MyNewPlace Blog

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.