1–20 unit landlords
Pet fees, pet rent & pet deposits on DIY landlord software — set-up, autopay gaps, assistance animals
For a 1–20 unit landlord, pet money is three different things that the software treats three different ways: pet rent (monthly, non-refundable), a pet fee (one-time, non-refundable), and a pet deposit (one-time, refundable, and handled like a security deposit). None of the three DIY tools has a dedicated “pet” module; you post pet money as ordinary charges. The decision that actually matters is where pet rent lives. On RentRedi, tenant autopay covers rent only, so a separate “pet rent” charge has to be paid by hand every month — folding it into the rent charge keeps it on autopay but hides it in your books. On TurboTenant, a monthly Other charge labeled “Pet rent” does follow autopay, but automatic late fees apply only to monthly rent charges. On Avail, pet rent and pet deposit are lease fields that flow into the payment list — but a 2023 community answer confirmed lease setup wouldn’t let you pick both at once.
What this page is (and is not)
- Is: a side-by-side of how to set up pet rent, pet fees, and pet deposits on RentRedi, TurboTenant, and Avail; what autopay and late fees cover; where pet questions live on the application; and a set-up checklist plus a worked single-family example.
- Is not: a pet-policy template, a review of third-party pet screening services, or a legal guide to assistance animals. Pet fee caps, deposit rules, and assistance-animal rules vary by state and city — see the cautions below.
- Sequel note: Read with security deposits & move-out (refunding a pet deposit), late fees & autopay, utility billing (the same recurring-charge mechanics), and lease & e-sign (adding a pet addendum).
- Uncertainty rule: Avail’s help center often renders as a JS shell, so we rely on avail.com education pages and community-manager answers and flag their dates. The “monthly pet fee combines with rent” behavior on Avail comes from a 2016 product post and may have changed.
Definitions (read this first)
- Pet rent: A recurring monthly amount for having the animal. Non-refundable. Legally it’s often treated as rent, which can matter for late-fee math and rent-increase rules.
- Pet fee: A one-time, non-refundable charge (often at move-in). Some states restrict or ban non-refundable fees — check before you charge one.
- Pet deposit: A one-time, refundable amount held against pet damage. Treat it like a security deposit: it usually counts toward any state deposit cap, follows the same return deadline, and needs itemized deductions.
- Assistance animal: A service animal or other animal a person with a disability needs as a reasonable accommodation. It is not a pet. Whether and when pet charges can apply is a legal question that changed at the federal level in 2025–2026 (see below).
Feature snapshot (verify on vendor pages)
| Capability | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated pet charge type | No. Create New → Charges → Other Charge, description “Pet rent” / “Pet fee.” RentRedi’s own blog names pet fees as a reason custom charges exist | No. Charge categories are Rent, Security Deposit, Utility, Late Fee, NSF Fee, Other. Help says pet deposits and pet fees are collected “by creating a one-time charge on the lease” | Pet rent and pet deposit are lease fields; “any listed pet fees in your Avail lease will automatically populate to your payments dashboard.” With an uploaded lease, add them to the property’s payment list |
| Monthly pet rent | Other Charge with Charge Every = monthly for the lease term, or add the pet amount to the Rent charge itself | Only Rent and Other can be monthly; use a monthly Other charge labeled “Pet rent,” or add it to the Rent charge. Monthly charges post 15 days before the due date | Lease-builder Pet Rent field; a 2016 product post said a monthly pet fee “will automatically be combined with the rent payment.” Confirm how it shows to the tenant today |
| One-time pet fee | Other Charge with Total Occurrences = 1 | One-time Other charge (posts to the tenant immediately) | One-time line on the payment list, or Request a Payment |
| Refundable pet deposit | Charge on the lease; help lists “deposits” among charge uses. Route it to your deposit account if you keep one (see deposits page) | Lease builder has a separate Pet Deposit field; collect as a one-time charge (Security Deposit category if you want it tracked with deposits — that category is one-time only) | Lease Pet Deposit field — but in Apr 2023 Avail confirmed lease setup let you choose pet deposit or pet rent, not both. Workarounds offered: an addendum for the deposit, or add it to the security deposit total |
| Tenant autopay covers pet rent? | Only if it’s inside the Rent charge. Auto-pay “applies only to rent payments”; other charges are paid manually | Yes, if recurring: autopay follows recurring charges assigned to the tenant. One-time pet fees and deposits are paid manually | Likely, if it’s combined with rent as the 2016 post describes; not clearly published today — check the tenant view |
| Automatic late fee on unpaid pet rent | Not published for Other charges — verify in late-fee settings | No on an Other charge: automatic late fees are “only available for monthly rent charges.” Folding pet rent into Rent changes that | Not clearly published for non-rent lines |
