What Renters Want with Jessica Fiur: Are You Screwing the Pooch with Your Pet Amenities?

Pet amenities have been popular for awhile now. There are apartments with dog parks, and grooming services and even dog treats at the leasing offices. And why not? Renters love their pets. Especially Millennials, right? It just makes sense to offer tons of pet amenities.

Except when it doesn’t.

Are you neglecting the other cute and cuddly critters that also make messes everywhere, sometimes walk on four legs, and will get into your leftovers if you don’t put them on a high enough shelf—kids (and also me after a few glasses of wine)?

Millennials are aging, after all. (The youngest Millennials are probably 16 or 17.) For the most part, they’re in their 20s and 30s, which means many might be starting families. And, though people probably aren’t getting rid of their pets just because they’re having kids, that still means there are going to be kids running around the apartments.

Kids will get to play here because dogs don’t like the slides. And don’t get me started on the rock climbing wall.

You could be missing a large chunk of your audience by only appealing to pet owners, and not families.

I mean, sure, a kid could have lot of fun at a pet salon. But the dogs won’t like it if they keep getting sprayed with the hoses. And neither will the groomers.

It might broaden your appeal among renters to have a playground at your community.

Not only are pet amenities limiting (only pet owners are going to be using them, and not everyone is going to have a pet), but, shockingly, not everyone even likes pets. I mean, not everyone likes kids either, but you can’t just put a kid in a cage when you want to go off somewhere. Trust me, I’ve tried. [To my daughter’s future therapist—that was a joke. I wouldn’t even know where to get a cage.] Anyway, it could be nice to have some amenities that are pet free. Plus adults love swings, too! And screenings of Pixar movies. And jumping from couch to couch because the floors are made of lava. So these amenities or programs could have an even wider appeal than you originally thought.

So, don’t get rid of your pet amenities. I know you won’t anyway (no matter how much I’ve pleaded). But, maybe throw in an amenity here and there to make your community family friendly.

What’s your take? Do you have pet amenities and family amenities or just one type?

-Jessica Fiur, Senior Editor