Become a Pet Friendly Environment

An Owner’s Best Friend
by Mindy Grill
Offering a pet-friendly environment is one way owners can attract and retain residents for the long term.
The stains, smells and noise can convince any apartment owner to avoid leasing to residents with pets. But by properly managing policies to allow animals into communities, apartment owners can make these pets their best friends.
Apartment owners who successfully implement pet policies will be pleased with residents’ renewal rates, along with their willingness to abide by the rules. Meanwhile, resident animal owners have been shown to take pride in maintaining the conditions of their apartment homes while treating their neighbors respectfully.
The unique bond that is created among animal owners helps to foster a sense of community among all residents and invaluable word-of-mouth marketing for pet-friendly communities. The results can be greater occupancy, improved cash flow and hardly a “zoo-like” atmosphere.
“I used to not allow pets at my communities, but eventually realized that I was losing almost half of my prospective resident traffic,” said Jim Stewart, President, Stewart Properties Inc., St. Louis, who spoke as part of a panel discussion on Independent Rental Owner (IRO) Best Practices at the 2008 NAA Education Conference & Exposition in June.
Many medium- to large-sized owners and management companies also have benefited from effective pet policies. Kettler Management, a McLean, Va.-based firm that serves the mid-Atlantic region, accepts pets at all of its communities. It limits breeds, not size.
“Residents who are willing to pay for their pets will take care of them,” said Cindy Clare, CPM, President, Kettler. “We have not had problems with noise or damage to the apartments any more than we do with residents that don’t have pets. It is a great source of ancillary income. We also have found a great sense of community from our pet owners and we do believe they stay longer.”
Surveys indicate that pets and apartments are ideal mates. Recent national results from numerous surveys show more than two-thirds of residents own pets. Some find that figure at more than 80 percent.
Stewart, who now allows pets at some of his communities, has a policy based on breed, not weight.
“Some of the smaller, yappy dogs can be a nuisance,” Stewart said. “But many larger ones, such as golden retrievers, are apartment-friendly because they mostly just quietly lay around.”
Stewart said one problem for owners is residents who try to sneak in pets. Leases should cover these violations, such as by listing a $100 pet fine and $10 a day thereafter. He said residents who are willing to fill out the addendum and pay the monthly fees will properly care for their pets.
Fees vary, and it’s not unusual for an apartment owner to charge a non-refundable pet deposit as well as a security deposit, plus charge an extra $15 to $50 per month in rent. (See “Pet Policy Particulars,” at right, for other details about pet policies and lease language.)
Pampered PetsThe stronger sense of community at pet-friendly communities is created when owners take the extra step by appealing to their pet owners with specialized amenities and events. Communities have hosted pet Halloween costume parades, offered goodie bags, arranged for pets to be photographed next to Santa Claus, hosted pet pool parties with doggie hot dogs and hamburgers on the menu and designated buildings as “pet-only.”
Pet-owner residents also form positive cliques within the community. “The majority of pet owners tend to be responsible people and want a clean environment,” said Valerie Covarrubias, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Riverstone Residential, A CAS Partners Company, Dallas. She said residents often remind each other to pick up after their dogs, so a lot of potential pet resident and non-pet resident complaints are solved without management being involved.
Stewart converted the under-utilized community tennis courts at some of his communities into fenced-in dog runs. When pets get dirty after being outside, pet owners can visit the indoor pet grooming area, which Stewart installed for approximately $10,000 at one of his communities. “It’s nothing more than a bathtub against a wall,” Stewart said. “But the owners—and their pets—love it.”
IRO Greg Guerrero, Apartment Services Company, Tulsa, Okla., said his communities offer most of the typical amenities—swimming pool, park, and playground and fitness room. “But the No. 1 amenity at our communities is the dog run,” he said during the NAA Education Conference session. “It’s really quite simple—just a chain-link fence built over a 50x100 foot area.”
Make Them StayTammy Kotula, Public Relations and Promotions Manager for Apartments.com, said that, according to a survey her company conducted in March 2007, more than one-third of respondents find it difficult to locate an apartment that accepts their pets. And 14 percent of the pet owners surveyed said a community’s pet policy is the first thing they consider when visiting and selecting an apartment.
