condition
Before move-in, document flooring, doors, baseboards, landscaping, and other areas where animal damage may occur. Include existing scratches, stains, and worn areas so they are not later attributed to the incoming resident.
At move-out, compare the condition with those records. Odors and staining may require more investigation than photographs alone can provide.
Good documentation helps make deposit decisions fairer and easier to explain.
Keep Pet Charges Competitive
Monthly pet rent is another option, but it should be evaluated alongside the property’s total cost and competing rentals.
An extra charge only produces income while the property is occupied. If pricing discourages an otherwise qualified applicant or contributes to a longer vacancy, the additional revenue may offer little benefit.
We favor a balanced approach that supports leasing and retention while protecting the owner. Disclose any pet charges clearly before an applicant commits to the property.
Assistance Animals Require Different Treatment
Service animals and emotional support animals that qualify as assistance animals are not ordinary pets under applicable fair housing requirements.
A person with a disability may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation even when a property has a no-pets policy. Ordinary pet deposits, fees, rent, and restrictions generally cannot be applied to qualifying assistance animals, although residents remain responsible for damage their animals cause.
Evaluate requests individually rather than automatically applying the ordinary pet policy. HUD’s assistance animal guidance explains the accommodation framework.
Our Recommendation
A no-pets policy may be appropriate when there are genuine property, association, or insurance constraints. Those situations deserve review, including any separate obligations involving assistance animals.
For most rental homes, our recommendation is to allow pets with reasonable restrictions and safeguards.
That approach keeps the property available to more prospective residents while addressing the concerns that matter to owners: damage, liability, responsible care, and long-term rental performance.
Rentals America helps owners throughout Tucson and surrounding communities—including Oro Valley, Marana, Vail, and Sahuarita—develop practical leasing policies and manage their rental homes. Learn more about our owner guarantees and protections.
