A couple of things

Firstly, if you allow pets you can potentially appeal to a much larger population of tenants as many people have pets and many landlords don't allow them. However not all pets are created equally and although I often rent to tenants with pets they can result in more wear and tear on carpets, flyscreens and lawns. But a well behaved dog can frequently be better than a couple of badly behaved children…

However the most important thing is to be focused on the overall objective of the investment which is to sell at a good profit. It's therefore important to not be losing sleep over what the tenants and pets might be doing to the property. Chill out – leave it with the agent. Stressing over it is a psychological cost to you.

One last thing – expenses will always be more expensive than you think. I have found over a large length of time with several properties the breakdown of expenses goes thus 10% of the rent goes on Council Rates, 10% on agents fees, 10% on repairs, and 10% on sundry other stuff. 60% of the rent ends up in your pocket at the end of the day.

Good Luck