Many landlords stipulate that their rental property is not suitable for pets as the perceived risk of damage to their property seems too high. However, this both reduces the potential pool of prospects and could also exclude a potentially good tenant.

Many landlords say 'no' to pets but there are ways to deal with the pet dilemma.

For those looking for homes or apartments to rent this is a common problem and often presents a serious challenge in finding a rental property.

So how can a landlord best handle the pet dilemma?

Letting agents in Cape Town, says principal of Chorus Letting David Beattie, have repeatedly told landlords that there is a huge demand for properties in which pets - mainly cats and dogs - are welcome but “the majority of landlords and their agents still shy away from accepting any sort of four legged creatures – and in some cases even birds are not welcome”.

"Some, indeed, are almost virulently anti-pet,” says Beattie.

“It is not difficult to see why property owners feel as they do about pets because there have always been some pets capable of trashing a property.”

Urinating on floors and carpets, scratching or chewing woodwork and digging up gardens, says Beattie, are the most common pet misdemeanours.

The problems, he says, that an incontinent or untrained pet can cause are often not immediately apparent. ”It may be several months before the smells and stains in an expensive carpet become really noticeable – and by then your tenant may have moved on.”

Nevertheless, he says, those landlords who accept that some of the best and most reliable tenants will be pet lovers, find ways of accommodating them.

Firstly, says Beattie, the landlord should, in a non-hostile way, point out to the tenant the problems he has encountered with pets in the past and ask for an extra or double deposit – which pet lovers are often prepared to pay.

The landlord could also insist that a regular garden service be appointed to ensure that the garden is kept in good condition and, he says, it is always possible to pet-proof a home by having tiles rather than fitted carpets, cat doors and other pet-friendly fittings. It may also be feasible, he adds, to charge an extra 5% on the rent for any tenant with a pet.

“The plain truth is that most pets can be lived with quite comfortably – provided the correct precautions are taken upfront – and landlords who accept this will find that their choice of clients is widened, and in the long run, they will be able to charge a slightly higher rent.”