Looking For Housing Allowing Pets

Whether you are opting to rent an apartment or a house, figuring out what will work when household pets are concerned takes extra consideration.

If you are a renter, finding a unit that will allow you to include your pet in your household is getting harder as time goes by. Most cooperative buildings and even many condominiums do not allow pets of any kind in their units, and this is usually mandated in the bylaws of the individual buildings.

Many prospective tenants with pets who are seeking to rent have to first find buildings that allow pets. Some buildings that do allow pets only allow small ones, so what does a pet owner with a Collie or German Shepherd do when looking for that elusive unit?

It is not unusual for pet owners to get burnt out on the lack of choices available to them as renters, and to finally go house hunting for a home of their own when financially feasible. Some people who never wanted to own a house in the first place end up buying one rather than give up a beloved family pet that is not allowed in many rental units.

Years ago, it was more unusual to hear about buildings not allowing pets, and it was the norm to see people going in and out of buildings with dogs of all sizes, or apartment dwellers with several cats meowing in their units, so why has there been this significant shift over time with building bylaws not allowing pets on their properties, or housing rentals that specify “no pets allowed”?

The main reason is what I call “pet owner behavioral patterns.” You have all kinds of pet owners just as you have all kinds of dogs and cats for that matter.

When a pet owner is considerate of his or her neighbors and makes sure that the behavior of their pet does not infringe on his neighbor’s privacy, there is obviously no major problem. On the other hand, there are pet owners who are completely oblivious to their pet’s behavior, for example, barking at all hours of the day and night, jumping on strangers as they are being walked, not to mention those who might take a dislike to certain people or bite them for no obvious reason.

Even if a dog behaves well, if his owner takes him outside regularly for walks and does not observe the courtesy the law demands regarding picking up after the animal, other tenants in the building end up suffering and their quality-of-life is affected by the discourtesy of that pet owner.

Unfortunately, as with other issues in life, people who are considerate sometimes pay the price of those who are inconsiderate. Since none of the building personnel want to be constantly chasing after pet owners and warning them about their responsibilities, buildings have more added guidelines to their tenant rules prohibiting pets to reside in apartments in their buildings so as to not have to be the pet police.

This of course has made finding places more difficult for pet owners and especially frustrating for those pet owners who have always taken the added time to try to be considerate of their neighbors when taking care or walking their pets.

Those who opt to buy houses in order to be able to house their pets with no outside rules still need to be considerate of those around them. Even when purchasing a house, you live next to neighbors who also value their space and privacy and when walking your dog, you need to be thoughtful of those around you. Having a pet is a big responsibility, but it is yours not your neighbor’s! n

Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering residential, commercial and management real estate services. You are invited to visit her website at AVCRealty.com. She can be reached at 516-569-5007. Readers are encouraged to send any questions or comments by email to [email protected]ohn.