| Pet questions on the application | Custom application templates (Settings → Feature Settings → Custom Rental Applications) let you add and require your own questions; RentRedi suggests asking pet type, number, size/weight, breed, records, and accommodation requests | Standard application asks if the applicant has pets, with breed, weight, age, and additional pets. Premium adds up to four custom questions (optional for applicants) | Application collects pet information; custom questions require Unlimited Plus |
| Pet terms in the lease | Upload your own lease or addendum, or use RentRedi’s lease tools (see lease & e-sign) | Lease builder has Pet Rent, Pet Deposit, and a Pets/Smoking/Policies section | State-specific lease with a pet clause on free Unlimited; deeper customization on Unlimited Plus. Avail’s education pages walk through a pet addendum |
| Free vs paid gap | No free landlord tier; charges and custom applications come with the plan | Pet charges are part of free rent collection; custom application questions are Premium | Pet charges on free Unlimited; custom application questions on Plus |
Sources (Oct 2026): RentRedi help — How to Create a Charge, How to Create Charges for Individual Tenants, How to Set Up Auto-Pay, RentRedi Payments FAQs, How to Create a Custom Rental Application (Feb 2026); RentRedi blog — Collecting Rent Online, How Do You Collect Pet Details During Tenant Screening? (Feb 2026). TurboTenant help — Creating a Lease Agreement, Rent Payments FAQs for Landlords, Rent Payments Guide, How to Create Charges, How to Create a Recurring Weekly Charge, Setting Up Automatic Late Fees on Rent Payments, What Does the Online Rental Application Look Like?, How Do I Customize My Application? (Mar 2025). Avail — Pet Fees vs. Pet Rent vs. Pet Deposits, Pet Addendums, Online Rental Applications page; community thread “Pet deposit + pet rent option” (Apr 2023); Rentalutions/Avail product post “New Features to Help You Collect Rent Online” (Apr 2016). Colorado: C.R.S. 38-12-106 (HB 23-1068). HUD: Federal Register notice of withdrawal of FHEO guidance (effective Sept 17, 2025) and FHEO enforcement memo of May 22, 2026. Re-verify in a live account.
The real decision: separate pet rent charge, or fold it into rent?
| Separate “Pet rent” charge | Folded into the Rent charge | |
|---|---|---|
| Autopay | Manual on RentRedi; autopaid on TurboTenant if monthly | Autopaid on both RentRedi and TurboTenant |
| Automatic late fee | Not on TurboTenant; unpublished on RentRedi/Avail | Same as rent — which also means your late-fee percentage now applies to a bigger number. Check any state late-fee cap |
| Books and rent roll | Shows pet income on its own line; easy to stop when the pet leaves | Hidden inside rent; your rent roll overstates base rent |
| When the pet leaves or a second pet arrives | End or add one charge | Edit the rent amount (on RentRedi, edit the existing lease; see renewals) |
| Best for | TurboTenant users; anyone who wants clean reports | RentRedi users who want pet rent on autopay; tenants who forget a second payment |
Whichever you pick, write the pet rent amount in the lease or pet addendum as its own number, even if the software combines it. That way a later rent increase or move-out accounting doesn’t blur the two.
Assistance animals: don’t let the software charge by default
If the animal is a service animal or another assistance animal requested as a disability accommodation, don’t copy your pet charges onto that lease until you’ve confirmed what applies. The Fair Housing Act still requires reasonable accommodations. What changed is federal guidance: HUD withdrew its 2013 and 2020 assistance-animal notices effective September 17, 2025, and a May 22, 2026 FHEO enforcement memo says HUD will focus enforcement on animals trained to provide disability-related assistance and no longer presumes that untrained emotional support animals must get pet-fee waivers.
That is federal enforcement priority, not a change to your state’s law. Many states and cities have their own assistance-animal rules, and HUD-assisted housing programs (including some voucher situations) can carry separate requirements. The safe default for a small landlord: no pet rent, fee, or deposit for a documented service animal; for an emotional support animal, check your state law or ask a local attorney before charging. Keep the accommodation request and your answer in the tenant’s file (document vault), and keep damage claims on the normal security deposit.
State caps: one example, not a survey
Colorado (since Jan 1, 2024): C.R.S. 38-12-106, added by HB 23-1068, says a landlord can’t demand an additional pet security deposit of more than $300, that deposit must be refundable, and monthly pet rent can’t exceed the greater of $35 or 1.5% of monthly rent. The Colorado Division of Real Estate summary notes that many landlords previously charged non-refundable pet deposits. The statute doesn’t say plainly whether the limits are per pet or per household — ask counsel if you have more than one animal on a lease.
Other states treat pet deposits as part of the overall security deposit cap, and some limit non-refundable fees. Treat this as a reason to check your own state before setting amounts — not as legal advice.
