Pet Housing Resources | Florida Keys SPCA

Pet Inclusive Housing Resources

The FKSPCA’s mission is to keep pets with their families where they belong. Difficulty finding pet-friendly housing is the number one reason that animals are surrendered to shelters nationwide. Below you will find tools and resources for tenants, property owners, and people looking for pet-inclusive rentals.

Resources to Help You and Your Pets!

The majority of American households own pets. Yet, when it comes to finding housing that accepts all pets, many cities fall short. No pet policies and breed and size restrictions place many families in the impossible situation of either saying goodbye to a beloved family member or finding themselves without a home.

With help from the Mars Petcare Better Cities for Pets Program, the Florida Keys SPCA aims to make Key West and the Lower Keys a better, more pet-inclusive community. Whether you’re a renter looking for a home for you and your furry family members or a property owner who wants to expand your tenant pool to responsible pet parents, we have resources to help. Check out our resources below!

The Florida Keys SPCA Pet Safety Net Program:

Found a pet-friendly rental but need assistance with move-in costs? The FKSPCA is able to help income-qualifying renters with pet deposits/fees to secure housing for themselves and their pets.

Click on the application below to see if you qualify. Bring the completed application and supporting documentation to the FKSPCA Key West campus. Paper copies of the application are available at the Front Desk.

We can also help by providing vaccines, heartworm & flea/tick preventatives, spay & neuter surgeries, and any other wellness services that your pet may need to meet the move-in requirements of a rental property. For more information about the services offered by our Dogwood Wellness Clinic, click here: https://fkspca.org/what-we-do/clinic-services/

For questions or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 305.294.4857 or email Clinic@fkspca.org.

Click Here for the Application

Rental Properties List and Map

Rental Properties Accepting Pets in Key West:

Resources for Tenants

Pet-Inclusive Housing Resources For Renters:

Tips for finding pet-inclusive rentals:

Resources for Property Managers

Pet-Inclusive Housing Resources for Property Managers:

The Economic Benefits of Being Pet-Inclusive:

Being pet-inclusive makes cents (and dollars)!

Being pet-inclusive increases your potential tenant pool.
- The majority of US households own at least one pet.

- The number of pet-owning renters is increasing with each generation.

- Pet-friendliness is a top priority for potential tenants, and not one that they are likely to compromise on.

Turnover is expensive!
- Residents in pet-friendly housing stay an average of 21% longer than those in non-pet-friendly housing. Retention of great tenants saves you time, money, and the effort of finding new renters.
- Pet-friendly rentals are easier to fill than non-pet-friendly rentals. The longer your rental unit stays empty, the more you lose in monthly rent revenue. Being pet-friendly will help you fill vacancies faster.
Being pet-inclusive makes you more money.
- Owners of pet-friendly properties increase their revenue by charging reasonable pet fees and pet rents. By allowing renters to own pets, property owners stand to make considerably more in profits every year than their non-pet-friendly counterparts.

Setting yourself up for success:

Tips and Resources for Making Your Rental Property Pet-Friendly:

Protect your assets.
- Charging a reasonable Pet Deposit will cover you against any potential damage caused by a tenant’s pet. The good news is that only 9% of pets have caused property damage, and the average cost of the damage caused is only $191, well below the average Pet Deposit of $300-$500.

- Require potential tenants to provide veterinary records and proof of registration. Veterinary records can show a person’s habit of responsible ownership. Consistently up-to-date vaccines, spay/neuter, preventative health, and county license show investment and commitment to their pet and can give you a general idea of their responsibility level.
- Ask for references from people who can attest to their pet’s general behavior and demeanor. References could include dog trainers, veterinarians or vet techs, past landlords or property managers, groomers, pet sitters & dog walkers, roommates, neighbors, family members, and friends.
- Create a Pet Agreement to include within your tenant Lease Agreement. This will ensure reasonable standards of care and maintenance such as the timely removal of pet waste and the expectation that dogs must be walked on a leash.
- Ensure that your homeowners insurance is pet-inclusive. For more information and to find insurance companies without pet or breed restrictions, click the next drop down tab to visit our Insurance Resources page.
  - You can also ask you tenants to acquire renters insurance that covers their pet and/or Canine Liability Insurance.

