Apartment residents, like people everywhere, are absolutely crazy about their pets. Although it may sound cliché, renters feel like their dogs and cats truly are members of their families. The bond between owner and pet is unmistakable.
As apartment operators slowly abandon antiquated pet policies in favor of forward-thinking procedures that reflect the preferences of the modern-day renter, pet owners and non-pet owners tend to agree on several issues that conventional wisdom suggests they’d typically be divided on.
When non-pet owners were asked what their top three pet-related concerns are, it wasn’t fear, aggression or biting that topped the list. It was nuisance issues such as pet waste, excessive barking and unleashed dogs that perturb them the most.
While 76% of operators identify their property as being pet-friendly, a staggering 72% of renters say that pet-friendly housing is hard to find. As these numbers seem to contradict one another, finding the cause of this disconnect is crucial to creating a community that is pet-inclusive.
Property management is a liability-rich endeavor. So much so that the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI) offers a Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) course, and there is one full module on risk management. The CAM program is worth your consideration.
Survey data indicates that an overwhelming 71% of residents support charging higher pet fees for irresponsible pet ownership. This includes failure to pick up after pets and repeated off-leash instances. It also factors in pet misbehavior, such as incessant barking and aggressive behavior.
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.
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.
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.