Los Angeles Cozies Up to Renters With Pets
The City Council recently approved a motion to encourage landlords to accept pets, preventing renters from having to give up their furry friends—or to pass on an otherwise perfect pad in the midst of an ever-tightening rental market.
The city’s goal: work with area landlords and other stakeholders to find ways to allow more renters to adopt and keep animals. There’s nothing legally binding in the motion so far. But the idea is to give a break to renters while also sending fewer felines and canines into the animal shelter system, according to the LAist.
To pet mavens in the City of Angels, it comes not a moment too soon. Almost two-thirds of the more than 2 million rental properties in Los Angeles prohibit domestic animals, according to the City Council motion. This is on the low side of big city pet love in the U.S. In Denver, for example, 98% of apartment complexes allow cats while 93% permit small dogs and 66% accept large dogs, according to the motion.
About 8 million animals end up in shelters each year, according to a 2009 American Humane Society survey of shelters in 93 cities. Pet parents moving to a new home was the No. 1 reason that these creatures wind up in shelters, while landlords prohibiting pets came in at No. 4.
“When looking for places to live, it’s crucial to ask if the prospective home allows you to bring your animal companions with you,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals spokeswoman Katie Arth said in a statement.
But animal-friendly homes are at a premium, and renters have tried a variety of sneaky ways to bypass the system, according to Los Angeles Realtor® John A. Lucy of Keller Williams Realty. He’s seen desperate owners attempt to sneak in and consistently hide their pets (“Hey, why is your tote bag whining?”), or claim they are service animals.
And even some pet-friendly landlords will accept only cats or small dogs, says Los Angeles Realtor Maria Norris of The Rental Girl. Or they may change their dog-accepting ways once other tenants complain, or when the cuddly creature leaves a non-neighborly gift one too many times in common areas.
This makes it harder for her clients to find homes—often paying more each month or giving up on their dreams of amenities such as high ceilings or extra bedrooms.
“It’s a challenge for tenants with pets,” Norris said. “You may have to concede something else to simply find a place.”
Source: realtor.com
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