Then teams can make a determination based on the individual case rather than any preexisting characteristics. Restrictions should be eased with a measured approach, and properties should screen pets and pet owners on an individual basis to determine where they rank on a risk threshold. To be clear, communities should not be advised to haphazardly eliminate restrictions and simply see what happens. In a survey 53 percent of residents are against breed restrictions.

This can easily be confirmed by reviewing the actual policy and, if the provider does indeed have breed restrictions, operators then can try shopping for new policy providers that do not. But more and more cases are occurring in which operators are discovering that their property-insurance providers do not require breed restrictions to be in place onsite. Insurance concerns are another reason that communities often balk at easing or eliminating breed restrictions. When the same question was asked but for weight restrictions, residents answered along similar lines - 56 percent of residents are against them, and 24 percent are indifferent, while only 20 percent support them. In fact, 53 percent of residents are against breed restrictions, and 23 percent are indifferent (“don’t care”), leaving only 24 percent of residents who are in favor of breed restrictions. But according to the Pet Policies and Amenities Survey by PetScreening and J Turner Research, a minority of residents actively support them. Most often, property teams fear that they will alienate residents by rescinding these restrictions. In fact, starting in 2019, many apartment operators began to rescind the standard 45- to 50-pound weight limit.īreed restrictions, naturally, are a touchier topic.

Weight restriction is an easy one to shed, as no data supports that larger pets cause any more damage than smaller pets. However, innovative operators are beginning to rethink them as they take measures to cater to the ever-increasing pet-owning demographic, which is edging toward 70 percent of residents, according to several sources. Weight and breed restrictions have long been standard in the industry.

What does a truly pet-friendly apartment community look like in the modern apartment landscape? Here are a few of the ways operators have shed antiquated policies and shifted their overall approaches to be more pet-centric:Įasing restrictions Breed and weight restrictions are a touchy subject for many landlords and pet owners. Data supports the ideas that shedding restrictions might not be as off-putting to residents or difficult to implement as one might initially surmise, and that increasing pet-related amenities might not be a bank-breaker. Communities with rigid policies are not only falling behind from the standpoint of appearing attractive to pet-owning residents, but also leaving an abundance of potential revenue on the table.

Pet weight limit apartment