By Karen Aho of MSN Real Estate
Trying to find a rental with a pet is enough to make you howl. It's exasperating, particularly if you have a dog that's bigger than Paris Hilton's handbag.
The knee-jerk "no pets" or "only dogs under 25 pounds" tag easily pops up on three-quarters of apartment listings. And those landlords who don't imagine Buddy as the Tasmanian Devil instead see dollar signs, tacking on extraneous fees and pet rents that can add $1,000 a year or more to the cost of housing.
Many renters just give up. Often citing moving as a reason, people drop off between 6 million and 8 million pets annually at U.S. shelters. Of those, a combined 3 million dogs and cats — 8,200 per day — are euthanized each year.
"It's devastating," says Allie Phillips, director of public policy for the American Humane Association.
"These rules have consequences."
But there is good news. Attitudes — or at least circumstances — are shifting. Large apartment companies have made pet accommodations almost commonplace, and more independent managers are now considering giving it a try.
No better time for pet-loving renters
Some of the change in the approach to pets comes after years of landlord and tenant education efforts by animal groups, such The Humane Society of the United States’ Pets for Life program, or the Dumb Friends League’s Pets Are Welcome program, which offers Colorado landlords free behavioral assistance for their furry tenants.
But much is due to market forces. The number of American households that now include pets has climbed to 71.1 million, or 63%, with surveys estimating that between half and three-quarters of renters either have or want pets. Among pet owners, the largest chunk, 63%, own at least one dog.
Given the demand, apartment corporations have learned they can rent units more quickly and rake in more cash simply by allowing dogs and cats. When they're able to, big players such as Archstone and AIMCO (the Apartment and Investment Management Co.) will charge a $50 monthly pet rent and a $400 nonrefundable fee, on top of the extra security deposit. These property owners are praising their four-legged tenants all the way to the bank. (AIMCO reported a net income of $415 million in 2008.)
And independent owners, more interested in retaining tenants and less likely to charge such fees, have been increasingly opening their doors the last two years as they struggle with oversupply and high vacancy rates. Anything is better than letting a unit sit empty.
"It's never been a better time to be a pet owner and be in the market for an apartment," says Maurice Ortiz, marketing director for the Apartment People, an apartment brokerage in Chicago. "Managers are being extremely flexible."
But there's a big kink in the leash ahead. Market forces are tenuous: When the economy rebounds and those renters who are now doubling up with roommates increase the tenant pool, many independent managers could reverse course. It's simply easier not to deal with the extra hassle of pets.
Buddy may be your best friend (owners in one survey said that if stranded on an island they'd rather have their pet along than another person), but animals — unlike toddlers, college students, wannabe rock stars and other human apartment-dwellers — are not a protected class under fair housing laws (with the exception of animals that aid the disabled).
So while now is a great time to negotiate on behalf of you and your pet, do so wisely and with an eye to keeping the door open for the next guy and his dog.
"Even if you're an animal lover, you've got to look at it from the business side," says Cheryl Lang, founder of No Paws Left Behind, which finds homes for pets abandoned because of foreclosure. "You've got to have something in it for (landlords), or they're just not going to do it."
In the leasing business, that means demonstrating to owners that they can easily expand their pool of high-quality tenants by including those with pets. In fact, in what may be the only published study on the topic, a 2003 survey by the Foundation for Interdisciplinary Research and Education Promoting Animal Welfare (FIREPAW) found that the average worst damage in apartments with pets totaled $430, an amount almost always covered by the regular security deposit and at least $100 less than the average damage in apartments with children.
But owners need to see it for themselves. So here are 10 tips to help prove your case:
1. Be a good pet owner
This should go without saying, but let's say it anyway. Before applying for an apartment, ask yourself if you know how to keep the cat from spraying and the dog from wailing in that home. Consult your local shelter for training classes (as low as $10) or use online resources, such as these guides at the Dumb Friends League. It's your job to provide the right care, attention and exercise.
2. Sympathize with the owner's concerns
Apartments have different reasons for prohibiting pets. Some tenants might be allergic. Some owners might subscribe to the once-common sentiment that animals are dirty and belong outside. It's their property; you have to respect their position.
But other owners quit allowing pets after one or two bad experiences or have never allowed them (in the FIREPAW survey, 37% who didn't allow pets never had). They don't know how to screen for responsible pet tenants, or that it's even possible.
Many borrow gratuitous policies without even knowing why. Take the ubiquitous restriction by a dog's weight, which some mistakenly associate with temperament.
"For some reason, people tend to think that a small dog is going to cause a lot less damage and be a lot quieter than a large dog," says Ortiz, the apartment broker. "It's actually totally the opposite."
Even so, owners are legitimately concerned about their tenants and their property. Acknowledge that there are bad pet owners out there. Be sympathetic to their past problems. Then describe exactly how you've prevented such occurrences in the past.
