Why the Most Successful Communities Are Rethinking Their Pet Policies
Arlene Mayfield Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing
For years, pet policies in multifamily housing focused on minimizing risk, often by restricting the number, size, or breed of pets to protect communities from potential liability. But the role pets play in our lives has evolved. With over two-thirds of U.S. households now owning a pet, and annual spending averaging $1,500 per household, pets are central to the modern family. 2 Today’s renters see themselves as pet parents, not just owners, and communities recognizing this shift are gaining a clear 1
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4 The Performance Impact of Pet-Inclusive Policies Across the country, I’ve seen that pet-inclusive communities are among the strongest performers. Occupancy is higher, retention longer, and ancillary revenue stronger. In 2024, properties implementing pet-inclusive policies through PetScreening’s platform saw over 22% average growth in pet-related revenue. What truly sets these communities apart is their commitment to being pet-responsible and pet-passionate. They are building a structure to protect themselves, their staff, and their bottom lines while adopting policies that welcome more pets. Building Consistency in Pet Management Pet-inclusive policies aren’t a passing trend. They’re a permanent change in rental housing. The most effective implementation strategies I've seen prioritize clarity, consistency, and transparency delivered through a fair, defensible process that protects residents and communities while easing the burden for onsite teams. Now, what was once viewed as an operational challenge is increasingly being treated as a core system, one that reflects how seriously a community takes both compliance and the resident experience. Many operators have turned to centralized pet management platforms that standardize how pets and assistance animals are reviewed and documented. Today, nearly one in seven properties nationwide trusts PetScreening to support compliance and visibility in their pet management process. By applying the same process to every resident, whether they have a pet, an assistance animal, or no animal, operators gain deeper insight into their pet populations and improve policy adoption. advantage. The question is no longer whether to accommodate pets, but how to do so in a way that strengthens performance and resident loyalty.
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