MyNewPlace Blog

It has long been debated amongst pet owners which species best accompanies man in his domestic dwelling. It has been an intense and unrelenting debate most likely due to the fact that– as in academic politics–the contention is so vicious precisely because the stakes are so low. We would now like to submit the results of a recent survey; during the recent recession, searches for cat friendly apartments dropped much more than did searches for dog friendly apartments, therefore indicating that when the going gets tough, the cats get going.

We recently conducted a study of our internal search data, which we run each quarter. The report shows for which amenities and property features renters are searching. Below is the MyNewPlace search results page with amenity search filters highlighted below by the red circle as well as the major category filters of number of beds, number of bathrooms, property type (rental home, condo, apartment) and the filter to which this post is dedicated, pet friendly apartments.

So, if a renter searching for Atlanta apartments (pictured above) above wanted to filter their results to search for a pet friendly apartment with high speed internet, a dishwasher and a playground, the search results page and map would show only apartments that fit that criteria. Our amenity report can determine the number of these types of instances each quarter and then track how search trends are changing over time.

One especially interesting period that we wanted to track changes over was the time since the beginning of the recession, which technically began in December 2007. While we did see many changes in search trends from that time until our latest recorded data (Q2 2009), one of the most interesting changes was how the number of pet searches changed.

Taking both a national median value as well as examining trends in 35 of the nation's top metros, it appears incontrovertible that while searches for cat friendly apartments dropped across the board, searches for dog friendly apartments remained relatively stable.

The conclusions that can be drawn from this are pretty obvious. When faced with financial hardship and economic uncertainty, cats don't quite make it inside the wagon circle. Apparently dogs are considered more “family members" than are cats. A harsh reality, perhaps, but these numbers are difficult to dispute.

In somewhat related news, I am moving to a 3 bedroom apartment to save on rent, anyone want to adopt this cat?

Now that Michael Vick is out of jail and has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, he'll probably want to start looking at Philadelphia apartments. We would like to take this opportunity to offer some advice to Mr. Vick on relocating. Even if you have visited a city before, it is not until you really live there, until you can figure out, well, where you should really live. One of life's many catch 22s; but the internet is here to help!

Rent or Buy?

Since the Eagles signed a contract with him for only one year with just an option for a second year, we would advise him to look for an apartment or home to rent, since he is unsure of how long he'll be in Philly.

Especially when relocating, families are faced with a very difficult rent versus buy decision. People should consider the “five year rule," which warns against buying a home if you aren't planning on staying in that location for more than five years. According to the National Multi Housing Council's report “The High Cost of Short-Term Homeownership," buyers who sold within four years paid, on average, 19 percent more as owners than they would have paid as renters!

Philadelphia Neighborhoods

In order to find out where Mr. Vick should focus his search, we consulted some of our renters in the greater Philadelphia area to find out the coolest neighborhoods. Apparently, if you are relocating to Philadelphia, you should first look at apartments in Rittenhouse, apartments in Northern Liberties or apartments in Manayunk. According to our Philadelphia neighborhood expert, the Rittenhouse neighborhood of Philadelphia is known for its classy, old school charm; pleasant for walking around and an abundance of bars and restaurants. Northern Liberties is more of an up and coming neighborhood, the front lines of gentrification, as it were, featuring former factories transformed into lofts with huge open living spaces. And finally, the Manayunk neighborhood, the home of our expert, is a bit outside of the Philadelphia downtown area, but has enough nightlife of its own to attract a younger generation of renter looking to save some money on rent.

Pet Friendly Apartments

Of course, it would be difficult to deny that the impetus of this post had something to do with talking a little about Philadelphia's pet friendly apartments. Now, we have done some research in the past, where we determined that there is a definitive geographical trend to whether renters prefer cats or dogs. Unsurprisingly, cities with more open space and better climates were more likely to search for dog friendly apartments whereas more crowded and colder cities showed a preference for cats.

Philadelphia, of course falls in that second category, which seems to work pretty well for Mr. Vick. His reprehensible past with dogs, would seem not to lend itself to a dog friendly apartment, or at least produce some raised eyebrows from leasing agents. However, Mr. Vick should not be deprived of the endless benefits of animal companionship, so perhaps upon moving to Philadelphia, he can get himself a nice housecat.

(photo courtesy of Mia Mabanta)

Yesterday, we came across an article about an apartment in Fayetteville, Arkansas, The Crowne at Razorback community that recently hosted a pet-adoption drive in conjunction with their local animal shelter. As part of The Crowne's ‘Christmas in July' party, the Fayetteville Animal Shelter brought several adoptable dogs and a photo display of cats to show to residents.

We think this is a great way for pet friendly apartments to showcase how welcoming they are to cats and dogs. According to our internal figures, 1 in 4 searches are for apartments that allow either dogs or cats or both, which shows a widespread national demand for pet-friendly apartments.

We have also previously conducted some research in the past on the topic, comparing the availability of pet-friendly apartments by city to a Forbes survey, and determining that cat versus dog preferences have a definite geographic divergence.

We spoke with The Crowne's leasing director, Marjorie Stanfield, who said that the pet-adoption drive was a relatively easy event to set up. She mentioned that the local animal shelter were more than happy to participate and the event helped both her apartments, in highlighting the many pet-related amenities that they offer, while at the same time allowing potential adopters to get more information on pet ownership.