Learn more and access tools for making your property pet-inclusive by checking out the resources below:

Homeowner's and Renter's Insurance Resources

Pet-Inclusive Homeowner' and Renter's Insurance:

Trying to find pet-friendly homeowners insurance for your own home or your rental property? We’ve got you covered!

Research has shown that the practice of designating some dog breeds as more aggressive than others is not based on scientific evidence or empirical data. Rather, the designation of a certain breed type as “aggressive” is often arbitrary, inaccurate, and based on bias and misconception. In addition, even the experts aren’t good at determining a dog’s breed or breed mix by sight. Although several insurance companies still impose restrictions or exclusions for specific dog breeds, many companies are moving away from this practice.

Some insurance companies that don’t take a dog’s breed into account when determining eligibility or rates for home or renters insurance are:

Amica
Auto-Owners
Chubb
Farmers (in most states)
State Farm
Toggle (renters insurance through Farmers)
USAA

If your dog’s breed is on an insurance company’s restricted list, you still have several options to keep or obtain home or renters insurance:

Some companies waive the breed restriction if the dog completes an approved training program.
As an alternative to higher rates or denying coverage, some insurance companies require dog owners with restricted breeds to accept a dog bite exclusion. This relieves the insurance company of having to pay out on a dog bite claim.
- Some insurance companies offer liability coverage specifically for injuries caused by your dog. Canine Liability Insurance could fill your coverage gap if your insurance company requires a dog bite exclusion. Learn more and get a quote for Canine Liability insurance here: https://www.mypitbullisfamily.org/insurance
Learn more about dog-friendly homeowners and renters insurance here: https://quotewizard.com/home-insurance/dog-breed-insurance-rates

Several states have already enacted laws prohibiting insurance companies from denying homeowners coverage or charging more for it based on the breed or breed mix of dogs in the home. To add Florida to this list, click here to take action and speak up for Florida dogs: https://action.bestfriends.org/petitions/end-insurance-breed-discrimination-david-altmaier

Eviction Response Toolkit

Eviction Response Toolkit- Know Your Rights

Millions of American families face eviction every year. If you have been threatened with eviction or are considering surrendering your pet for fear of eviction, it is very important that you know your rights and how to get help.

An “eviction” is when a landlord forces a tenant to move out. In Florida, the laws that deal with evictions are strict. A landlord must follow all the steps of the law and go to court to properly evict a tenant.

All of the following must take place before an eviction:

The tenant gets a written notice to move out (vacate).
The tenant is served with legal paperwork – a summons and complaint. The papers must be delivered by a sheriff or other authorized process server.
The tenant is allowed to respond.
The court can grant or deny the eviction.
A Writ of Possession is posted if the court grants the eviction.

Illegal Actions – What Landlords Can’t Do

It is illegal if your landlord tries to make you move out by:

Shutting off your utilities (water, gas, electric)
Changing or removing the locks on your home.
Removing doors or windows.
Taking your property from your home. (In the state of Florida, a pet is considered your property and cannot be removed from your home by your landlord without having completed the entire eviction process as listed above).

If you have been served with a notice to vacate, click the link to learn how to proceed and what your next steps should be: How to Answer Your Eviction Case – Monroe County

If you need help with an eviction case in Monroe County and cannot afford legal counsel, Legal Services of Greater Miami may be able to help. You can reach them here: https://www.legalservicesmiami.org/self-help
Even if you do not have a written lease, you still have legal rights as a tenant.

To access a more information about your rights as a tenant in the state of Florida, click here:

Breed Discrimination in Housing - Learn More & Take Action

Putting an End to Breed-Based Discrimination

Lack of pet-friendly housing is the number one reason that animals are surrendered to shelters nationwide. Breed bans play a big part in animals being surrendered.

