The ASPCA reports that there are over 78 million dogs currently housed as pets in America.
These dogs can range from purebred show dogs to rescues found at the local shelter.
While they are man’s best friend, in the world of apartment property management, leasing to a pet owner is a huge liability. To combat the risk of damage to the property and other tenants, many properties have opted to have breed restrictions.
However, with the rising rates of Emotional Support Animals and the rise of animal activism, this choice is receiving major backlash.
With the top five most restricted dogs being Pit Bulls & Staffordshire Terriers, Doberman Pinschers, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Chows. A debate of nature versus nurture is being argued by properties nationwide. There is also an immense issue in dogs with mixed breeding. Without a proper blood test, there is no way to correctly access the breed of some animals.
Are these dog breeds really prone to be more aggressive? Or is the problem simply in how they are raised? Those properties that wish to remain as far away from this issue as possible may deny tenants the ability to have dogs altogether, aside from service animals of course.
But to those properties that allow dogs, have breed restrictions and are facing backlash, the nature versus nurture issue is one worth questioning.
Solutions to this issue are simple but can be time-consuming.
The Huffington Post encourages potential tenants who own dogs that are typically restricted to create pet resumes, obtain a letter of recommendation from a veterinarian or trainer and have videos that showcase the behavior of their dog when asking properties to allow them.
There is the option to physically meet and assess the behavior of each individual dog. This can not only solve the problem of breed restrictions but allow you as the property manager to comprehend how the dog behaves before it comes to a new addition to your property. Yet, this would require an ironclad list of behavioral guidelines needed for the dog to become an addition as well as making sure the employee tasked with making the assessment is well versed on dog behavior.
An easier solution though is to create a pet agreement for your complex that ensures it is not the breeds you restricted but rather the badly behaved canines. In this agreement, you can request that potential tenants with dogs must have proof of some level of training, a full veterinary record, etc..
As the property manager or owner the property, you can also combat the liability of a dog by instilling a pet fee either monthly or once at the time of signing. Some complexes do both to be sure their complex is protected in the event of damage.
In any situation, it is important for your property to remain civil and polite when explaining the regulations regarding dogs. More so, it is not just the dogs of tenants that the property manager should be monitoring, but also visiting dogs.
If the choice is made to create a breed restriction list and then a visitor of a tenant comes with one of the said dogs, there could be a pile of complaints.
The best solution to this problem is to be upfront and honest with future tenants from the beginning. Post your rules about pets not only on your website but in your front office as well. Make sure any breed restrictions are enforced to those who live on the property and those who visit.
Work with your tenants to create a healthy and happy living environment.
Equal Housing Opportunity
