Resources are available to help rental housing operators responsibly increase their pet-friendliness and potentially reap the significant rewards.
In the not-too-distant past, simply allowing pets at a rental community qualified as being “pet-friendly.” But as pet owners become increasingly discerning about where they choose to live, allowing pets only serves as a starting point.
According to a recent survey by apartment operator Cortland, pet policies are the number one consideration for dog owners seeking an apartment. Pet policies, which include pet fees and restrictions related to weight and breeds, were cited by 86% of respondents, who deemed them more critical than the cost and location of the property.
Additionally, 80% of respondents indicated they would consider moving if their current housing situation wasn’t dog friendly. Translation: Properties with non-pet-friendly policies risk losing potential pet-owning residents and stunt their ability to attract new ones.
Fortunately, resources are available to help operators increase their pet-friendliness in responsible fashion and successfully reap the significant impacts. Success stories from other operators can serve as a blueprint, as well. After outlining some crucial steps toward pet-friendliness, I’ll share an anecdote about how my company, The Management Group (TMG), put these methods to work and experienced exceedingly positive results.
Ease or Eliminate Restrictions
By now, the idea of rescinding longtime restrictions in favor of evaluating pets (and their owners) on an individual basis is at least on the radar of many rental housing operators. Some have shed weight restrictions, particularly because no concrete data exists that shows larger pets have more of a propensity to cause property damage. Properties also can consider raising the limit of pets per household, as well, assuming it’s within reason.
The most polarizing in this category, naturally, is breed restrictions. While no one advocates letting every pet into a community in a free-for-all fashion, these restrictions can be dropped responsibly by evaluating pets on a per-case basis. While tech solutions in the space can assist, operators usually pause here for two reasons—but they are both rooted in misconception. One is that insurance companies require breed bans, but this is not always the case. The other is the potential risk of upsetting residents, but research shows renter support for restrictions is not widespread.
According to the “Multifamily Pet Policies and Amenities Survey” by PetScreening and J Turner Research, only 24%of respondents actively support breed restrictions, and even fewer are in favor of weight restrictions (20%).
Accurately Track Pet Population
If you have 180 pets on the property but only 122 are accounted for, what does that mean? It means you’re losing potential pet revenue (deposit/fees) for 58 pets. For operators that do not charge for pets, it’s still a problem, because unaccounted pets create a liability risk and can pose some uncomfortable—or even dangerous—moments for maintenance teams, who expect zero (or a certain number of) pets at a home when performing a service call.
To accurately track pets onsite, properties can lean on pet-tech that ensures all residents—pet owning or otherwise—formally acknowledge a property’s policy about reporting any newly acquired or visiting pets during the initial application process.
Ensure Pet Spaces Are Up to Par
This one is often misconceived, as properties often believe they cannot compete with neighboring buildings with a pet obstacle course, photo booth and additional over-the-top, previously unseen pet attractions. While those bonus items certainly don’t hurt, they aren’t necessary to provide a representative pet-friendly experience. Internal research from TMG shows that the most important amenities and features are among the simplest—a pet park with shaded spaces and regularly stocked pet waste stations. Not all properties are blessed with an abundance of space, but most can accommodate these features.
This will help to appease fellow residents, too, as the PetScreening and J Turner Research survey showed the top complaints among non-pet-owning residents were pet waste (cited by 84%), barking (62%) and off-leash instances (37%). Regularly stocked pet waste bags will help deter unattended pet waste, and a pet park—even if small—provides a leash-free area for dogs to burn excess energy, which helps to prevent excessive barking while they’re in their homes.
Forge Partnerships with Pet-Centric Services
Exuberant pet owners are a lot like parents—they are always looking for something to entertain their “kids.” Communities can partner with local veterinarians, dog walkers, groomers or additional pet concierge-type services. Even better, they can partner with adoption agencies or shelters, which underscores the commitment to pet-friendliness. It matters to today’s renters, too, as the Cortland survey indicated that 70% of respondents are more likely to do business with a company that openly supports dog causes and charities.
TMG’s story
A few years back, we made the decision at TMG to go against industry norms by eliminating restrictions and eradicating pet fees. We also upgraded our pet amenities and partnered with a pet-tech service to tie it together. While the transformation produced significantly positive results, none were more glaring than this figure: TMG communities experienced an 80% retention rate among pet-owning residents.
The prevailing idea is that we could forgo the modest revenue earned through pet fees in exchange for the revenue recovered by not having to turn homes so frequently. As part of the pet-friendly efforts, we have more prominently included pets in our marketing materials and resident events, added more pet waste stations, regularly re-mulch dog parks and have added benches, water stations and shaded areas. As a bonus, our associates have recovered the valuable time they previously spent on processing assistance animal requests, as a pet-tech solution now handles that process.
The definition of pet-friendly undoubtedly has morphed over the past few years. While it used to mean “we allow pets,” a genuinely pet-friendly community now caters to the entire pet-owning experience. It also considers non-pet owners and helps make things easier for onsite teams.
Brooke Atsalis is the Director of Marketing and Leadership Development for The Management Group (TMG).