This really is an excellent idea for apartment management companies and property managers to consider. Pet friendly apartment owners can distinguish themselves from other communities by truly welcoming and encouraging pet ownership in their communities, all while providing a philanthropic service to the many animals that need homes and families to join.

Recently, we have really rolled up our sleeves and began to sift through our internal search data 8 to compare what renters are searching for in different cities around the nation.

As the 3rd largest apartment rental site on the web, we can get a pretty clear statistical view of what features renters are looking for in different cities. Since searches for pet friendly apartments are particularly popular on MyNewPlace, we took a closer look at that data and noted a few interesting facts. Read the rest of this entry »

This morning we pushed out a new press release that relates that the most pet friendly city for renters is Denver. What makes Denver apartments so particularly pet friendly? Read the rest of this entry »

According to our internal apartment finder data, Charlotte, NC is one of the nation's most pet-friendly cities for renters. Not only are there more searches for pet-friendly apartments here than in most cities, but most interesting is that landlords are also significantly more likely to allow pets.

Search for pet-friendly apartments for rent in Charlotte using our apartment search.

Nearly 60 percent of apartments allow both dogs and cats and around 67 percent allow just cats. If you owned a pet and tried to find an apartment in some surrounding cities you'd be faced with very competitive markets. The percentage of dog-friendly apartments in Washington, D.C is 36 percent, apartments in Memphis only 33 percent, and only 25 percent of Philadelphia apartments and Baltimore apartments offer dog-friendly policies.

Also supporting the pet friendly reputation of Charlotte apartments is the fact that the city was also among the most searched cities for pet-friendly apartments. Among the top 50 most searched cities, Charlotte ranked in the top twenty for searches on both dog-friendly apartments and cat-friendly apartments.

Furthermore, searches for dog-friendly apartments were nearly double those for cat-friendly apartments. Apartment owners and landlords may favor cats as tenants by 7 percent, but Charlotte renters clearly prefer dogs.

Outside sources can attest to the veracity of our findings, as Charlotte was also listed among Forbes' top ten most pet-friendly cities in an article that considered factors such as public park acreage, the number of pet-oriented businesses and the number and cost of veterinary facilities. Charlotte's 17,000 acres of public parks, 141 vets and 127 pet supply and service stores for 610,000 people were the key features highlighted.

The Humane Society of the United States has lamented that the major reason for pet-owners to give up their pets has been caused by conflicts arising between pet owners and housing policies. According to the HSUS, if all rental housing allowed pets, around 6.5 million animals would be saved from animal shelters.

With its high percentage of pet-friendly apartments for rent, numerous parks and pet oriented services and businesses, it looks as though Charlotte is a pretty nice place to live if you are a pet. Let's just hope it is just as nice if you are a person.

If you are having difficulty locating an apartment for rent that is suitable for you and your pet, be sure to consult our apartment guide, which provides comprehensive information on tips for renting with pets.

You can use the MyNewPlace apartment finder to display apartments that allow dogs, cats or both. Be sure to let us know how you have fared during your pet-friendly apartment search.

At MyNewPlace, we understand how difficult it can be to rent a pet-friendly apartment. Renters with pets often have a much more difficult time finding an apartment that accommodates all of their human and animal needs. Apartment owners tend to be concerned with the depreciation and liabilities that are associated with keeping pets in apartments, decreasing the supply of pet-friendly apartments and making that market more competitive.

To help renters with pets, our apartment search includes the option to look for apartments that allow cats, dogs or both. Simply select the appropriate pet setting on the icon at the top of the search screen to filter your search results. The individual property pages give more details about that apartment's pet policy.

We searched our top 50 cities about 49% of apartments displayed are pet-friendly. We wanted to see if the city in which you searched played a role in the percentage of pet-friendly apartments.

Thus, we wanted to compare our internal data with some outside sources to see how everything stacks up. Are some cities more inherently pet-friendly and if so, does this atmosphere beget a detente between apartment owners and our mostly adorable animal friends?

We ran across an article in Forbes Magazine that listed the top ten most pet-friendly cities in the United States. They calculated their list from an impressively comprehensive list of factors including public park acreage, the number of pet-oriented businesses, and the number and cost of veterinary facilities. They then compared this data with the number of people and pets in each city.

Below are the MyNewPlace percentages of pet-friendly apartments in each city and their corresponding rank according to to Forbes.

1. 46.9%-Colorado Springs, CO
2. 37.2%-Portland, OR
3. 21.5%-Albuquerque, NM
4. 63.9%-Austin, TX
5. 59.3%-Charlotte, NC
6. 51.2%-Virginia Beach, VA
7. 27.3%-Kansas City, MO
8. 52.6%-St. Louis, MO
9. 52.5%-Seattle, WA
10. 57.0%-Denver, CO

So it looks as though 6 of the 10 most pet-friendly cities are also above the average on pet-friendly apartments. It looks as though apartments in Albuquerque and Kansas City, however are not quite keeping pace with the friendliness for which their respective cities are so notable.

We are glad to provide pet owners with a great online resource to rent an apartment with their pet. We understand that not everyone can buy a house and we certainly don't think that you should ever have to sacrifice your love for your pet for your love of your apartment.

Has anyone had problems finding pet-friendly apartments? Have you had difficulty with the size or breed of your dog? Consult our Tips for Renting with your Pet article in our forthcoming apartment guide and let us know about your personal experiences.