Renters who have pets need to go through a lot to make sure their little friends are allowed in the rental apartment. With so many people being pet owners, landlords and property managers are becoming less and less reluctant to allow pets in their buildings and apartments. As the trend continues, more listings become pet friendly, yet some cities have more options than others.

A recent study by apartment search website RENTCafé looked at different criteria to create a top of the best cities for renters with pets. Among the things they considered were the number of pet friendly properties compared to the total of listings, the monthly pet rent, additional costs and charges for pets, and the number of pets allowed in one unit.

Best Cities for Pet Owners

Florissant, MO landed on top as the most pet friendly city, having an impressive 91% of the total listings as pet friendly. With a moderate average monthly pet rent of $21 and an average $223 in one-time additional payments, the suburb of St. Louis appears to be a dream come true for pet owners. Florissant also has plenty of parks and special programs for both owners and pets, especially dogs.

Missouri takes two other spots in the top 10, with Kansas City and St. Louis having a large number of pet friendly properties as well. Other cities that made it to the list were Atlanta, GA, Birmingham, AL, Denver, CO, and Philadelphia, PA.

The lowest average monthly pet rent was registered in Knoxville, TN, at just $12, followed by Philadelphia’s $13 average, and Winston-Salem, NC, with $15. At the other end of the spectrum, San Francisco, CA, Memphis, TN, and Los Angeles, CA have the highest pet rent, at $52, $45, and $44 averages respectively.

Most Common Restrictions in Rental Buildings

Although these numbers are great and inspire confidence renting with pets, a lot of the properties impose some restrictions as well. The study also searched for the most common limitations in rental apartments. From the total number of restrictions found, 31% referenced the type of pet, making it the most common constraint. It is followed by breed restrictions, coming in at 28%, and the number of pets at 21%. The age and health of the pet, as well as space-related limitations were also mentioned in the top.

If you want to check out the methodology and look for your city, read the full study on the top 50 best cities for renting with pets. 

About the author:

Mihaela is a passionate reader and writer, with an affinity for language and linguistics, as well as the latest technological developments. She discovered her passion for real estate at RENTCafé, and you can read more of her articles on their blog.