In 2023, merely allowing pets at a rental community no longer qualifies as “pet friendly.” This has been a gradual trend, naturally, and not something that just sprouted up over the past few months. The response by apartment operators, however, has been mixed.
Perhaps one of the most positive developments in the rental-housing industry over the past decade is the increased focus on pet-friendly communities. Operators understand the importance—and benefits—of better catering to pet owners and have begun to create less-rigid policies.
Many look at a dog and believe they can immediately assess its personality. The breed tells the story, correct? Not according to a recent detailed study published in the journal Science, the findings of which dismiss many popular dog stereotypes.
While pet technology is often regarded as a standalone concept, it closely mirrors some of the more universally discussed tech that assists property teams. Most notably, pet-tech, too, helps save time and cultivates a smooth workday by creating efficiencies.
The term “pet-friendly” is often used as a marketing chip in the rental-housing world, but simply allowing pets at a property no longer qualifies as being genuinely pet-friendly. That’s because many restrictions often accompany an apartment community’s pet policies.
According to a multifamily survey conducted by PetScreening and J. Turner Research of nearly 23,000 apartment residents, more than half of respondents support the idea that irresponsible pet owners should be charged more in pet-related fees.
Call it the hidden variable of an apartment community’s pet population—visiting pets. While community teams have steadily gravitated toward crafting pet policies more reflective of the modern resident, these policies oftentimes omit this crucial component.
As more and more communities allow pets onsite, most operators are seeing an uptick in assistance animal accommodation requests. It’s no secret that there are bad actors trying to pass their pets off as assistance animals to circumvent pet fees and restrictions.
Apartment communities across the nation are making concerted efforts to strengthen their pet-friendliness, which is both uplifting and necessary.
Residents consider pets to be part of their families, and the pandemic-fueled adoption boom has added even more pets to the rental-housing landscape.
Assistance animals qualify as one of the more complicated topics in rental housing. Operators constantly wrestle with the distinctions between service and support animals, what qualifies as legitimate documentation and how to most efficiently manage their verification processes.