Like any industry, residential building operators saw their entire work lives change in a matter of weeks at the onset of the pandemic. There were obstacles aplenty. Managers had to adjust to working with smaller property management teams—or in some cases, with teams almost exclusively offsite.
The recently unveiled Multifamily Pet Policies and Amenities survey, conducted by PetScreening and J Turner Research and featuring the feedback of nearly 23,000 apartment residents, found that non-pet-owning residents are reasonably agreeable with a community’s pet population.
Taken as a whole, the multifamily industry isn’t exactly known for moving with lightning-fast speed to implement new technology and processes. But in 2020, operators across the country had to do just that. Managers had to turn on a dime and find new ways to serve prospects and residents.
At many apartment communities, rules pertaining to pet size are written as clearly as the “no parking” restrictions in handicapped spaces. But unlike the latter, the pet-size restrictions don’t make very much sense. The perception is that larger breeds will inherently cause more damage.
For decades, pet policies were something of a cookie-cutter concept at apartment communities: Only certain breeds, only certain sizes and a limit of one or two pets per household. Those standard policies, have become antiquated as pet owners constitute one of the fastest growing segments in rental housing.
Don’t let the bad actors ruin a good thing. The benefits of emotional support animals are rampant in the apartment industry, yet a small percentage of pet owners who submit insufficient assistance animal accommodation requests cloud the perception.
While breeds are most commonly restricted due to their perceived propensity for aggression, restrictions regarding size are just as prevalent. Large breeds often find themselves on restricted lists simply because they usually exceed 50 pounds.
The multifamily world is using newfound data when exploring ways to modify longstanding practices for the benefits of pets, residents and the bottom line. Advances in pet technology have made this possible and things are trending in the right direction.
Multifamily owners and operators have been put to the test like never before due to the pandemic-induced economic fallout. Pegasus Residential recently announced it would expand into new markets like Denver and Salt Lake City, with the company already managing more than 33,000 units across 40 markets.
It’s often the attention to the little things that keeps everything on an even keel at apartment communities. Residents depend on seemingly minor conveniences to help them stick to their daily routines. They build dependencies on those services that have been ingrained into our daily structure.