A recent survey of renters by a national apartment listing service indicates that more than 84 percent of respondents own at least one pet and that although locating an apartment that allows pets may take some extra time, there are many options available for renters.
More than a third of survey respondents said it was very difficult to find an apartment that allowed pets, according to the survey’s conductor, Apartments.com. However, more than eighty-five percent of respondents said they now live in an apartment property that permits pets.
The March 2007 survey also found that 67 percent of the properties that allow pets require a pet deposit or other pet-related fee. Also, pet owners should be prepared to pay additional fees for securing against pet-related damages to their apartment: 28 percent of renters surveyed stated that pet deposits were preferable to pet rent fees.
In addition, 14 percent of dog and cat owners say that a community’s pet policy is the first thing they consider when visiting and selecting an apartment.
According to the Apartments.com search data, the most popular states for pet searches are:
- Colorado
- Oregon
- Washington
- Kansas
- New Hampshire
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Missouri
- Ohio
- Minnesota
Search data reflects the number of March 2007 pet searches compared to all searches by state on Apartments.com.
Of the renters that do not have a pet, more than 63 percent plan to have one in the future and more than 32 percent of renters said they are currently without a pet because of pet restrictions at their community, according to the survey.