Multiple Pets and Apartments: How do most apartments handle multiple pets?

As an apartment locator, we get a lot of questions about multiple pets. How many apartments take? Are houses or duplexes more likely to accept multiple pets? Does the type of pet affect how many apartments will accept? What types of rent fees should I expect? Apartment pet policies are in place to help them minimize the potential damage from a renter, not because they don’t like your pet. In order to do that, pet policies tend to be complicated, so here is the long and short of it in regard to multiple pets.

Most apartments will accept multiple pets, but the majority cap it at two pets. A rare few apartments will accept three pets. Apartments that accept multiple pets still have other guidelines that must be adhered to regardless of the count. For example, if an apartment does not accept aggressive breed dogs or exotic pets, they certainly aren’t going to accept two or three.

The type and size of the pet often come into play when an apartment considers multiple pets. Some apartments will only take one dog but will allow an additional cat or another small animal as long as the other animal does not violate their other pet policies (like an exotic pet). Truly small animals like fish, birds, and gerbils are not usually counted by quantity. However, they are often excluded as exotic pets. Yep, gerbils too.

Pet deposits, non-refundable pet fees, and pet rent will all be affected by the number of pets you have in the apartment. It varies by apartment, but some will double the fee for the second pet, while others will double both the fee AND the deposit. Pet rent is almost always calculated per pet, so you will pay pet rent for each pet you have.

So the big question...is it easier to rent a house or duplex if I have more than two pets? The answer to that question really depends on the owner of the property. Most homes and duplexes have yards, and many independent landlords don’t have a firm pet policy, however, they are also less financially insulated from any damages, so they tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to animals.

Got more questions about renting with pets? Contact us or visit one of our local offices!