Worked example: one dog, one single-family home (illustrative numbers)
A Colorado single-family rental at $1,850/month approves one dog. 1.5% of $1,850 is $27.75, so the Colorado cap on pet rent is the greater amount, $35. The pet deposit can be up to $300, refundable. These amounts are example data to show the math and the software steps, not vendor figures or a recommendation.
| Step | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper it | Pet addendum naming the animal, $35/month pet rent, $300 refundable pet deposit, damage responsibility, and what happens if the pet leaves. E-sign it with the lease or as an addendum (lease & e-sign) | ||
| Pet rent | Either raise the Rent charge to $1,885 (autopay covers it) or add a monthly Other Charge “Pet rent — $35” (tenant pays it manually each month) | Monthly Other charge “Pet rent — $35” (autopay follows it; no auto late fee), or raise the Rent charge to $1,885 | Pet Rent field in the lease, or add it to the payment list; check that the tenant sees $1,885 or two lines |
| Pet deposit | One-time charge “Pet deposit (refundable) — $300,” paid to your deposit account if you use one | One-time Security Deposit charge with a note, or one-time Other “Pet deposit (refundable)” | If the lease already uses the Pet Rent field, add the deposit by addendum and a one-time payment line (2023 workaround) |
| Book it | Pet rent is rental income. The $300 deposit is a liability you hold, not income, unless you keep some of it at move-out (accounting & Schedule E). Ask your CPA how to report it. | ||
Outside Colorado, the same steps work with whatever amounts your state allows — for example, a one-time pet fee would be a one-time Other charge on any of the three.
Set-up checklist (works on any of the three)
- Ask the same pet questions of every applicant — type, number, size/weight, and whether any animal is an assistance animal (applications).
- Check your state’s caps on pet deposits, pet rent, and non-refundable fees before you quote numbers.
- Sign a pet addendum with the animal’s details and each amount listed separately.
- Decide separate vs folded pet rent using the autopay and late-fee table above.
- Label every charge “Pet rent,” “Pet fee (non-refundable),” or “Pet deposit (refundable)” so the ledger matches the addendum.
- Hold the deposit with your other deposits and note it on the move-out checklist.
- Photograph the unit at move-in so pet damage can be shown later (inspection reports).
- End or change pet rent when the pet leaves or a new one arrives, in writing.
Traps that cause disputes
- Calling a fee a deposit (or the reverse). If the lease says “deposit,” expect to refund it or itemize deductions. In Colorado, the pet deposit must be refundable.
- Assuming autopay catches pet rent. On RentRedi, a separate pet charge is never autopaid. Tenants miss it, and it shows up as a partial balance.
- Assuming late fees apply. TurboTenant’s automatic late fees don’t touch an Other charge. Add one by hand only if your lease and local law allow (late fees).
- Copying pet charges onto an assistance-animal lease. Remove them before the first charge posts, and check state law.
- Pet rent left running after the pet is gone. Recurring charges keep posting until you end them.
- Switching tools mid-lease. Recurring pet rent and the held pet deposit don’t migrate. Re-create the charge and carry the deposit balance in the switch checklist.
Fit notes for 1–20 units
- Want pet rent on its own line and on autopay: TurboTenant (monthly Other charge).
- On RentRedi and want pet rent autopaid: fold it into the Rent charge and keep the split in the addendum.
- Free, lease-driven set-up: Avail’s lease fields push pet amounts into payments — plan an addendum if you need both deposit and pet rent.
- Want custom pet questions on the application: RentRedi custom templates, TurboTenant Premium (four questions), or Avail Unlimited Plus.
Honest uncertainty callouts
- Avail’s “pet fee combines with rent” behavior is from a 2016 post, and the “deposit or pet rent, not both” limit is from an April 2023 community answer. Either may have changed.
- We found no published rule on whether RentRedi’s or Avail’s automatic late fees apply to non-rent charges.
- None of the three documents a dedicated pet module, pet profile, or third-party pet screening integration in current help; we don’t claim one.
- Federal assistance-animal enforcement changed in 2025–2026, and state rules vary. The section above is a caution, not legal guidance.
- State caps are a single example (Colorado) from the statute text. Pet deposit, pet fee, and pet rent rules vary by state and city.
Related
- Prorated rent & move-in charges — first-month proration, move-in bundles, mid-month credits
- Security deposits & move-out — holding and refunding a pet deposit
- Late fees & autopay — what autopay and late fees cover
- Utility billing & charge-backs — the same recurring-charge mechanics
- Partial payments & credits — rent paid, pet rent skipped
- Lease & e-sign — pet addendum and e-signatures
- Applications & lead pipeline — pet questions on the application
- Inspection & condition reports — move-in photos for pet damage
- Section 8 / HAP payments — voucher leases with assistance animals
- Document vault & lease files — where to keep addendums and accommodation records
- Switch checklist — re-creating recurring pet rent
- RentRedi vs TurboTenant vs Avail — full criteria table
- Required lease disclosures & addenda — attaching a pet addendum alongside required disclosures
- Small Portfolio Desk home
Educational product research only — not legal or tax advice. Pet deposit, pet fee, pet rent, security deposit, late fee, and assistance-animal rules vary by state and city and changed at the federal level in 2025–2026. Confirm current charge categories, autopay scope, and late-fee behavior in each vendor’s help center and your live account, and ask a local attorney before setting pet charges or handling an accommodation request.