While your cat or dog may add a lot of joy to your life on a daily basis, they can start to feel like nothing but trouble when it comes to finding a new apartment. When you start browsing through the listings you will see that unless you want to look at a home for sale opposed to a rental then you're going to be faced with many rules that say there is a no pets policy. You definitely don't want to get to the point where you feel like you have to give up your pet just to find a home. There are some things that you can do to get them in the door with you.

Here is an interesting read about Pets In Rental Housing

Before you start looking for an apartment with a pet you should make sure that you're going to be able to keep them happy and under control. If they were previously living in a house and are used to playing outside then you will need to think of how you are going to keep them settled and quiet for hours on end now that you're living in an apartment. Have answers for all of the questions that a landlord might have about their care.

Try to see the homeowner's side of things. There are a few different reasons why people might not want pets in their rental and only some of them are going to be negotiable. If you're looking at an apartment in LA for example, where the homeowner will be living on the floor above and they are deathly allergic to cats then it is not likely that anything that you say or do will change their mind on the matter. If, on the other hand, they had an issue with a previous tenant with a pet then you might be able to convince them that you will not make the same mistakes.

While most people have references of the people they were living next door to in their condo or their landlord for their last apartment, you might not have any that can vouch for the fact that you are a great pet owner. Having someone who can speak to the fact that you take care of your dog and that they will not be any trouble could be the thing that allows you to move into that building.

If all of these options don't work and you're still looking for a pet-friendly place with your agent, you might want to offer to pay an extra deposit or show that you have renter's insurance that includes pet damage. This could really set you apart from other renters with pets. You can also let your real estate agent know when you begin your search for your next property that you require somewhere that allows your furry friends. So he or she will then automatically eliminate properties with no-pets policies. Some London Ontario real estate agents say that many students move to the city and want to bring their pets from home. It presents more of a challenge because there are fewer possibilities but many assure us there are definitely properties out there.

Photo courtesy of the Humane Society