Most of my tenants with animals are terrific when it comes to this. However I've run in to the occasional one or two who chronically uses their pet as a reason to delay or restrict entry to the home. I'm tired of this.

Example: I've scheduled the plumber for tomorrow to come fix your faucet leak. Tenant, "I can't be there then and I'm worried about the dogs, can you schedule it for a different day?". (In this case dogs are friendly and not an issue so the excuse is bogus and makes things more difficult for me and my service provider).

To avoid this in the future and/or to make things clearer from the get-go I want to add the following verbiage to new leases. Does it sound OK:

Animals/pets may not interfere with or be given as a reason to impede owner's ability to perform maintenance, schedule repairs, inspections, showings, or any other requirements needed.

The dogs are not the reason that your tenant wants a different day. The reason is that she wants to be there when you enter. So try to accommodate her if possible.

Stop and consider the framework in which entrance to tenants' privacy goes on. Animals are not a reason for denying entrance, and thus your suggested lease clause doesn't really have anything to enforce. You may want to insert some condition into the lease such as, animals must be restrained when owner enters for an allowed reason with appropriate notice. Don't forget enforcement like, failure to comply shall be deemed a material breech of the lease, and landlord shall have rights of enforcement the same as any other breech of lease, including eviction.

Moshe,

Couldn't agree more but I prefer easier to deal with tenants. Not ones with things to hide or who are distrusting.

So covering this from the get-go to avoid issues is the goal.

Same tenant reported a "leak" coming out onto the floor in the kitchen. Plumber dropped everything to accommodate. When asked if I could "schedule for tomorrow instead" I said absolutely not, water leaks are an emergency that can only grow worse and it would be addressed immediately.

I always respect tenants privacy but also expect them to respect my time and the time and availabity of my tradesmen. Or honestly the next time the hot water isn't working or AC goes out they're not going to get same day service on a Sunday.

It's never really been an issue with me, but I will relate this story:

Was working on an outdoor electric panel box. It was August, here in hot SC. I was wearing some breezy shorts.

While I was bent over the panel with my hands inside, the nice friendly Rottweiler decided this would be a great time to ahh...sniff my other end. She rammed her head up the leg of my shorts and licked.

Gevans,

I got called to one of my rentals. The kitchen sink was draining slowly and the disposal stopped working. I'm also a Licensed Building Contractor and A Licensed Plumbing Contractor so I went to the property myself to take care of the back up.

This tenant and every other tenant in the building have a "NO PETs" clause in the lease. No one was home and I was able to let myself, I had an appointment/agreement with the tenant.

But before I came to the property the tenants older married son stopped by the property to drop off his dog while he shopped nearby. No one told the son that the owner was coming to fix the drain and the son never told his parents he was stopping by.

While under the sink, hooking up a new disposal after snaking the line, the dog appeared out of nowhere and began attacking me. Biting my legs, arms and trying to get at my face.. I knew the dog but it still attacks everyone except a few family members.

For this reason I now ( the past 15 to 20 years) do no allow pet visitors without parental supervision.

If a tenant has a unauthorized dog in the rental, I refuse to enter and then request the tenant to get someone else to deal with matters or pay me a fee for my troubles.

gevans,

Made my day!! You're tall. I wonder if short people have the same encounters??

LisaFL,

One excuse is as good as another. Simple solution: the plumber calls and makes the appointment, and would prefer this method anyway for fewer dead end service calls.

If you expect residents to respect your time you will be very disappointed.

Anna,

People rent our homes BECAUSE we have ceiling fans and disposals while other homes do not.

We even put CFs in the kitchen and laundry rooms.

Ladies LOVE it! Momma picks the house.

Brad,

>>If you expect residents to respect your time you will be very disappointed.<<

Thanks for the reminder! This is certainly true in some cases.

I've used that method on the difficult ones (making them schedule the repair). It usually ends up pissing off the plumber! Because then he typically gets jerked around by the same antics. But at least he helps to vindicate my feelings. Helpful reminder at rent raising time.