Finding a pet-friendly apartment can be harder than finding designer dog food on clearance that hasn’t reached its expiration date. Often the pet-friendly pad can be found, but at a price: fees that stretch your wallet to the breaking point.
Still, it can be done even if the dog that needs a home is the size of a couch.
Looking For Pet-Friendly ResidencesMost apartment-hunting websites, such as Rent.com or Apartments.com can reach from mid-size suburbs to metropolitan areas. Most of the major apartment websites and booklets have either a search option or comparison charts which will clear out the options that allow for pets.
However, many of the apartments that currently allow pets, including large pets, are set on a wide-area property to allow for dog-letting or they may be in older buildings that are in need of upgrading. Beware of these buildings that they are not in poorer areas or mismanaged.
If side-by-side comparisons are not available, look up local parks in your area. You may be able to find smaller apartment buildings that are may not advertise in the larger publications but due to their proximity to parks and nature-oriented attractions, the buildings will allow dogs. Apartment hunters should take a drive around these areas, which may reveal more than a Web or print search ever could.
Moving to a small town?
The best way to find a home that will allow pets is to check local listings. Apartment hunters should search the town’s newspaper, either online or buy a print, weekend, edition. Many for-rent properties will state in the ad if they allow pets or not. Too often, a landlord, especially those with few or smaller units may have been burned by pet-wielding renters in the past. However, don’t rule out all apartments that have classified themselves as N/P. Taking a meeting with the landlord and touring the apartment may allow for the discussion to open. If the subject is approached correctly, quickly present the reasons why a renter and their pet won’t cause more trouble than they are worth.
Present the pet’s age and (assuming they are excellent) habits as proof that allowing pets will retain the property’s quality as well as not annoying neighbors. Often, the smaller landlord will allow a pet if potential renters are able to prove it won’t leave them with property damage or a log of neighbor complaints in the end.
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