Welcoming pets is essentially a requirement these days for any rental community aiming to attract the general population. Otherwise, only 34% of households—those of the pet-free variety—would be eligible to live there.
While opening the doors to furry friends is a noble first step, property teams have much to consider as part of the initiative.
Here are some of the challenges and obstacles pet-friendly communities are sure to encounter—and advice for how to overcome them.
Keeping the Community Clean
A surge in the pet population means increased pet waste and additional wear and tear in hallways and outdoor common areas. To help ensure a pet-responsible environment for all residents and visitors, property teams should take steps to help keep the community clean.
First and foremost, that means keeping pet-waste stations stocked with bags, particularly near pet parks or other high-travel zones for pets. Additionally, teams should constantly offer friendly reminders to residents about the importance of picking up after their pets. Properties continuing to experience difficulties in this area can consider adopting a doggie DNA matching solution, as oftentimes the mere presence of such a service deters residents from leaving pet waste unattended.
Managing Assistance Animals
This can be a stressor for on-site teams, who probably weren’t hired due to their expertise in the differences between service animals and emotional support animals (ESAs), or the various nuances of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines.
Navigating reasonable accommodation requests for assistance animals requires a firm understanding of all of the above, as property teams must determine if each request contains sufficient information and meets the requirements. This often is not the case, as some residents will attempt to pass off regular pets as assistance animals or do not possess sufficient documentation for those who are.
While studying the HUD guidelines is a solid start, operators can consider outsourcing their assistance animal processes to third-party services that utilize a team of experts to process the requests.
Pricing Pet-Related Fees Fairly
Pets certainly have the propensity to cause wear and tear and occasional damage to a rental home. As such, charging a pet deposit or monthly pet rent is certainly justifiable, and most pet-owning residents are happy to pay it in exchange for the pet being welcome at the property.
That said, this shouldn’t be a fee that gouges residents or something that operators view as an explosive boost to the ancillary revenue stream. Excessive pet charges, after all, can incentivize individuals to present fake ESA requests. Properties should research the market rate for pet fees and consider matching that or even going a bit lower for the sake of pet-friendliness, which might serve as a deterministic factor for some renters when choosing their next home.
Tracking the Pet Population
Odds are the number of pets registered in a property management system differs from the number of pets living at the community. And odds are that the recorded number is several pets short. This disparity is not good for the property, because untracked pets can serve as a liability hazard and decrease the reasonable amount of revenue gleaned from any pet-related fees. It can also serve as an unpleasant surprise to maintenance workers who anticipate entering a pet-free home on a service call only to encounter a protective dog or claw-wielding cat.
Technology is available to incorporate a digital pet addendum into the application process, in which all prospective residents—pet-owning or otherwise—formally acknowledge the requirement to report any pets they acquire or sit for during their residency.
Pet-owning residents account for a hefty portion of the rental demographic, and communities that don’t cater to them will lose out on a significant chunk of potential residents. While pet-friendliness is something of a prerequisite in the modern landscape, operators must be ready for the challenges that accompany the initiative. Following the steps above will help produce a pet-responsible property for everyone.
