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TIPS FOR RENTERS WITH PETS
Advice for Apartment Hunters
Links to on-line Pet-Friendly Listings
More Help and Information
Reasonable Rules for Canine Tenants
Information Packets for Landlords and Tenants
How You Can Help
TIPS
FOR RENTERS WITH PETS
Advice
for Apartment Hunters
u
Your difficulty finding rental housing
will be related to how tight the market is in your locale.
Where vacancy rates are extremely low, it is easy for
landlords to say “no pets.” Be prepared for your search
to take longer. In most cities, pet-friendly apartments
are scarcest in the middle-range rents. It gets somewhat
easier at the higher end of the market.
u
“Cats OK” rentals are far more plentiful
than dog-welcome options. Dogs over 25 lbs. are especially
hard. Certain breeds (Rottweilers, German Shepherds,
American Staffordshire Terriers/Pitbulls, Dobermans,
Boxers, Chows) are almost impossible due in part to
insurance company liability restrictions.
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Single-family houses are usually easier
to obtain than apartments in large multi-unit buildings.
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Call local humane societies. Many now
maintain lists of pet-friendly landlords.
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Dealing directly with the landlord (rather
than an agent or property manager) is better, as the
owner is more likely to make a case-by-case decision
as to a tenant with animals. For this reason, a flat
in an owner-occupied two- or three-family house can
be a good possibility.
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Offer, up-front, an additional security
deposit for the pets. Emphasize your confidence in
your pets' ability to be model tenants and your high
standards of guardianship and care.
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Prepare a "pet resume" for each
animal. Attach vaccination records, obedience school
diplomas, licenses, Canine Good Citizen Certificate
– whatever reinforces your case as a conscientious owner.
Especially in markets where this is not standard practice,
it impresses the potential landlord.
u Supply reference letters from your prior landlords along with their addresses and phone numbers.
u Be charming and friendly. Don’t be argumentative.
Show absolutely adorable snapshots of your fuzzy darlings.
u
Offer to introduce your animals to the
landlord. If you are moving locally, invite the prospective
landlord to visit you and your pets in your current
apartment. (Very rarely will you be taken up on this,
but you may score points for offering.)
u
Make sure the lease reflects permission
to keep pets. Verify that all signed copies have been
amended, if necessary. Do not rely on an oral agreement.
Final
advice: Do not give up!
Present yourself
as a super-responsible and attractive tenant. When
you do land a rental, be sure to live up to that standard,
always picking up after your dog and making sure that
your animals are not only a joy to you but are never
a nuisance to your neighbors. Noise, damage and waste
removal are reasonable concerns for property owners
and other tenants. Remember, it’s the bipedal tenant,
not the quadruped who is responsible. You owe it
to your landlord, your neighbors, and yourself not
to give them grounds for complaint. Most of all,
you owe it to your animal(s) because it is they who
pay the ultimate price of the shortage of pet-friendly
housing. By being a model tenant, you and your pets
will help open doors for us all.
GOOD LUCK!
TIPS
FOR RENTERS WITH PETS
Links
to On-line Pet-Friendly Listings
For
apartment or townhouse-type developments, several websites
allow you to search for pet-friendly listings.
·
www.petapartments.net
(customized search by town)
·
www.springstreet.com
(apartment section of www.Homestore.com)
·
www.apartments.com
(searchable by cats, small dogs, all dogs)
·
www.peoplewithpets.com
(34 metro areas, plus possible help in others)
Call 888-293-PETS or email Alex Dobrow at topdog@peoplewithpets.com
TIPS
FOR RENTERS WITH PETS
More
Help and Information
u Check
the Humane Society of the United States housing website:
www.rentwithpets.org for landlord/tenant hints, sample resumes, and links
to apartment locator websites by state, city. Also
available from HSUS is 13 Steps
to Finding Rental Housing that Accepts Pets:
A Guide for Pet Owners. You can also order a copy of the booklet from: Pets for Life, HSUS, 2100 L St.
