Pets in Your Rental: Pet Screening, Deposits and Pet Rent in Texas

Yes, pet rent and a pet deposit are both legal in Texas when the lease or a pet addendum states them. A pet deposit is refundable as part of the security deposit; a pet fee is not. On the homes we manage in Fort Worth, Keller and North Richland Hills, when the owner permits pets, an approved pet means a one-time nonrefundable $350 fee at move-in plus $25 a month in pet rent per pet.

Allowing pets in a Keller, North Richland Hills or Fort Worth rental is usually the right call, provided the pet is screened as carefully as the person and the lease spells out who pays for what. Owners who ban pets outright do not avoid pets. They avoid the honest applicants with pets, and they often end up with an undisclosed dog anyway, with no deposit and no addendum covering it.

This guide covers how we screen pets, how pet deposits, pet fees and pet rent fit under Texas law, why assistance animals are a separate category with different rules, and the practical steps that keep a pet-friendly home in good condition.

Why saying yes to pets usually pays

A large share of renters in our market own a dog or a cat. Every pet-friendly listing competes for all of them; a no-pets listing competes for the rest. That shows up as more showings, more applications to choose from and, in most cases, less vacancy. Pet owners also tend to stay longer, because every move means finding another landlord who will take the animal.

The income side matters too. Pet rent and a pet deposit are standard in North Texas, and tenants with pets expect them. You are paid for the extra wear, and you get to pick from a bigger pool of applicants. The risk you are managing is the rare pet that does real damage, and that risk is handled by screening and the lease, not by a blanket ban.

If you are not sure how a pet policy changes the rent you can ask for, a free rental analysis will show you where pet-friendly homes sit against the rest of the neighborhood.

How pet screening works

We screen every animal the way we screen every applicant: the same questions, the same documentation, the same decision rule. We use PetScreening, a third-party profile every applicant completes online, with or without pets, which also documents assistance-animal requests properly. It collects the animal's type, breed, age, weight, vaccination records, spay or neuter status, training and behavior history, along with photos.

From that profile and the conversation with the applicant, the checklist is short:

• Current rabies and core vaccinations, with a veterinarian's records.
• Any history of bites, aggression or complaints at a prior rental, confirmed with the prior landlord.
• Breed and weight against any limits set by the owner's insurance policy or the HOA, which are the usual sources of restrictions.
• Number of animals against the lease limit.
• Whether the pet is housebroken and, for dogs, how long it will be alone each day.

The prior landlord call is the most useful step. A dog that spent two years in a rental with no complaints and a clean move-out is a low-risk dog. Our tenant screening treats the pet profile as part of the application, so the decision on the animal and the decision on the people are made together and documented together.

Pet deposits, pet fees and pet rent under Texas law

Texas does not cap the security deposit a landlord may charge, and a pet deposit is generally treated as part of the security deposit. That means it follows the same rules at move-out: it is refundable, it can be applied to damage beyond normal wear, and it has to be accounted for in the same written itemization within the same deadline as the rest of the deposit.

A nonrefundable pet fee is a different animal, and the lease has to say clearly that it is nonrefundable. Pet rent is a monthly charge on top of the base rent, and it is the most common structure in our area because it pays the owner every month the animal lives in the home. Many owners combine a modest refundable deposit with monthly pet rent.

Whichever structure you choose, it must be in the lease or a pet addendum, and it has to be the same for every tenant with a comparable pet. The rules for how deposits are returned are covered in Texas security deposit rules.

Pet deposit vs. pet fee vs. pet rent

The charges side by side, with what the tenant gets back:

How to read this table: only the deposit can come back to the tenant, and only what is left after itemized damage. The fee and the pet rent are income to the owner, which is why monthly pet rent is the most common structure in our area, and none of the three applies to an assistance animal.

Assistance animals are not pets

This is where owners get into the most trouble. Under fair housing law, a service animal or an emotional support animal is a reasonable accommodation for a disability, not a pet. That means no pet deposit, no pet fee, no pet rent, and no breed or weight restriction, even if your lease says no pets at all.

You are allowed to ask for reliable documentation of the disability-related need when the disability is not obvious, and you can decline an animal that poses a direct threat or has caused substantial damage. You are not allowed to ask about the diagnosis itself. The tenant remains responsible for any damage the animal causes, and the general security deposit still applies.

Treat every request the same way, in writing, with a consistent form and a prompt answer. An owner who argues with a documented request, delays it, or quietly charges pet rent anyway is exposed to a fair housing complaint that is expensive to defend. Fair housing for Texas landlords covers the broader rules, and the assistance animals guide covers the documentation and the process step by step.

What the pet addendum should cover

The lease addendum is where the policy becomes enforceable. A good one lists each approved animal by name, type, breed, weight and photo, so that an approved beagle cannot become two unapproved shepherds a year later. It also sets out:

• The deposit, fee and pet rent, and whether each is refundable.
• Waste cleanup, leash rules, and where the animal may be kept.
• Flea and pest treatment responsibilities, including at move-out.
• Carpet cleaning or deodorizing at move-out, and who pays.
• What happens if an unapproved animal is found: the fee, the cure period, and the right to require removal.
• A requirement to keep vaccinations current and to notify the owner of any bite or complaint.

Our leasing service uses a pet addendum written for Texas and reviewed with the lease, so every pet-friendly home we manage starts from the same document.

Protecting the home during the lease

A pet-friendly home holds up fine with a few choices made in advance. Hard-surface flooring in main areas outlasts carpet and is easier to clean at turnover. A fenced yard with a working gate latch prevents most escape problems, and a quick check of fence boards during make-ready costs little. Window blinds take abuse from dogs that watch the street, so inexpensive replacements are a normal turnover item.

During the lease, periodic inspections are where pet issues get caught early: scratched doors, a yard that is not being picked up, a litter box in a bad spot. We photograph the condition and address it with the tenant while it is still small. Our inspection service documents that for the owner, and the written record is what makes a deposit deduction hold up later.

At move-out, the pet addendum does its work. Flea treatment, odor and stains beyond normal wear, and damaged doors, trim or landscaping are documented, priced from actual invoices, and itemized against the deposit.

Where owners get it wrong

• Banning pets to avoid risk, then discovering a dog on an inspection with no addendum and no deposit.
• Charging pet rent or a deposit on an assistance animal, or asking for a diagnosis.
• Approving a pet by text with no addendum, which leaves nothing to enforce at move-out.
• Setting breed limits that the owner's insurance policy does not actually require, which shrinks the pool for no reason.
• Forgetting to check the HOA's pet rules, which can limit number or size and can fine the owner.

A pet policy is a business decision that should be made once, in writing, and then applied the same way to every applicant. Done that way, it adds income and reduces vacancy. Done ad hoc, it adds disputes. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your lease and pet addendum with an attorney who practices Texas landlord-tenant law.

The takeaway: Allow pets, screen them like applicants, put every term in a signed addendum, and treat assistance animals as the separate category the law says they are.

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