As pet-friendliness increases in the apartment world, operators often mull just how significant of an impact any pet-centric initiatives create. They also wonder what types of challenges might accompany these efforts.
New data from The State of Pets in Rental Housing, a recently released report by PetScreening, helps to answer some of these questions. The report, based on a survey of 1,715 property managers and leasing professionals in multifamily and single-family rentals, provides a fresh look at some of the hot-button issues in the space.
Prior to the report, a healthy chunk of the pet-related metrics available in the industry were pre-pandemic or from shortly after, when the industry was amid a heavy adjustment period. Here is a look at some of the key findings from the report and the key takeaways from each:
Survey Result: 60.7% of single-family respondents and 46.5% of multifamily respondents indicated that having a pet-friendly property has increased resident satisfaction.
Takeaway: While pet-friendly initiatives clearly have the benefit of making rental properties more attractive to pet-owning prospects, any pet-related changes might have a mixed effect on residents. While pet-owning residents usually love any pet-centric measures, properties must keep in mind how they might affect the non-pet owners as well. When done responsibly, any changes should benefit both (such as dedicated pet areas that don’t intrude on everyday community spaces).
The idea that resident satisfaction has reportedly increased significantly in both single-family and multifamily underscores the idea that pet-friendly initiatives are achieving the desired impact. Pet-inclusive communities also often achieve higher rents, decreased vacancy, and higher renewal rates. The latter was cited by 28% of single-family respondents and 17% of multifamily respondents.
Survey Result: The top challenge cited among all respondents was unauthorized pets brought into a home. It was followed by property damage, pet waste, and navigating assistance animal requests.
Takeaway: Heightening levels of pet-friendliness is a bold move, but properties should know that it’s not as simple as a mere policy change. While the potential for property damage and the presence of pet waste are readily apparent concerns, properties can handle these by adding an addendum to their lease that pertains to pet damage and by ensuring pet-waste stations are always fully equipped with bags.
The other cited challenges are a bit more complicated. The top challenge, unauthorized pets, can be tough to conquer on the surface. After all, some residents might obtain a pet after move-in and fail to report it to the property. Others might move in with pets but fail to disclose the pets when signing the lease. Fortunately for property teams, they can partner with a provider that will help efficiently track the onsite pet population. Part of that effort includes requiring residents to formally acknowledge the community rules whether they acquire, sit, or host a visiting pet during their stay.
The challenge of navigating assistance animal requests can be handled similarly, as properties can team with a third-party source that specializes in these types of requests and the various rules and statutes surrounding them.
Survey result: The most cited pet amenities offered by respondents included pet waste stations (59%), outdoor amenities (41%), and an on-site dog park (35%).
Takeaway: These amenities might seem simple, but rental properties that provide these functional offerings are covering many bases. They are providing convenience and resources for pet owners while helping to reduce wear and tear within homes and community spaces.
Among the additional amenities cited in the survey were nearby veterinary care (offered by 28% of respondents), pet social events (24%), and pet grooming/spa (15%). While no cap should exist on the amount of pet amenities offered, properties should first concentrate on ensuring the basics are taken care of.
Survey result: Pit bull types were the most commonly restricted breed among respondents (94%) followed by several additional large breeds, including Rottweilers and Dobermans.
Takeaway: While these are commonly restricted breeds, it’s important to note that the survey did not indicate a direct correlation between the restricted breeds and increases in damages or on-site incidents. Restricted breeds are often largely due to perception, such as the belief that a big dog will naturally cause more damage to a home than a small one—even though there is no data to support that claim.
Properties have the option to eschew directly restricting specific breeds in favor of evaluating pets on an individual basis. Tech tools are available to help properties review the history of a pet and its owner before deciding whether to allow them. Under this method, properties can still opt to disallow a pet, but it wouldn’t specifically be due to breed or any other preexisting characteristic.
While increasing levels of pet-friendliness requires a measured and responsible approach, the benefits can be well worth it. These come in the form of higher resident satisfaction, decreased vacancy, increased pet revenue, stronger renewal rates, and other intangible benefits. By contrast, many properties not keeping pace with the current pet-centric trends are bound to experience the opposite.