As challenging as it is to find housing that accepts pets, the situation for renters is even harder when rental properties impose breed, size, and weight restrictions on pets. In fact, nearly all of the AKC’s Top 20 Most Popular Dog Breeds in the United States are also the most likely to be found on a rental property’s restricted list. Even the most popular dogs who are not banned based on breed, such as the Labrador and Golden Retriever, are likely to be restricted based on their size or weight. To achieve the goal of ending pet homelessness, we hope that more properties will go beyond “pet-friendly” and become “pet-inclusive” by embracing pets of all sizes and breeds.

Breed-based restrictions have no basis in scientific evidence, and they have absolutely no impact on ensuring public safety or preventing property damage.

It has been proven time and again that breed is not a factor in determining whether or not a dog is dangerous. In an article about Breed Specific Legislation, Ann Linder notes that different breeds of dogs have been considered “the most dangerous breed” throughout the history of the US. In the late 1800s, there was public outcry over Bloodhounds; in the 1960s & 70s, the German Shepherd was the breed most associated with dog attacks, and beginning in the 1980s, the title of “most dangerous breed” was assigned to Pit bulls. It is unlikely that German Shepherds drastically changed their behavior in the 1980s when Pit bulls began developing a negative reputation. In addition, Pit bulls were widely popular at times when other dogs were considered the most dangerous. The label of “dangerous breed” is not based on statistics but on public perception and media reporting.

Read the full article here: The Social Context of Breed Specific Legislation

In yearly tests performed by the American Temperament Testing Society, Pit bulls consistently achieve a passing rate as good as or better than the other most popular breeds.

Learn more about the truth behind common Pit bull myths here: https://badrap.org/breed-info/monster-myths

Florida law already recognizes that breed is not a factor in labeling a dog as dangerous.

Florida’s laws addressing dangerous dogs state that “municipalities may not address dangerous dogs using laws, rules, or policies that are breed specific.” “Local government shall not be involved in telling people which breed of dog they may own.” (767.14)
Additionally, Florida law insulates landlords from liability when they do not know or have reason to know that a dog owned by a tenant is dangerous.
Support Florida House Bill 721. This legislation will keep families and pets together by removing arbitrary pet restrictions from public housing. Call your representatives today!

Learn more here: Info on FL Pets in Public Housing Bills

Support Federal House Bill H.R.5828 - Pets Belong With Families Act; this legislation removes pet restrictions from public housing nationwide.

Learn more here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5828/text?r=1&s=1

Pitbulls are as American as apple pie.

In the early half of the 1900s, Pit bulls were so popular that they were considered “America’s Dog.” They even featured prominently in recruiting campaigns for WWI and II. The first dog awarded an army medal was a Pit bull mix named Sgt. Stubby.

Read more about the history of “America’s Dog” here: https://patch.com/virginia/lorton/what-happened-americas-dog-1

Breed bans are a social justice issue.

Unlike other popular breeds of dogs, Pit bulls are commonly associated with black and Latino communities. As part of a study seeking to assess perceptions of dog ownership across breed, it was demonstrated that unlike the other breeds in the study, Pit bulls were most often perceived as belonging to young black men. Although no data exists demonstrating the actual demographics of Pit bull owners, it is clear from this study that the common perception of a Pit bull owner is a black or Latino person. Because of this association, Pit bull bans “may be being used as a new form of redlining to keep minorities out of majority-white neighborhoods.”

Read the full study results and conclusions here: The Social Context of Breed Specific Legislation

In 2021, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) passed a Resolution denouncing Breed Specific Legislation.

Read the Resolution here: Resolution CYF-22-23

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Thank you to:

Pet Inclusive Housing Resources

Resources to Help You and Your Pets!

The Florida Keys SPCA Pet Safety Net Program:

Rental Properties Accepting Pets in Key West:

Pet-Inclusive Housing Resources For Renters:

Pet-Inclusive Housing Resources for Property Managers:

Pet-Inclusive Homeowner' and Renter's Insurance:

Eviction Response Toolkit- Know Your Rights

Putting an End to Breed-Based Discrimination

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