Having pets is on the up. 86.9 million homes have pets in the US, and pets are a large part of their owners’ lives. That means that thinking about pets in condos is important.

Pet owners look for a condo to live in, they look for pet-friendly buildings. So when a building prohibits pets you reduce your prospective owners and tenants who want to live there. Your condo may also face criticism as it may be considered discriminatory to prohibit pets. Some factors that lead condo boards to restrict pets are noise, damage, and cleanliness issues. Those are all understandable.

However, allowing pets also has its advantages. For example, pet owners tend to have a longer tenancy than regular tenants. All in all, if the board decides to allow pets and take matters seriously and proactively, there shouldn’t be any issues. Let’s go through how to minimize issues and make your condo a living paradise for your residents and their furry friends.

1. Create and follow specific bylaws for pets in condos

To avoid chaos and confusion, it’s important to set specific bylaws for your condo when it comes to pets. Otherwise, you may end up with exotic and wild animals in your condo that can put your residents in danger. Or even, having residents own many dogs in one small unit which results in animal cruelty. If you allow pets in your condo, you want to make sure that both your residents and their companions are safe and under control. It’s also essential that these animals don’t disturb the peace of residents that chose not to own any. For this, you need to set rules such as:

• Type of pets allowed (eg. only cats and dogs)
• Type of breeds allowed
• Number of pets allowed per unit
• Size and weight of the animal

You also need to define what are the consequences if a violation is committed. Such as when a pet owner doesn’t clean up after his dog in the common areas.

2. Share rules around pets in condos

Setting rules but not sharing them increases the number of violations. The board has a responsibility to make rules available and remind people of them. Use emails, and newsletters about the rules around pets to remind them of the dos and don’ts. This will reduce conflict between neighbors and remind pet owners of their responsibilities. Having clear bylaws also allows you to share them with potential tenants to make sure they are conscious of everything before deciding to move in.

3. Make your condo pet-friendly

In order to attract more residents not only you should allow pets but you should also make it pet-friendly. There’s a slight difference between both terms. Pets allowed only means that pets are tolerated in this condo. However, pet-friendly means that there are facilities and amenities for pets.

Here are few examples of how you can make that happen:

• Provide greenspace or dog parks around your condo
• Recommend units that have a patio or balcony to new residents who have pets
• Partner with dog trainers, vets, and dog salons to offer discounts

4. Plan of action for noise in pets in condos

One of the most common issues regarding pets in a condo is the noise. Neighbors can easily become frustrated with noise such as dog barking or large pets running all over the unit.

You should have a clear step-by-step process for this type of behavior as they most probably will happen and you don’t want tensions to rapidly escalate between neighbors. You can start by talking with the pet owner to see how the issue can be resolved. Your board can also partner up with dog trainers and vets and have special discounts for unit owners. You can kindly recommend these professionals to your residents. 

Having pets in condos does increase these issues, however speaking to owners and sharing noise violation rules can help.

4. Use Condo Software to help

Using software can help out in many aspects. As a board member, you can ask unit owners to register their pets on the platform. This way you can easily track how many pets are in your condo and each unit and who the owners are. It will save you a lot of time if a pet gets lost, and to track who has a pet. Knowing who owns pets in your condo can also help you to create a group just of pet owners when you want to send out an email to pet owners only. Managing violations through software is also much faster and makes owners more responsible, as they will receive immediate notifications and reminders.

Using communication software such as Neigbrs by Vinteum allows you to send notices, smart calls, and violations directly to residents while on the go.

Wrapping Up: Pets in Condos

It’s true that allowing pets in condos comes with a few challenges. This is why prohibiting them may seem the easiest choice to avoid issues. However, keep in mind that you risk missing out on great tenants and your condo can be considered discriminatory. Also, be aware that under the Federal Fair Housing Act (FFHA) no condo can restrict service and support animals. 

If you decide to allow pets in your condo and want residents and their companions to live in harmony then two aspects are crucial: Great communication and excellent management. Certainly setting up rules and communicating them effectively, will consequently reduce the number of potential complaints. Using software will help you manage any complaints rapidly and easily. Determining a plan of action for regular complaints and issues can also save up time so board members don’t feel lost and helpless in this type of situation.