Apartments.com Survey Reveals Pet Ownership Among Renters at All-Time High

CHICAGO, Aug. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Findings from a recent Apartments.com survey reveal more than half of pet-owning renters got their pet through an animal shelter, adoption or rescue agency, which should come as good news as International Homeless Animals' Day approaches on Aug. 16, 2014. A significant majority of renters surveyed own a pet, and most of these renters also believe they share their building with fellow animal lovers. This year, 72 percent of renters surveyed said they are pet owners; a slight dip from 75 percent in 2013, but still much higher compared to just 43 percent in 2012.

More than 80 percent of pet-loving renters surveyed by Apartments.com believe their fellow residents either like pets or are indifferent to them living in the building. These findings closely align with the views of renters who don't own pets. Three quarters of renters without pets said they either enjoy living in a pet-friendly building or they do not have a specific preference.

"While it is good news that most renters seem to enjoy living in pet-friendly apartment communities, the past two years have shown us the majority of pet-owning renters faced some difficulty finding an apartment that allows pets," said Brad Long, president of Apartments.com. "We believe these trends may increase demand for new apartment construction that includes innovative pet-friendly spaces, amenities and policies, especially as, over the years, nine out of 10 renters have told us pet policies played a deciding role when choosing where to live."

The most popular types of apartment pets cited by more than 3,000 renters surveyed in 2014 are:

This year, less than 20 percent of renters surveyed said they live in a building that has no restrictions whatsoever on what type of pet they are allowed to have (down from nearly 30 percent in 2013). The Apartments.com website provides renters with the ability to tailor searches to only show pet-friendly apartments that allow cats, small dogs or all dogs. However, pet owners should still ask for clarification about what type of pets are allowed and any associated costs such as a pet deposit and/or monthly fee, during their apartment search.

More renters are being asked to pay for the pleasure of having a pet. Close to 80 percent of respondents said they were required to pay a pet deposit, up from around 60 percent in 2013. This year, just over half of renters paid more than $200 annually in pet deposits and monthly fees. Since the costs of renting with a pet add up, renters searching for the most value in their next apartment may want to ask about what specific pet amenities are included within the building and its individual units.

"Pets bring unconditional love and affection into the lives of millions of Americans, and whether an apartment community allows pets can clearly be a deal breaker for many renters," said Tammy Kotula, public relations and promotions manager for Apartments.com. "In response to the increased demand for pet-friendly apartments over the past two years, we see the rental industry moving toward accommodating the needs of this important and growing segment of renters with flexible pet policies and new construction of apartment buildings that offer a variety of amenities for renters who own pets."

As part of its What Renters Want series, Apartments.com surveys renters on various topics throughout the year. For more information on these surveys and to receive a copy of the complete results, please contact Matt Miller at [email protected].

About Apartments.com
Apartments.com (http://www.apartments.com) is a leading national apartment Internet listing subscription service with more than 50,000 unique addresses representing millions of rental units from managed properties and for-rent-by-owner properties. By incorporating the most relevant products to reach renters including personalized searches and highly visual ads featuring live chat, real-time rent, online video walk-through demonstrations, professional photography, a responsive website and iPhone and Android apps, Apartments.com creates easy access to its listings. Providing unmatched exposure to its advertisers through an intuitive name, strategic search engine placements and innovative emerging media, Apartments.com reaches millions of renters nationwide, driving both qualified traffic and highly engaged renters to leasing offices nationwide. The Apartments.com network of apartment rental websites includes Apartment Home Living (http://www.apartmenthomeliving.com), a leading social media apartment website distinguished by a "live for fun" community experience, proprietary lifestyle matching and local living guides to help renters find their perfect place to live and Rental Homes Plus (http://www.rentalhomesplus.com), an online destination where house hunters who prefer to rent can choose from a robust inventory of houses, condos, town houses, duplexes and apartments from around the country.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" including, without limitation, statements about Apartments.com's expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies. These statements are based upon current beliefs and are subject to many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements. The following factors, among others, could cause or contribute to such differences:  the risk that the trends reported or implied in this release do not continue or produce the results suggested by such trends; the risk that demand for pet-friendly rentals, amenities and rental policies does not continue to grow; and the risk that the demands of pet-owning renters does not result in more flexible pet polices or increased demand for and/or construction of new apartments featuring pet-friendly spaces, amenities or polices.  All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Apartments.com on the date hereof, and Apartments.com assumes no obligation to update or revise such statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Apartments.com