Why more apartments welcome pets

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The pooch has become a player in the ever-lengthening list of amenities offered to residents by apartment buildings and condos.

New multifamily developments invariably have a dog-friendly area and a dog washing room in the basement or garage to help keep the animal world and the lobby clean. Many buildings allow for pets, make physical changes to accommodate dogs and charge extra because of the wear and tear even the laziest pets create.

Good reasons abound for allowing pets. A study by the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative showed more than 90% of pet owners and property owners agree pets are a significant asset for residents and multifamily buildings. Property owners say pet-friendly vacancies fill faster and residents stay 21% longer than those without pets, the equivalent of 10 months.

Yet despite the report’s findings that residents and owners understand pets make their owners’ lives healthier and more fulfilling, a mere 8% of rental housing is pet-friendly. The report also estimates that at least 2.5 million renters have unapproved pets, leaving landlords with $1.5 billion in unpocketed deposits and fees.

Cecil Smith, president and CEO of the Minnesota Multifamily Housing Association, said pet-friendly amenities have become a standard offering. “It’s a given on any new [building] that they are pet friendly, especially dog friendly — no slight to cat lovers, but we are dog cities.” Millennials have dogs before they have kids, he said, and property owners have responded to that demand with dog-friendly attributes, including dog-walking areas with specialized surfaces.

Architects and designers have incorporated dog parks in proximity to outdoor pool patio areas, Smith said. The dog craze is not just about responding to the market: Building owners have an opportunity to charge residents one-time registration and monthly fees for pets, creating a new revenue stream, he said.

Smith said that dogs can damage floors, walls and dog park grounds, and irresponsible or inattentive owners can create additional work for maintenance crews by not picking up doggy poo. As a result, some apartments have instituted DNA testing of dogs to track those with owners who do not clean up their messes.

Smith believes that at least half of the new apartment buildings have a DNA policy to catch miscreant dog owners. It’s a problem with a solution, at least in multifamily living. Despite the occasional issue, dogs and cats are part of the multifamily landscape.

Allowing for dogs and cats has become “mainstream” and one of the many “high profile amenities people look for when they’re looking to find a new home,” Smith said.

StuartCo’s marketing director, Beth Rydeen, said the pandemic played a role in residents adding pets to lessen the isolation. Some tenants leased larger units, moving from a studio to a one or two-bedroom, as they began working from home. And then they added pets to the mix.

“A lot of people were adding a pet to their lives just for company and to deal with the isolation that all of us encountered,” she said. “I think pets are therapeutic and give residents company during a tough time. So we’ve seen their numbers increase.”

Newer StuartCo projects have dog parks and washing stations, she said, citing the 284-unit Riverview at Upper Landing in St. Paul as a good example. The apartment has easy access to a nearby city dog park and a washing station on its premises.

Tenants see signage telling them where they can go and where they cannot go, to stay off landscaping and to clean up after their pets do their business, Rydeen said.

She said that most apartment buildings either accept pets or prohibit them. Riverview remains different in providing select units for people without animals. Those apartments, however, have languished. “We know people who are out there want pet-free units, but we just don’t know how to market them yet,” Rydeen said.

Tenants pay for the privilege of hosting pets. StuartCo charges a $200 to $250 pet deposit and a monthly fee of $30 for cats and $40 for dogs, although these costs are approximate and differ from property to property. Breed and weight restrictions apply. Some residents have their dogs “certified,” allowing for easier approval by property owners, she said.

DNA testing is required at least one company property, Parker Station Flats in Robbinsdale. However, Rydeen said most pet owners “are respectful” of rules by keeping dogs off landscaping and cleaning up after them, plastic bags in hand.

Kali Jurgenson, leasing professional at the 280-unit NordHaus Apartments in Minneapolis, said tours of the building include stopping at the outdoor dog agility course and turf area on the third-floor amenity deck. In addition, an indoor dog run connects to the “dog spa” with washing stations and blow dryers for more stylish canines.

Pet owners pay a $350 nonrefundable deposit and a monthly charge of $30 for cats and $50 for dogs. Residents are required to leash dogs when on the premises and leashed dogs are welcome to visit, she said. However, if their stay begins to represent days rather than hours, the apartment management reserves the right to add dogs or cats who overstay their welcome to the renter’s lease.

NordHaus’s dog-friendly environment attracted many residents. “Our pet amenities are pretty important here,” Jurgenson said. “We have big areas and multiple areas for residents and dogs to run around and play. I know some residents will schedule play dates and specific times that they’ll meet so like their dogs can play and hang out.”

For property owners looking to add animals to the amenity list, the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative suggests having a screening process, pet agreement, a limitation on the number of pets (generally one to two per unit) and areas for pets. Other experts say building owners should impose weight limits and require vaccinations, identification collars and licenses if municipalities require them. (Dog owners must register their animals in Minneapolis, St. Paul and several suburbs.)

The next pet trend is hard to forecast outside of dogs and cats. Smith studies what kinds of animals cities license. Minneapolis licenses ferrets and chickens, for example. St. Paul is on the chicken wagon but also asks residents to own up if they harbor pigeons, bees, traditional farm animals, reptiles and other species.

Whether apartment owners will be creating future ferret farms or chicken coops next to their amenity decks will be a question for the future.