3. Narrow your search
Try checking that "dog" or "cat" box in online apartment listings first. A growing number of sites cater to pet-friendly rentals, such as PeopleWithPets.com but many link to big apartment companies with hefty fees. For smaller properties, check the Web sites at shelters, kennel clubs and humane societies.
4. Ask anyway
Some landlords who don't advertise that they accept pets will negotiate. So go ahead and ask. Property owners may get testy, but it also clues them into the demand, which could nudge their position later.
"I always like the personal touch," says Rich Avanzino, president of Maddie’s Fund, a pet-rescue foundation. "I would ask for an appointment with the landlord. I would ask for an opportunity to have the landlord meet the pet."
Encourage the landlord to bring a checklist of questions about the pet, and show up with a well-groomed, well-behaved animal. Landlords own pets, too, and can get a sense of how well you care for yours.
"My guess is a responsible tenant is a responsible pet owner and vice versa," says Avanzino, who developed a successful screening program with apartment managers in San Francisco. "In today's market, (landlords are) looking for the tenant who is going to stay put for a while and who is going to pay the rent."
5. Put together Buddy's résumé
Yes, it's actually called a pet résumé and, yes, it does work.
Beverly Ulbrich, owner of The Pooch Coach, a dog-training school in San Francisco, wrote one to help a friend with two cats during a tight rental market and included information about the friend, too.
"Landlords proactively called her trying to get her to rent, because no one else did that," Ulbrich says. "It made her memorable and showed that she had her act together."
It's really about demonstrating your pedigree as a responsible human. You can do a search for pet résumés to find examples; here are some from the San Francisco SPCA . Basically, you include:
- Veterinary documents that demonstrate regular care and up-to-date shots. Add if your pet has been spayed or neutered, because this can minimize some behavioral issues.
- A description of your preventative treatment regimen for fleas, heartworm, etc.
- An explanation of what Kitty or Buddy does all day. Is he alone? Does he stay in a crate or on a pad in the living room? Does he get lonely? Does a dog walker visit or do you come home and exercise him? Does Kitty have good toys to scratch instead of the wall-to-wall carpet? Are you fanatic about cleaning up spills?
- Buddy's diplomas from both undergraduate and graduate doggie school. OK, so, it's not university, really. But if you don't have that old certificate from dog-training class, or you trained Buddy yourself, think about obtaining a certificate from the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program, which requires your dog to pass a 10-step test. It just gives the landlord that extra reassurance that your pooch knows the basics.
6. Bring references
You wouldn't go to a job interview without references, right? That's just how to treat it. Get a note and contact number from a former landlord or neighbor. "That really goes a long way, especially when it goes from one landlord to another," Ortiz says.
7. Offer to pay an extra deposit
Many states limit the security deposit a landlord can require to one or two months' rent, but landlords often ask for less. It helps if you can offer more. Good landlords know that deposits, which are refundable, serve as the best incentive for renters to take good care of the property. If you don't have the money upfront, offer to pay installments.
8. Offer to buy renters insurance
Many owners are concerned about their liability if your pet injures another tenant. If you have renters insurance, the liability portion should cover injuries caused by your pet. Victims have a far better chance of winning a claim against the pet owner and will typically come after you, not the landlord.
Furthermore, proving to the landlord that your dog is safe is in itself protection for the landlord. In general, a landlord would be liable for your dog's behavior only if he knew, or should have known, that there was a dangerous animal on the premises and did not take action to control or remove it.
Check with your insurer to be certain that your policy will cover injuries, and to an adequate extent. If not, some companies also sell dog liability insurance, for added or separate coverage.
Renters insurance may also cover damage to another unit or to common property, but policies differ. Again, check with your insurer beforehand.
And of course, renters insurance also provides general liability and property coverage for you. (See "4 reasons renters insurance is critical.") In 2006, renters insurance cost an average of $189 per year, the latest data available. (For the cost by state, see this report from the Insurance Information Institute.)
9. Factor in long-term costs
Many smaller building owners don't impose nonrefundable pet fees (in many states they're illegal) and shy away from additional pet rent, unless the tenant prefers it to an additional security deposit. They want to keep tenants and to encourage them to keep the unit clean.
Apartment companies that do charge fees and monthly pet rents generally don't want your pets to stay. It is a disincentive, and some will privately admit that they don't wants pets.
If you don't want to move, remember that after five years a $50 monthly pet rent totals $3,000. That's a lot of vet bills.
10. Be a good representative of the pet-owning species
Don't leave wary owners any room to complain about pets because of your own mess.
"When you leave an apartment, leave it really spiffy, because we're trying to create a momentum that we're the best tenants in town," says Avanzino, president of a pet-rescue foundation.
