Debbie Willis Debbie Willis

Today, allowing and accommodating pets is nearly a mandate for renters. Developers and owners are incorporating pet-friendly amenities, like dog parks and pet spas, to meet demand from renters, but the increase in pet ownership has also put more pressure on property managers and operators. To effectively mange the increase in pets—and in particular, dogs—managers are implementing pet policies that both allow for a broad range of breeds and offset increased costs.

“We are seeing a lot more pets and predominately dogs in our communities, and it takes a little more effort on our part to make sure that our expectations are clear,” Debbie Willis, president and designated broker of property services at PB Bell, tells GlobeSt.com. “That is everything from clear and well-defined pet addendums that are reviewed with pet owners when they move in. In the amenity areas, like dog parks and dog salons, we have clear policies posted so that owners understand the expectations. It is manageable and it is something that we want to do. We are just clear about our expectations.”

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Kelsi Maree Borland

Kelsi Maree Borland is a freelance journalist and magazine writer based in Los Angeles, California. For more than 5 years, she has extensively reported on the commercial real estate industry, covering major deals across all commercial asset classes, investment strategy and capital markets trends, market commentary, economic trends and new technologies disrupting and revolutionizing the industry. Her work appears daily on GlobeSt.com and regularly in Real Estate Forum Magazine. As a magazine writer, she covers lifestyle and travel trends. Her work has appeared in Angeleno, Los Angeles Magazine, Travel and Leisure and more.