Pet Friendly Housing

GETTING A PAW IN THE DOOR

When calling newspaper ads that don’t mention the pets issue, take a few minutes to ask questions about the rental property and decide if you like the sound of it. Then you have a choice: you can ask about the pets policy on the phone, or take a chance and inquire in person when you see the property.  The pros and cons are that if you are rejected on the phone, you didn’t waste anyone’s time (including yours), but you may have thrown away your chance to impress the landlord with your good manners, charm, and pet resume. On the other hand, if you make an appointment with a landlord for a private showing and bring up the pets issue then instead of beforehand, you might have one angry landlord if their policy is a rigid “no.”

Keep in mind that many landlords have preconceived ideas about pets, especially in apartments. Some of these are:

• It is cruel to keep a dog in an apartment (or inside a house!)  Some landlords believe that all dogs except the tiniest toy breed dogs belong outside or living on a farm.
• Pets are noisy and destructive.
• Pet owners cause problems with other tenants who don’t like pets.
• Pets bring fleas into a rental unit.
• Pets are dirty.

Many landlords believe that if they allow one tenant to have a pet, they will have to allow everyone to have one. Remind them gently that pet owners are not a protected class under the law, and that they may make an exclusive agreement with you, and add any special clauses they wish to a lease.

CREATING THE PET RESUME

Yes, pets can have a winning resume too! If you are approaching a landlord whose policy is unknown, a pet resume can make a difference. Here are some things to include:

• Your companion animal(s’) name, age, gender (and spay/neuter status), breed and size.
  Example:Roscoe is a 3 year old neutered male mixed boxer, who is medium-sized at 40 pounds. 
  
• Your animal’s veterinary information.
  Example: Roscoe sees Dr. Jane Jones at XYZ Animal Clinic (telephone number) once a year for routine vaccinations. He is in excellent health.
• Your animal’s flea control program. (Landlords have a concern about fleas, with good reason).
  Example:Roscoe is on a flea prevention program called Frontline Top Spot, which I purchase from XYZ Animal Clinic. Top Spot prevents fleas from living on animals, and therefore Roscoe has never had a flea problem.
• Your dog’s training. Mention that you would be happy to introduce your animal to the landlord in person in order to demonstrate his training skills and good behavior.
  Example: Roscoe attended Basic and Advanced obedience classes at XYZ Training School in (name of town). He responds to verbal commands as well as hand signals. He does not bark except a few times when someone knocks on the door. He is well socialized to strangers and children and is a therapy dog at XYZ nursing home.
• “Bathroom” concerns. Explain briefly how you deal with your animal’s bathroom needs. Landlords worry about animals not being housetrained. They probably have had bad experiences with people who left their animals alone for long periods of time, never housetrained a puppy, and kept dirty litterboxes. Maybe they had tenants who flushed litter down a toilet and clogged the drains, or let dogs run loose all over the apartment complex. You need to assure them that you are responsible.
  Example:  Fluffy uses a litterbox and has never had an accident.  I clean her litterbox out once a day and place the contents in a garbage bag, then place it in the dumpster outdoors. OR Roscoe is completely housetrained. I walk him in the park for ½ hour every morning before going to work, and I always pick up after him using plastic bags that I dispose of in the park trash cans.  I have a dog walker come in the middle of the day to walk him again, and I walk him two more times during the evening.
• Destructiveness and noise concerns. Landlords have seen it all: dogs who tore down blinds, chewed through doors and walls, ripped up floor tiles, dug trenches in yards, and scratched the paint off doors when they wanted to go out. Cats and dogs who ripped through window screens and scuffed up wood floors with their nails. Cats who sharpened their claws on wallpaper, carpeting, and wood floors. Noise issues are a big concern for landlords. The non pet-owning tenants might not like a barking dog or a cat who yowls when she’s bored and lonely.

You must address each of these concerns by explaining how you have trained, managed, or confined your pet so that such destructive and annoying behaviors can’t happen. If you trim your cat’s claws every two weeks and provide a scratching post and toys that she uses, mention that. If your dog stays in a training crate or is used to sleeping on the couch when you’re at work all day, and has no separation anxiety issues, explain that too.  Remember: some landlords may have had experience ONLY with irresponsible pet owners, and were turned off to all of us!  If your pet has lived in an apartment before and is used to the relatively limited space, noise in the hallway, elevators, mention all of this.

References - Provide the names and contact information for at least 3 people – former landlords, groomers, trainers, humane society (if you adopted or are a volunteer), neighbors – who can give you a good reference. If your pet is a therapy animal and the group you’re involved with can give you a letter, that’s great!  You can always attach copies of your pet’s recent veterinary records or your dog’s obedience certificates.  

Photos - It wouldn’t hurt to design your resume with a color Xerox of your happy, well-behaved and well-groomed pet relaxing on the couch or being hugged by a child.

Deposits - Offer to pay an extra security deposit (usually no more than $250) to cover any pet-related damages.  This will show the landlord that you are serious and responsible. Be sure you both agree, in writing, what constitutes pet-related damage before you sign anything.