Renting with a dog? ApartmentAdvisor Report Highlights U.S. Metro Areas With Highest and Lowest Availability of Dog-Friendly Rentals

Cambridge, Mass., July 7, 2021 -- ApartmentAdvisor (www.ApartmentAdvisor.com), an apartment rental search platform, today released a report showing the metro areas where dog-owners are most and least likely to find a rental that will accommodate their pooch.

The company studied the availability of pet-friendly rentals in the top fifty most populated metro areas of the United States, analyzing tens of thousands of apartment rental listings. Overall, just under half (49%) of the total units were advertised as “dog-friendly” and only 30% were advertised as “large-dog-friendly.” However, some metro areas had a much higher proportion of availability than others. The Austin, TX area topped the list, with 83% of all available rentals listed as dog-friendly. Other Texas metro areas including San Antonio, Houston and Dallas also showed high availability of dog-friendly listings. Among the large metro areas with the lowest proportions of dog-friendly inventory were the Washington, D.C., Providence, RI, San Jose, CA and Boston, MA metro areas.

A surge in dog ownership was a silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased dog adoption rates at animal shelters, and many people enjoying the companionship of their new canines while staying socially distant from other humans. But for new dog-owners, finding an apartment that is dog-friendly can be extra challenging since not all property managers welcome pets. A recent survey conducted by ApartmentAdvisor of urban renters showed that the majority (58%) of dog-owning city dwellers described the process of finding a pet-friendly rental as somewhat or extremely difficult.

"Since dog policies can vary greatly among property owners, it’s always been a bit more challenging for dog owners to find the right apartment rental," said Tom Gilmore, CEO of ApartmentAdvisor. “However, it’s clear from our data that dog owners in some areas are facing better odds than others of finding a place that will welcome their pooch. Still, even for dog owners that are apartment hunting in the most dog-friendly rental cities, we recommend building in a lot of extra time for your search, using the right online search tools and budgeting for additional pet fees and pet rent.”

ApartmentAdvisor analysts say that while every apartment community has their own specific pet policies, generally smaller properties and individual owners tend to have more restrictive pet rules. Larger and newer apartment communities tend to be more pet-friendly, as property managers seek to attract a larger pool of prospective residents and increase revenue through pet fees and pet rent. Some newer buildings even offer specific pet amenities including on-site dog parks and community dog wash stations.

Tips for Renting with a Pet

Once dog-owners find their perfect pet-friendly place, ApartmentAdvisor recommends taking the following important steps when signing their lease:

Methodology

ApartmentAdvisor reviewed more than 131,000 apartment rental listings at the end of June in the top 50 most populated greater metro areas across the United States (per Census Bureau Statistical Area) to find the proportion of apartments advertised as “pet-friendly,” including which were “dog friendly” and “large dog friendly.” The metro areas were ranked according to the proportion of “dog-friendly” rentals compared to all rentals advertised in that area.

About ApartmentAdvisor

ApartmentAdvisor helps renters easily find the right apartment. The company is building a rental search platform that combines rigorous rent price analytics with neighborhood insights from local residents, empowering renters with a more transparent way to compare prices, features and locations of available apartments.

ApartmentAdvisor was founded in 2020 by a team of founders and engineers from TripAdvisor and CarGurus, including Langley Steinert (co-founder of TripAdvisor and founder and executive chairman at CarGurus); Tom Gilmore (founder and CEO of VacationHomeRentals, sold to TripAdvisor); Josh Arnold (engineering at TripAdvisor and director of data science for MineralTree); and Oliver Chrzan (former chief technology officer at CarGurus). The company is based in Cambridge, MA.

PR Contact: Amy Mueller pr@apartmentadvisor.com