The Cleveland Animal Protective League, along with the Ohio Animal Welfare Federation, announced that the Pet-Friendly Rental Act has been passed by the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee on June 4.
The bill, Sub House Bill 277, would create tax incentives for landlords to accept pet owners with or without companion animals as tenants. Landlords could access up to $750 for up to 10 units annually based on certain criteria.
In a Facebook post, the Cleveland APL celebrated this moment and hoped that this would be a way to provide more options for pet families.
"We hope that the tax credit provided through this bill will incentivize more landlords to offer pet-friendly housing, which under this law (if passed) would give landlords an incentive to treat tenants with companion animals and those without equally," the post reads.
Sharon Harvey, the president and CEO of Cleveland APL and an officer for the Ohio Animal Welfare Federation, has seen it all when it comes to families having to surrender their pets.
"Having a pet owner come in who loves their pet and they don't want to surrender their pet, but believes that's their option... is devastating," Harvey said.
Harvey was inspired to pioneer the bill after seeing similar legislation in the state of Maryland. Through a lobbyist at the statehouse, they were able to present the idea. This was when they caught the attention of Representatives Juanita Brent and Sharon Ray. Both representatives sponsored the bill, which allowed it to gain momentum in legislation.
"We're very grateful to the legislature and legislators on that committee who also see the value in this initiative," Harvey said.
There are many reasons why a family would need to give away a pet. One that Harvey mentioned was economic instability.
"...In so many cases, these families do not want to give those pets up and they are facing a really traumatic stressful time in their life," Harvey said.
Another example is the lack of pet-friendly housing. In 2021, on a survey with non-rural renters, 72% said pet-friendly housing is hard to find. Fourteen percent have surrendered their homes as a result. A dog named Vapor is an example of this. When her landlord imposed more restrictions on her family's property, they had to make a decision. Her breed was no longer allowed, meaning that they'd either have to give her up or find a new place to live. The family surrendered her to the Cleveland APL.
"She has no idea why she lost the people she loves," the Cleveland APL's Facebook post reads.
In the meantime, local animal volunteer Carianne Burnley got to work. Burnley, along with two other volunteers, has started a running list of landlords and management properties that don't have pet breed or weight restrictions.
After seeing comments on social media, Burnley conducted her own experiment. She went to several popular rental websites and filtered apartments with rent of $1,000 or less and allowed large dogs.
"What I found was a lot of properties are pet friendly, but they are not friendly towards larger dogs or dogs of certain breeds," Burnley said.
Burnley then started calling some of the properties she came across. Some did accept pets, but others did not. Burnley said one property she called gave her a list of "probably 20" different breeds they wouldn't rent to.
"I called a property rental management company, and the guy said, 'I love pets. I would be open to all pets, but I'd rather not because of issues I had in the past,'" Burnley said. "He didn't even use any discriminatory language, right? He just went into the fact he's had bad luck with pets in the past."
Harvey acknowledged this property manager's concerns.
"We need to make sure that pet owners take their part in owning the responsibility of being a good tenant," Harvey says. "It's the bad actors that ruin it for everyone."
- If you are a tenant looking for pet-friendly housing, CLICK HERE.
- If you are a property manager and would like to identify your property as one that's pet-friendly, CLICK HERE .
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