NW, Washington, DC 20037.
u Best Friends for Life: Humane Housing for Animals and
People,
DORIS DAY ANIMAL LEAGUE, 2001, provides an
excellent -- thorough and understandable -- explanation
of rights, responsibilities, and laws pertaining to
renters with companion animals. Available for download here.
u www.mspca.org: Click on Pet Owners and Pets in Housing for “Guidelines for Responsible Pet Ownership”
and other useful information.
u Find
out how your dog can be certified as a Canine Good Citizen.
See http://www.akc.org/events/cgc
for information about the Canine Good Citizen program
and to find the nearest evaluator. Or call for a booklet:
919-852-3875. Many dog trainers offer classes specifically
geared to passing this 10-step test, but no course is
required. You can easily prepare your dog on your own.
u For
information and assistance on housing and other issues:
Animal Legal Defense Fund, 127 4th St., Petaluma,
CA 94952-3005. Phone 707-769-7771 ext. 10. FAX 707-769-0785.
http://www.aldf.org/resources/details.php?id=76
for advice on landlord/tenant disputes.
u Ruth
Smiler is an “Animal-Affirmative Housing Advocate” who
can provide consulting and mediation services to tenants
and landlords to help resolve or prevent animal-related
disputes. Contact her ruth@mannersforlife.com
u HPC Apartment guides for 120 markets nationally can be ordered by calling (800) 551-2787.
REASONABLE
RULES FOR CANINE TENANTS
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Dog will never be left outside or unattended.
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Dog will be leased or under voice control at all times when entering and exiting the tenant's apartment and building, and in outdoor areas of the property.
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Petkeeper will pick up and dispose of all solid waste left by the dog both on the premises and off.
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Excessive barking, whining, or howling
will not be tolerated. “Excessive” is defined as longer
in duration than 10 minutes, or 5 minutes of continuous
barking more than three times a day.
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Dog will not be left alone in apartment
for periods longer than 6 hours unless it can be demonstrated
that the animal is capable of more extended times.
In no case will the period be greater than 10 hours.
If the human tenant’s schedule requires absences from
home of longer duration, he/she will engage a petwalker
to take the dog out during the day, or arrange for off-premises
“doggie daycare.”
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Dog will be bathed and groomed as necessary.
An effective flea and parasite control program is required.
Information
Packets for Landlords and Tenants
uHumane
Society of Denver, Inc.
Denver Dumb Friends League
2080
S. Quebec St.
Denver,
CO 80231-3298
(303)
696-4941 x308
www.ddfl.org
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uLos Angeles SPCA
5026
W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los
Angeles, CA 90016-3925
(323)
730-5300
spcala@aol.com
www.spcala.org |
uHawaiian Humane Society
2700
Waialae Ave.
Honolulu,
HI 98626
(808)
946-2187
FAX
(808) 955-6034
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uMassachusetts SPCA
350
S. Huntington Ave.
Boston,
MA 02130
(617)
522-7400
www.mspca.org |
uThe Humane Society at Lollypop Farm
P.O.
Box 299
99
Victor Rd.
Fairport,
NY 14450
(716)
223-1330
www.lollypop.org
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uPeninsula Humane Society
12
Airport Blvd.
San
Mateo, CA 94401
(650)
340-7022
www.peninsulahumanesociety.org |
uHumane Society of the United States
2100
L Street NW
Washington,
DC 20037
(202)
452-1100
www.rentwithpets.org
|
uSan Francisco SPCA
Project
Open Door
2500
16th St.
San
Francisco, CA 94103
(415)
554-3000
www.sfspca.org |
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TENANTS
How
You can Help
Good,
animal-welcoming landlords deserve the support and encouragement
of all animal advocates. Cherish your good relationship.
Be a model tenant and a model of responsible pet ownership
at all times. If you have a current or previous landlord
that you can recommend, please tell us. MAC will be
compiling a statewide directory of animal-friendly landlords,
developers, and rental property managers. We are committed
to helping enhance the public esteem of these people.
They are our allies in the goal of increasing the number
of homes for animals in our state.
Please
address your feedback, ideas, comments to:
Thank
you!
The landlord and tenant information for this website
have been supplied courtesy of Ruth Smiler ruth@mannersforlife.com
TIPS FOR LANDLORDS |
