As a property manager, accepting cats in your rental property can be great to get more potential tenants to consider your property. It can also help you charge premium rent. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association there are 42.2 million cat owning households.
However it also means dealing with the issues cats can cause; such as cat odors, stains they make, and also the damage they can create to your rental property.
It’s important for you to have a proactive plan and communicate with your tenants how to manage these issues.
Problem that cats cause: Cat Urine Odor, Cat Stains, Cat Damage
One of the biggest problems that cats can introduce is a lingering cat odor that stays in the property. Several of the sources are:
- cat urine
- cat litter box
- general smell due to cat hair
Cats are also known for creating stains if they pee on wood or carpet flooring. This can be hard to remove.
Finally cats are known to scratch and bite surfaces ,walls, wires, and also furniture. This can lead to a lot of damage.
All this can lead to damage to your property and making it less attractive to future tenants.
So you have to manage this proactively with your tenants.
Solutions to Manage Cat Problems in Your Rental Property – Carpet Cleaner, Urine Smell Remover, Enzyme Based Cleaner, Lease Clauses
You have a variety of tools to manage the problems cats can cause:
- Cleaning up stains and odors after they happen
- Proactive strategies that discourage cats from causing damage
- Making sure your tenant’s lease incents them to properly manage their cat
What is the Best Carpet Cleaner for Cat Urine?
One of the biggest problems with cat urine is that it has uric acid, which creates a lingering smell. Another factor is that it has sulfur. This can cause a lingering smell that unfortunately encourages cats to pee in that same location.
So it’s important to deal with this issue head on. Also make sure the cleaners you are using are able to deal with uric acid and sulfur.
Some potential solutions to try:
- Baking Soda
- Vinegar and water
- Enzymatic cleaner which we’ll discuss in the next section
It’s important to test a small area to see if your solution is effective, prior to trying it everywhere.
Are Enzyme Cleaners for Cats Effective?
You can find enzyme based cleaners that are very effective, but please make sure they are effective and eliminate uric acid. Some potential store bought solution to try:
- Rocco & Roxie
- Angry Orange
What are the Best Ways to Manage the Litter Box?
The first line of defense against cat odor is the litter box. Place your litter box in a place that has great air flow. You might want to also consider an air purifier strategically located close to the litter box.
It’s also critical to clean the litter box regularly. Otherwise the smell will linger and your cats will be discouraged from using the litter box.
Another great tip is to consider using a bit of baking soda in the litter box to lessen the impact of the odor.
Natural Deodorizers to Manage Cat Smells
If you don’t want to use store bought solutions, there are some natural home remedies that are very effective for eliminating cat odor such as: vinegar and water, baking soda, and activated charcoal that you could use.
Regular Cleaning to Get Rid Off Cats Odors
One of the best ways to prevent problems with cat odors is to encourage your tenants to have a proactive plan:
Have a litter box that they maintain weekly
Regularly wash items that can hold the odor such as blankets and curtains
Regularly vacuum carpets and clean flooring with use of vinegar and water solution and baking soda
How to Discourage Cats from Causing Damage to Your Property
Beyond odors, cats are notorious for biting and scratching that can damage your property.
There are several smells that cats do not enjoy, which are pleasant to humans such as lemons and rosemary. Having those smells around furniture that cats like to scratch bite is a great way to discourage them.
Cats are also known to bite wires, which can cause electric damage and also potentially harm them. You can buy a wire protector which discourages cats from damaging wires.
You can also make sure your tenants have a scratch post for cats so they’re less likely to scratch your rental property.
What should you have in your lease if your tenants have a cat?
One of the best ways to protect your property from cat damage is to have a clear agreement as to the tenant’s responsibility in terms of managing their cats. Some things you should consider for the lease agreement are:
- Pet Deposit – to be returned for good management of cat or to be used for cat damage
- Pet Rent – Additional Rent charge for cat
- Pet Damage clause – what exactly will happen for damage done by cat
- Tenant/property management regular maintenance – Schedule of responsibilities (weekly, monthly and quarterly)
How can SimplifyEm help if your tenants have cats?
Managing tenant with cats requires:
- Great communication capabilities
- Great scheduling capabilities
- Ability to have a customized lease and E-signature
SimplifyEm provides all these features in our property management software.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on managing cats in apartments
- Should I allow cats in my rental property?
There are pluses and minuses to allowing cats in your apartment. The pluses are you’ll be more tenant applicants and potentially can charge more rent.
The negatives are you’ll have to take into account lingering cat odor even after the cat moves out and potential damage from cats to your apartment.
- Can I clean cat urine out of my carpets?
If you get cat urine in your carpets, it’s important to deal with it quickly and proactively. There are home remedies that can help such as vinegar and water solution. Also there are enzyme based store bought products that are very effective, make sure whatever you use can eliminate uric acid odor, which is the biggest factor in cat urine odor.
- What are natural home remedies for cat odor?
There are some natural home remedies for cat odor that you can use such as vinegar and water, baking soda, and also hydrogen peroxide.
Sources:
https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics
