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Pet Friendly Rentals - Part 2

June 01, 2009, 5:40PM 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 second and final article of a two-part series designed to give people who have pets and property managers who rent to them some tips, suggestions and resources in today’s lean economy. To read part one, please click here.

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

Specific benefits of pet-friendly rental policies

There are many legitimate concerns about welcoming pets into rental communities. However, developing a pet-friendly policy allows landlords to take advantage of the opportunity to increase their market share and reap substantial financial rewards.

• Landlords and property managers who allow pets have a larger pool of tenants which allows them to be more selective, ultimately resulting in more responsible and better tenants.

• Tenants in pet-friendly rentals stay an average of 46 months compared with 18 months for those in rentals prohibiting pets. People with pets who find a decent rental that allows pets are less likely to give it up because they know they may have a difficult time finding an equivalent pet-friendly location.

• According to the 2003 FIREPAW study, pet-friendly apartments rented in 19 days instead of 29 days for non-pet-friendly units.

• Increased demand for pet-friendly rentals means that property owners can charge higher rent. Apartments that allow pets are typically able to charge 20-30% more rent than those that don’t allow pets. Tenants with pets are willing to pay higher rent for the privilege of living with their animals.

Suggestions for property owners and managers

The key to a successful “pets-welcome” policy is allowing only responsible people to rent from you and establishing reasonable and effective polices that keep everyone, including the other residents, happy. Property owners, landlords and managers who successfully rent to tenants with pets offer a wealth of suggestions to others who are considering becoming “pet-friendly.”

• Find out what concerns residents have about allowing pets and address those concerns when developing rental policies. Bring in experts from the local humane society and other animal advocacy organizations to educate current tenants about living peacefully in a pet-friendly community.

• Screen potential tenants. Use a checklist to find out if the applicant is a responsible person. In the current market, landlords are looking for tenants who will pay the rent and stay put for awhile. An added benefit: Studies show that people who take good care of their pets usually take good care of someone else’s property.

• Ask for a pet resume that shows the pet’s background and the person’s level of care for the pet. The resume should include veterinary documents, a description of a preventative program for fleas and heartworm, references from prior landlords, neighbors and pet caretakers, and certification that the dog has attended obedience school. References from the rescue organization that the person adopted from may be an indicator of a responsible pet person since most organizations have their own criteria and screening process for pet adoption.

• “Interview” the pet. Let the potential tenants prove that their dogs or cats are worthy of living in your apartment. Watching the interaction between person and pet will give you a sense of whether the person takes training seriously. The pet’s overall appearance will also be an indicator of the potential tenant’s care of the pet.

• Require renter’s insurance that will cover injuries caused by pets.

• Know the local ordinances that apply to people with pets. What is the maximum number of pets an individual can have? Are there any “anti-chaining” ordinances? Find out if you have any liability if your tenants fail to comply with local ordinances.

• Ask renters if they would agree to random “spot checks” of the property – with reasonable notice, of course. That will give you an opportunity to check on the condition of the property on a regular basis. And, always request that the tenant be present during the spot check.

• Ask for additional security deposit rather than additional rent. Refundable deposits give the tenant incentive to take good care of the property. The goal should be to have renters return the property in good condition, not to generate extra revenue.

• Create fair and reasonable rules, explain them to the tenant, and enforce them. Impose fines for repeat offenders. Add a pet addendum to leases for tenants with pets.

• Know what services and resources are available in the neighborhood. Tell renters with dogs where the dog parks and dog walks are located. Provide a list of local veterinarians, pet-friendly businesses and grooming services.

• Create a “dog-friendly” area within the boundaries of the property – an area where dog owners can safely walk their dogs. Provide supplies for cleaning up after dogs and a separate trash can for dog waste. Make sure the area is kept neat and clean and is not a nuisance to other residents.

• Utilize resources provided by local humane societies and rescue organizations. They may have classes to help tenants with specific problems or offer guidelines to landlords on screening, and building management.

• Offer solutions to common pet problems. Provide a list of training resources and obedience classes in the area. Give tenants referrals for businesses that steam clean floors and furniture.

• Once you develop a pet-friendly policy, let the local rescue community know that you allow pets. Adopters may be looking for a new place to live when they adopt a pet.

What to include in a pets-welcome policy

The Humane Society of the United States offers “13 Steps to Developing an Effective Pets-Welcome Policy.” Some of the recommendations are: limiting the number of pets per dwelling; requiring proof of sterilization of pets and up-to-date vaccinations; requiring collars and identification tags; and requiring residents who do not have pets inform you if they intend to adopt a pet.

The policies should be put in writing and specifically accepted by the renter prior to rental. Check up on tenants and enforce the policies. Word will get around that the policies are enforced and that will lead to long-term benefits for all tenants. If a prospective tenant is reluctant to enter into a written agreement concerning pets, it is likely that he/she would not have been a responsible occupant and would not have abided by the rules.

Conclusion

Renting to people with pets can be risky, but the benefits can far outweigh the risks for landlords who rent only to responsible pet people. A careful screening and interview process will result in high quality tenants who take their responsibilities to their home environment as seriously as their responsibilities as a pet parent. There are many success stories of landlord-tenant relationships that include pets. Landlords benefit from having responsible residents with pets as it results in less frequent turnover in tenants.

Every day, 8,200 dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States, often because people turned them over to shelters when they could not find pet-friendly housing. With the number of foreclosures increasing, without pet-friendly leasing options, many former home owners will see no option other than to surrender their pets to shelters and have them face possible euthanization. More than 800,000 American families lost their homes in the last year alone due to foreclosure. Many of these families had animals who factored into their housing decisions.

Landlords can play an important role in maintaining the bond between potential tenants and their pets by instituting a pets-welcome policy. By increasing the number of rental properties that allow pets, we will decrease the number of pets who are euthanized. Additionally, pet-friendly policies increase the marketability of the overall community and create a positive public image.

Increasing pet-friendly housing options not only reduces the number of pets relinquished to shelters, it also leads to an increase in adoptions. In the FIREPAW study, over half of the renters who were surveyed who did not have pets at the time reported that they would likely have one or more pets if they were allowed in their current rental house or apartment.

Photo of woman walking two dogs by erlin1 on Flickr
Photo of woman in coat walking one dog by jSarie on Flickr
Photo of man walking dog by BrianGri on Flickr
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

Comments

Posted June 08, 2009, 4:9PM by ellengilmore

I'm not aware of a central database, but if you would like to send me the information, I can start one!

Ellen Gilmore
Campaign Coordinator
FIRST HOME FOREVER HOME
http://network.bestfriends.org/foreverhome

Posted June 03, 2009, 10:6PM by fox220

My apartment complex is friendly to all breeds and sizes of dogs. Is there a central database that I should add it to?

Posted June 03, 2009, 10:25PM by fox220

My apartment complex is friendly to all breeds and sizes of dogs. Is there a central database that I should add it to?

Posted June 01, 2009, 11:41PM by scratchtopaz

What a wonderful and well written article! Thank you for sharing. This tips are invaluable!

Posted June 30, 2009, 8:51AM by bjkoll

A recent survey of more than 1000 renters across the country by Apartments.com found that apartment dwellers love their pets and are doing everything they can to find places to live that will accommodate both them and their furry companions. Click here to read more about this survey.