In the past, I have made the case that as a property manager, you should strongly consider the option of allowing tenants to have pets if you do not already – by this I mean dogs, cats, etc. There are of course certain reasonable restrictions here (people just shouldn’t have large dogs in apartments). I think it’s important to look at why having pets is such a good thing for your tenants in order to have an understanding of why it’s a good idea to let them.

For a pet owner, the benefits are quite simple: pets give friendship, loyalty, and unconditional love. Pets end up being part of the family. In certain pets – especially dogs – the mutual dependency and love that is passed between owner and pet is a special emotional bond which offers health benefits of which we don’t quite have a full grasp.

Owning a pet is a great way to develop a strong sense of empathy for others. This is an especially notable concept for families raising children – as they get involved in the caring of the pet. This emotional development is very important.

Psychologically, pets serve a far more simple purpose: They keep people who live alone from feeling alone. In this way, pets can be great for people struggling with depression. Individuals inside the cycle of depression are frequently isolated due to their illness, and also the affectionate companionship of the pet could be a light within the darkness. Certain pets also are excellent for the elderly (there are specific dog breeds that are calm, loving, and easy to take care of).

So you can see thus far, the type of people who own pets are those who understand how to care for others, have perhaps a stronger empathetic sensibility, and are likely to be happier and more fulfilled than those who do not.

Also consider that many pet owners are likely to be healthier and tidier individuals. This is especially the case for dog owners, as dog owners should take dogs on frequent walks – in addition, at least with smaller dogs that are suitable for apartments, they can be clever and sneaky, so leaving your belongings cluttered can result in disaster.

All this means is that opening up your property to pet owners isn’t opening up your property to potential disasters and headaches, its opening up your property to the type of people who are emotionally healthy, perhaps more physically healthy, who understand how to care for those around them, and who probably take better care of their own space.

To the property owner this means that not only are you setting yourself up to be separate from your competition (provided your competition does not allow pets), but you are also changing the demographic of the type of people you are targeting – to be more emotionally healthy and connected, aware of their surroundings, and caring of their space. Wouldn’t you rather have those types of people living in your property? I would.