Developers puttin’ on the dog to lure tenants
Housing developers have realized that when planning the hottest new amenities to include in their projects they not only have to capture the interest of potential owners but also their four-legged friends.
Dog parks, pet spas and grooming areas, pet welcome gifts and dog walking services are becoming more available in apartments and condo communities.
Richman Signature Properties, a rental property development company in Florida, Texas and Colorado, has made pet-friendly part of its lifestyle. There are currently three locations in South Florida: Palm Ranch in Davie, Portico in Sunrise and Azura in Kendall.
“We offer on-site bark parks with agility courses, monthly social events for pets and pet owners including our Yappy Hour, and a complimentary threemonth subscription to BarkBox as a move-in gift of choice,” said Kristen Gucwa, vice president of national lease-up operations at Richman Signature Properties.
Gucwa says she expects pet amenities and services to continue to rise in popularity, and each property will continue to adapt and grow offerings and events to meet the needs of residents.
“We want to make sure it’s more than just a living space,” said Gucwa. “Developments that are pet-friendly encourage a sense of community among residents.”
Waterford Park Apartment Homes in Lauderhill offers its renters a dog park as well.
Augustine Smith, of Evanston, Ill., was staying with a cousin for the holidays and said that a stop at Waterford’s dog park was a must
“Princess loves coming here when we visit and I think it’s so convenient to have a place like this right outside your front door,” Smith said. “My cousin said that the dog park was a definite consideration when she was deciding where to live since she’s busy and it was a huge help in giving her dog a place to run around and exercise.”
Other properties that have a dog park are: Cameron Cove in Davie, 321 at Water's Edge in Fort Lauderdale, Allure Boca Raton and The Park at Kendall. for her Pomeranian, Princess.
Time for Fido to take a bath but don’t want to destroy the bathroom attempting to clean up the pup? No problem.
Places like JOYA Apartments in Miami, Berkshire Coral Gables, ORA Flagler Village in Fort Lauderdale and Delray Station in Delray Beach have pet washing and grooming stations available for residents.
All of these properties have one thing in common: They know property owners and renters, especially millennials, consider pets as family members and have begun to focus on pet-friendly amenities and services to attract and keep residents with pets.
The American Pet Products Association estimates that 68 percent of all U.S. households own pets, according to its 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey. That’s about 84.6 million homes, with dog ownership being the highest of all pets at 48 percent.
The numbers show a consistent upward trend of ownership over the past two decades.
The survey also noted that millennials are most likely to pay for pet services, take their dog on errands with them and choose pet-friendly restaurants and facilities.