One survey respondent said, “I love having a pet in my apartment because it feels more like home. The people in the entire building seem nicer and friendlier since the pets also brighten up the common areas.”
Stewart said that many residents treat their pets as if they are their children. “They won’t move anywhere without them,” he said. “So if they are happy in their apartments, they will stay longer.”
Mindy McCorkle, Operations Manager, Crosland, Charlotte, N.C., said that given this challenging economic environment, many residents are identifying those “nice-to-have” amenities that they can afford to live without. “But for pet owners, pet-friendly communities are must-haves,” she said.
Covarrubias said Riverstone Residential measures the effectiveness of its pet policies with surveys as well as its residents’ positive comments.
“It’s easy to quantify how many residents happily come into our management offices to chat with our associates who have a treat for their pets,” she said.
Diana Pittro, Executive Vice President, RMK Management, Chicago, said communities in her 9,000-unit portfolio are divided into those that do not allow pets, sites that only take cats and 30 percent that allow dogs and cats.
“Allowing dogs will keep residents longer, as they realize they don’t have to buy a home in order to own a pet,” Pittro said. “Allowing cats is generally the ideal way to go for a high-rise or a site with more empty-nesters. Cats are easy to maintain, but they do more damage to drywall and carpets.”
Marketing IdeasApartment owners should consider the following policies and events at their communities.
Doggie Adoption Day is a pet-friendly community marketing idea to consider that will bring positive publicity to a community and help animals in need, said Lisa Trosien of apartmentmarketing blog.com. Contact the local Humane Society or animal shelter and have it bring dogs for adoption. Make sure the shelter knows the community’s policies regarding weights and breeds. Communities also can try to secure public service announcements on local radio and television stations about the event.
Hire a professional pet groomer to visit the community and provide free services to residents’ pets.
hare fliers about pet-friendly communities at local veterinarians’ offices and pet stores. Allow residents who bring in the fliers to receive reduced pet deposits and/or pet fees.
Stewart Properties has a link on his Web sites marked “pets,” where residents and prospective residents can not only see what the communities have to offer four-legged friends, but also can view pictures of residents with the communities’ “Pets of the Month.”
Some owners are marketing their apartment communities as “no-pet” communities to entice residents who are either allergic or fearful of animals.
Mindy Grill is a freelance writer in Melville, N.Y. NAA’s Paul R. Bergeron III contributed additional reporting.
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Pet Policy ParticularsMost communities require residents to complete forms that include pet information such as its breed, weight, veterinarian name and whether the animal is up-to-date on its inoculations. Communities may require that all pets be spayed or neutered
Some communities ban specific breeds, such as pit bulls or rottweilers, and impose weight restrictions. Some communities allow only dogs and cats and exclude “exotic” animals, such as ferrets.
Communities should hold pet owner orientation events, complete with a well-drafted pet lease addendum and policies presented to pet owners upon the signing of their leases. Here, language that defines the penalties of violating the policies (size, number, type), in-unit and common-ground clean-up guidelines, city codes about noise, leash laws and the presence of animals on decks or patios should be explained. Also worth considering for inclusion in the lease is the apartment owner’s right to remove the pet permanently without the resident terminating the lease.
Promote cleanliness by giving clean-up bags to owners during this meeting. Owners also should consider including the right to add additional charges if subsequent pet odor, damage or fleas occur immediately after a resident has moved out.
One owner experienced added costs for sod replacement when dog owners did not walk the animals in designated areas. The firm’s policy now allows it to charge the resident back for this, especially if it is an area right outside his or her patio door.
Sources: Mary Gwyn, CPM, Apartment Dynamics, and various.
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Pets on the WebApartment search Web site PeopleWithPets, which connects pet owners to pet-friendly communities with vacancies, receives more than 1.5 million hits each month, according to site owner Alex Dobrow.
Apartments.com reported 11 million searches for pet friendly apartments on its Web site in 2008. Its survey said the number of communities that allow pets in the categories of dog, large dog and cat increased approximately 9.25 percent in 2008 over 2007, with a noticeable increase in those allowing large dogs. —M.G.