Why Are Some Apartments Not Pet Friendly?

We all know how frustrating it is that not every rental is pet friendly. We love animals and totally feel your pain. But why is it that owners are hesitant to allow pets in their properties?

1. Some owners simply may have had a bad experience with animals. Maybe they allowed a dog into an apartment that barked all night and caused the other tenants in the building to move out.
2. Perhaps their cat did not use a litter box.
3. They may be ALLERIGIC!

The damage that a pet can do to a unit can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars to fix. If a pet scratches carpet- they whole carpet has to be replaced! If an animal urinates on the wood floor- it could soak down into the subfloor- another costly project! There are a million reasons why owners seem to be more hesitant these days. Barre City in particular is unable to charge a deposit that is higher than rent. This makes it so that we are unable to charge a pet deposit in Barre City. Unfortunately this makes owners more apt to deny pets in a building.

If you DO live in a building that allows pets here’s how to keep the building pet friendly:

1. Do the landlord/agent a favor and bring your dog to the showing. This will allow the landlord to see that your dog is friendly and well behaved.
2. PICK UP after your pet! This is the biggest complaint that I get from other tenants and my vendors. No one wants to walk in poop. If you want to keep pets allowed in your building, get some poop bags and pick up after your pet.
3. Keep your pet up to date n vaccinations.
4. Do you best to make sure that your pet does not damage the property. If they do damage the property fix it or hire someone to fix it for you.
5. Clean the apartment when you leave. Vacuum the carpets, deodorize, and make sure that any damage that was done is fixed.
6. Have references for your pet; past landlord, vet, etc.

We all want to see more apartment buildings and owners begin to allow pets. Stick to the above rules if you are in a pet friendly building and hopefully it will rub off on other landlords. :)