Pets and Apartment Restrictions

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.

There is no disputing that apartment operators have experienced a significant increase in emotional support animal accommodation requests in recent years. These can be a source of stress for onsite teams, but they don’t have to be. Policing these requests isn’t the best solution.

Pet adoption rates have skyrocketed with the nation suddenly having much more time on its hands. Animal shelters across the nation are happily running out of pets and some are temporarily closing with no pets to tend to. That equates to a strong chance that the pet population…