We've all heard that there are more dogs in San Francisco than there are children, but in reality, the city's more hostile to our furry companions than we'd necessarily like. Despite a wealth of dog-friendly parks and hiking trails, and an abundance of sunlit Edwardian windowsills perfect for any lazy feline, living in San Francisco isn't easy if you want to keep your pet. (Though you may have more luck in SoMa than, say, the Sunset.) As the city's housing market becomes increasingly heated and competitive, pet-owning prospective renters are finding themselves increasingly shut out of rentals on the market. According to the SPCA, hundreds of renters are giving up their pets because of a critical lack of pet-friendly homes. The organization said it has handled 207 such cases since last March, nearly half of them in the Mission alone.
The root cause of the issue isn't hard to pinpoint: Landlords don't want to deal with potential damage caused by tenants' pets, and are less and less inclined to rent their places out to pet owners when the rental market has turned so clearly in their favor.
Drafting a pet resume can be a good way to get out in front of the issue and allay prospective landlords' concerns. (And if the idea of a dog or cat resume sounds absurd, it's no more absurd than the dreaded "pet rent" that you may be shelling out for.) The resume should include a photo, information about Fido or Fluffy's breed and medical history, and, most ideally, phone numbers for references—past landlords or neighbors—who will vouch for your pet's sanity and good citizenship. Want more resume-writing help? Check out these seven tips for drafting a pet resume.
Bonus: Here are more tips on hunting for a pet-friendly apartment.
· Mapping the Most Pet-Friendly Zip Codes for Renters in SF [Curbed SF]
· Oakland Housing Price Increases Among the Top in the Nation [Curbed SF]
· SF's Population Is Growing Way Faster Than Its Housing Stock [Curbed SF]
· Pets Becoming Victims of San Francisco's Housing Crisis [ABC 7]
· Fewer Landlords Accepting Pets in San Francisco [NBC]
· Unsurprisingly, SF's Median Rent Tops New York's Yet Again [Curbed SF]
· Drafting a Pet Resume to Land Your Dream Apartment [Curbed SF]
· Hunting for the Elusive Pet-Friendly Apartment [Curbed SF]