Most families in the United States now include four-legged members. According to the American Pet Products association, about 68% of U.S. households have pets. Being a pet owner brings a lot of joy, but it also comes with responsibilities.
Renters who own pets have their own set of challenges when searching for a new place to live. Not only do they need to find an apartment that suits their needs, it also has to be spacious enough for their furry friends and, most importantly, the landlord must accept the presence of pets.
RENTCafé.com recently compiled several indicators (share of pet-friendly properties, number of pets allowed, additional payments and the average monthly pet rent) and came up with a study that lists the best 50 cities for pet owners to rent. Here’s what they found out:
Where should renters with multiple pets live
While most people own just one pet, there are others who choose to add several furry members to their families. However, if you’re a renter, maybe it’s best to stop at three, because that seems to be the highest number of pets on average that landlords are willing to accept.
Renters with multiple pets should consider moving to cities such as Birmingham, AL, Kansas City, MO, Louisville, KY or Los Angeles, CA, as most rental properties there accept up to three pets. However, they should avoid Madison, WI, and Fargo, ND, where landlords usually accept only one pet on average.
Lowest rents for pets
Maybe we should be talking about potential careers for your pets, seeing how they must pay rent, too. But, if you’re willing to front the money yourself in exchange for cuddles and sloppy kisses, you should at least know the cities with the lowest average monthly pet rent.
Knoxville, TN ($12 per month), Winston-Salem, NC ($15 per month), San Antonio, TX and Tampa, FL ($16 per month) are the cities where pet owners spend the least amount of money on pet rent. On the other end, San Francisco, CA ($52 average monthly pet rent), Memphis, TN ($45 per month) and Los Angeles, CA ($44 per month) are the most expensive pet rent markets. Basically, a San Francisco cat will have you pay four times as much as another feline living in Knoxville, just for the monthly rent.
How about additional payments?
Renters who are pet owners must make additional one-time payments (fees or deposits) in order to keep the pets in their apartments. The average payment varies from a little over $150 to almost $440. The lowest additional payments can be found in Cincinnati, OH ($144), Tucson City, AZ ($155), and Albuquerque, NM ($160).
However, if you’re a pet owner planning to rent in San Francisco, you need to be aware that the average pet deposit reaches a whopping $436. It’s not a lot better in Washington, DC, where the additional pet payment averages $339. Nashville, TN might be the perfect place for country music fans, but, if you’re also a pet owner, get ready to spend an additional $303 on your pet deposit.
Cities where you have the best chance of finding pet-friendly properties
Florissant, a suburb of St. Louis, MO, seems to be populated with landlords more than willing to host pets: 91% of the rental properties here accept them. Other places where pets are welcomed by landlords are St. Louis, MO, and Madison, WI, where 81% of the apartment buildings for rent have a pet-friendly policy.
Pet parents interested in moving to Oklahoma City must know that their chances of finding a pet-accepting apartment are incredibly low: only 25% of the rental properties there are willing to take in pets. Things are not too rosy for our furry friends in Albuquerque, NM, or Knoxville, TN, where only 39% of the properties are opened to pets.
Which cities fare better overall?
Considering all the factors mentioned above, RENTCafé concluded that the best place overall for renting with pets is Florissant, MO, the St. Louis suburb particularly keen on making the life of pets and pet owners better. Atlanta, GA, takes second place (with 72% of rental properties being pet-friendly and the average monthly pet rent of only $18). The bronze medal goes to Birmingham, AL, where you can keep up to three pets in your apartment, while 75% of the rental properties accept our four-legged companions.
Among the most common pet restrictions in rentals are the type of pet (31%) allowed in the unit, the breed (28%), the number of pets (21%) and the weight (10%).
The good news is that, despite such restrictions, there are still plenty of rental properties accepting pets, and, with a little bit of research, you’ll be able to find the perfect home for you and your little friends.
