Many properties have the best intentions. They aim to properly track their on-site pet population, and think they are accurately doing so—until a pet audit reveals how many pets are actually unaccounted for.
According to the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, the rental housing industry loses approximately $4 billion in annual pet revenue due to undisclosed pets. One in three residents has at least one undocumented pet.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to have a system in place that ensures resident compliance with a community’s pet policies. Whether a new resident has no pet, a household pet, or an assistance animal, it’s vital that rental communities make renters formally acknowledge that they will adhere to the property’s pet policies throughout their entire lease. This establishes to residents the importance of compliance and also protects properties from a liability standpoint. Properties should also have systems for monitoring resident compliance and tracking their on-site pet and animal populations.
The No-Pet Resident
While many residents begin their lease without a pet, that doesn’t mean they’ll never have one. According to PetScreening data, 30% of pets are acquired mid-lease, which is one of the most common ways unauthorized pets arrive at a property.
Non-pet-owning residents must acknowledge that they will report any pets to their property manager proactively and before they acquire one or have one as a visitor, such as in a pet-sitting or foster arrangement.
Approximately 4.5 million dog bites were recorded in 2023, leading to $1.1 billion paid in settlements, with the average settlement costing over $65,000. Properties put themselves at a disadvantage in such cases if the offending pet is unauthorized.
Residents With a Household Pet
Pet owners, naturally, should be required to provide all relevant details about their pets. That includes vaccination records, which enable property teams to issue reminders to residents when current vaccinations are set to expire.
According to data from the American Veterinary Medical Association, 20% of dogs and 50% of cats are unvaccinated—including rabies—and 24% of all pets don’t have an active prescription for flea prevention. Additionally, 30% of dogs and 50% of cats do not receive annual veterinary care.
The information provided by renters will help property teams assess any levels of risk by allowing a certain pet at the property. It will also assist teams in ensuring residents remain compliant from a veterinary standpoint and help prevent against any unvaccinated pets onsite.
Households With an Assistance Animal
Rules may be different for those with a service or support animal, such as an emotional support animal. Individuals with any type of verified assistance animal are not required to pay pet-related fees or adhere to a property’s restricted list, whether breed, size, or any other restriction.
Operators can seek outside help in reviewing the accommodation requests that residents make for an assistance animal.
If a reasonable accommodation request is deemed insufficient at the outset, properties can recover would-be lost revenue by allowing the animal to live at the community under regular pet guidelines.
The Helping Hand of Technology
Artificial intelligence (AI) has made serious inroads into the rental housing industry, and one way it can help operators is in pet-policy compliance. AI can be used to pinpoint pets that renters have failed to disclose. The technology can identify compliance red flags and engage the offending residents with personalized education and compliance prompts, helping operators recover revenue they are entitled to.
Widespread Benefits of Compliance
Ultimately, pet policy compliance is crucial for a happy, healthy, and pet-responsible community. Property teams can get ahead of things by adding a pet addendum to the lease agreement to help ensure all residents are on board and by having the right systems in place to track compliance. Properties don’t want to encounter a scenario in which 74 households have pets but only 49 are accounted for.
Residents benefit from a compliance-focused system, as well, in the form of vaccination reminders, additional pet parent resources and the peace of mind that all pets and animals at the property are properly accounted for.