Saying Yes to Pets Helps Landlords Find a Tenant Faster

• Rental listings on Zillow that allow pets are typically leased eight days faster. 
• 58% of renters have pets, up from 46% in 2019. 
• Austin, Dallas and San Antonio had the highest share of pet-friendly rental listings on Zillow last year. 

Saying yes to Fido or Mittens can help landlords lease faster. Pet-friendly rentals draw more views, saves and shares, and they are typically snapped up eight days sooner, according to a new analysis of more than 11 million rental listings on Zillow last year.

Renters have more leverage than in quite some time after last year’s multifamily construction boom, and the data show allowing pets can make a difference in leasing out a unit quickly. The median renter is getting older, and more renters now have a pet. Nearly six in 10 renters are pet owners, up from 46% before the pandemic. Almost half say they passed on a particular property because it was not pet-friendly. 

Last year, 57% of rental listings on Zillow allowed pets. On average, those listings earned 9% more views, 12% more saves and 11% more shares than those that did not allow pets. They were also typically rented out eight days faster.

Texas has a claim as the most pet-friendly state, with Austin (80%), Dallas (79%) and San Antonio (78%) leading all major metro areas in the share of pet-friendly rental listings on Zillow last year. However, Houston had the smallest share of rental listings that allowed pets, at just 38%. Also near the bottom were Providence (43%), Hartford (43%) and San Jose (44%). 

Pet-friendly rentals in the New York City metro area typically rented 26 days faster than units that did not accept pets, the biggest gap of any major market. Tampa (16 days), Columbus (12 days), Phoenix (11 days), Cincinnati (10 days) and Austin (10 days) also saw pet-friendly listings rented out at least 10 days faster.  

The engagement boost for pet-friendly listings held true nearly across the board among major markets. New York was the only holdout, seeing 2% more saves for pet-friendly units, but 2% fewer views and shares. This is likely because these listings spent 26 fewer days on the market, giving them less time to rack up engagement.