News
Pet Friendly Rentals - Part 1
May 28, 2009, 6:38PM MT
By Fran Farrell
A Win-Win-Win Situation for Landlords, Tenants and Pets
A Win-Win-Win Situation for Landlords, Tenants and Pets
By Barbara J. Koll, Best Friends Network Volunteer
This is the first of a two-part series designed to give people who have pets and property mangers who rent to them some tips, suggestions and resources in today’s lean economy.
The emphasis on increasing the number of pet friendly rentals ties in with Best Friends’ new First Home Forever Home Campaign. First Home Forever Home is one of four campaigns working toward the Best Friends’ mission of achieving a time when there are No More Homeless Pets and focuses on all aspects of helping people include and keep their pets as part of the family.
A downloadable copy this article, Parts 1 and 2, is available in the resources folder on this community under How to Keep Your Pet In Your Home
The Current Situation
As landlords and rental property owners face low occupancy rates and compete for tenants in a depressed economy, many are wondering whether this is a good time to allow dogs and cats in their rental properties. Seventy percent of individuals seeking rental properties have some type of pet yet it is estimated that only 50 percent of available rental properties are pet-friendly. “No pets” policies and limited pet policies are giving way to more liberal and flexible pet-friendly policies. Apartment corporations and individual property owners have discovered that they can rent their units faster, charge more rent and increase their overall cash flow simply by allowing dogs and cats.
Both landlords and prospective tenants with pets have understandable concerns and reasonable expectations concerning the rental process. Landlords want to protect their investment and are worried about tenants who don’t take their responsibilities seriously. Pet people want a decent place to live with their pets.
Renting to People with Pets - A Landlord’s Nightmare? …
From the landlord’s perspective, it only takes one negative experience with a tenant’s pet to cause them to quit allowing pets. There are many horror stories about renters whose pets are destructive or become a nuisance - shredded drapes and carpets, scratched doors and window frames, kitty litter clogging the drains, dog poop on the outside walkways and injuries caused by pets. They worry that neighbors will complain about barking dogs and howling cats. They wonder how they can effectively deal with pet people and other residents when problems arise. Their concerns are legitimate. Unfortunately, landlords and property owners only tell about the most outrageous instances of pets gone wild. What they don’t mention are the scores of renters (usually the majority) whose pets cause absolutely no problems.
The horror stories get passed around (and frequently embellished) and pets get an unjustified bad reputation. The most common concern of landlords is the potential for damage caused by the animals. In reality, renters with pets don’t necessarily have more damage to their residences than those without pets. And even when pets do cause damage, it’s usually covered by even less than the pet deposit. A 2003 Study on Companion Animal Renters conducted by the Foundation for Interdisciplinary Research and Education Promoting Animal Welfare (FIREPAW) found that the average worst damage from tenants with pets was less than $500 and that was typically less than the security deposit. This means that in most cases landlords can simply subtract the repair costs from the pet deposit and experience no substantive financial loss. The average damage for tenants with pets was $362 while the average damage for tenants without pets was $323 – a statistically insignificant difference. Bottom line – renting to tenants with pets does not necessarily have a negative financial impact on the property owners.
…Or Increased Financial Rewards?
People with pets generally make excellent residents. They realize that living with a companion animal is a privilege, not a right, and they have to search harder for a place that accepts pets and, as a result are likely to move less frequently. Lower vacancy rates result in lower costs and fewer problems for landlords and property owners.
The purpose of the 2003 FIREPAW study was to determine the factors influencing the availability of pet-friendly housing. The researchers began with the hypothesis that the shortage of pet-friendly rentals is based on a widely-held misperception that renting to people with pets is costly and fraught with problems. The study found that for the majority of landlords, offering pet-friendly rentals is economically viable and can actually increase profits to the tune of almost $3000 per apartment, per year. Vacancy rates for pet-friendly housing are generally lower than for “no pets allowed” rentals. At the time of the study, pet-friendly and non-pet-friendly apartments had vacancy rates of 10 percent and 14 percent respectively. That four percent difference means that one in every 25 rental units sits empty when pets are not allowed.
Property managers and landlords of pet-friendly housing typically spend less money on advertising - $15 per unit compared to $32 per unit for other housing. They spend less than half the amount of time marketing their available units. Pet-friendly housing also receives almost twice as many applicants for a vacant unit as other housing.
The Internet offers a number of sites tailored for tenants with pets seeking housing. Many of these sites offer searchable databases for pet-friendly housing, and offer property managers the opportunity to list their available units on the site. Pet-oriented businesses (pet stores, veterinary offices, grooming and boarding facilities, and animal shelters) often allow pet-friendly apartment complexes to post their available units for free.
An additional benefit to offering pet-friendly rentals is the amount of good will that can be created when other potential renters see properly trained and socialized animals living on the premises.
Innovative Programs around the Country
Some of the shifts in attitudes concerning pets in rental properties are due to landlord and tenant education efforts by animal advocacy groups. Across the country, organizations are becoming more and more involved in ensuring that pets are not left behind when their owners face financial hardships and changes in their living circumstances. This effort includes educating landlords on how to develop and maintain a pet-friendly rental policy.
The emphasis on increasing the number of pet friendly rentals ties in with Best Friends’ new First Home Forever Home campaign.Check the campaign site often to keep up with the latest programs and news. One hundred percent of your
donation today will support the First Home, Forever Home Campaign, and help keep pets and their families happily together.
The Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life Program helps rental managers, property owners and tenants solve the challenges of keeping pets in rental properties. The overall goal of this program is to keep pets with their families. The website offers a number of resources for landlords – checklists for identifying responsible tenants with pets, e-pet addendums for leases, pet application forms, and recommended pet policies, as well as suggestions for renters seeking pet-friendly housing.
The Dumb Friends League’s Pets are Welcome (PAW) Program offers Colorado landlords free behavioral assistance for their tenants with animal companions. The website has a wealth of resources for both property managers and tenants seeking pet-friendly housing including a searchable database of pet-friendly housing options in Colorado.
A group of real estate professionals in Phoenix formed an organization in June 2008 called the Lost Our Home Pet Foundation with the mission of rescuing pets left behind in houses and assisting people who can no longer afford their pets due to foreclosure or other financial hardships. This organization generally does not get involved in a situation unless the pet owner is unable to obtain pet friendly housing. Click here to read more about the Lost Our Home Pet Foundation.
End of Part 1
To read Part 2, please click here.
Photo of dog on bed by ricko on Flickr
Photo of woman and cat by Sarah Ause, Best Friends staff photographer
Posted by Fran Farrell, Best Friends copy editor
Additional resources:
Finding Pit Bull Housing
Creating a Pet Friendly Rental Community – tips for tenants with pets and landlords
FIREPAW tips for finding and keeping pet friendly rentals
FIREPAW Companion Animal Renters Program
Your Pet Friendly Community
The Pet Realty Network
No Paws Left Behind
Homestore.com Pet Friendly Rentals database
Pets 911 Pet Friendly Rentals database