It is very hard to find rental places for your pit bull dog due to landlord’s insurance and liability reasons. It often excludes pit bulls from being a resident, among other breeds such as dobermans and rotties. I found great information on Bad Rap, I asked to share with you. Click here to contact Bad Rap.
Finding a New Home for You and Your Dog
Finding dog-friendly housing can be tough, especially if your best friend is a pit bull or pit bull mix. Rejection hurts, but don’t panic! Instead, be proactive and ready to prove to landlords why you and your dog are the perfect tenants.
1. First Impressions Count. When looking for a new home, bring your well trained dog with you to meet the landlords. It’s easy to decline dog owners on the phone, but so much harder when they meet a great applicant and lovely dog in person. Be polite no matter how they respond. Many a landlord has been moved to give applicants a try when they act calm, professional and show a willingness to work to address all of their concerns.
2. Obedience train your spayed or neutered dog and create an eye-catching pet resume that includes cute photos and letters of recommendation from your vet, neighbors and trainer to show how well liked your dog is and responsible you are. Describe any arrangements you make for your pet while you’re at work or away on vacation.
Hint! – Teach your dog a trick such as ‘Shake!’ or ‘Roll Over!’ to help impress prospective landlords during your first meeting.
3. Better than your average dog! Ask your trainer how to help your dog earn his Canine Good Citizen title (CGC). This impressive certification helps show landlords that your pet is able to demonstrate the best manners. Info on the CGC test.
4. Renter’s Insurance. Since liability is every property owner’s biggest concern, buy a renter’s policy that will cover your dog and let prospective landlords know that when you apply. How much? In California, Farmers Insurance will sell a $300,000 liability policy for around $300 a year. This is a small price to pay to help your landlord feel good about renting to you. Resources for Renter’s Insurance.
Atomic Betty’s lessons. When Mike and Kim wanted to adopt BADRAP’s Atomic Betty, their landlord said, “No way.” The company that carried the policy on the home discriminated against several breeds including pit bulls, and they weren’t willing to risk losing their insurance. It was a big disappointment. Mike and Kim loved their rental and really didn’t want to move, but Betty was worth some creative problem solving. Rather than give up or sneak an unwelcome dog onto the property, they got proactive and wrote a warm and hopeful letter, outlining their love for the house and hope to stay on as longterm tenants as well as their affection for Betty. They boasted about her lovely personality and impressive training background to help the landlord see that she was one special dog. They also politely suggested that the landlord switch to an insurance carrier that wouldn’t discriminate against the dog they were in love with, and they provided the name of a local State Farm agent who would work with them. To sweeten the deal, they offered to pay the difference if the new policy was pricier.
It worked! The solution was a win-win for everyone: Mike and Kim got a great dog, and their landlords have two very happy and responsible tenants who are even more committed to renewing their lease and taking good care of the home they love. Their example is a reminder that persistence pays, especially when tenants are willing to work in cooperation with property owners to remove any concerns or obstacles.
5. Money Talks. Consider offering an additional pet deposit to cover any damages – or, as we learned with Atomic Betty’s example – offer to pay any extra costs to help a landlord buy a new policy from a non-discriminatory company. Dog friendly companies and agents listed HERE.
6. Stay Honest. Never try to hide your dog or sign a lease that doesn’t allow dogs. You’re much safer if you stay honest and if you have the landlord add your dog’s name and breed to the lease. If you decide to hide your dog, you’re at the mercy of ill-informed neighbors who might turn you in! Landlords are more likely to evict dogs when they’re pressured by neighbors or if they’re caught off guard.
7. Be an awesome tenant and get a letter of recommendation to prove it. From pit bull owner Vuthy Thorn, “Whenever I move from a place, I draft up a letter of recommendation stating that my dogs have never caused any problems, have been quiet, great tenants, etc., and have had no problems getting my current-soon-to-be-former apartment manager/landlord to sign it. It really does help.”
Great advice Vutha! To build a pet friendly community, pet owners of every type of dog really do have commit to being awesome tenants. Lay rugs down to avoid scratching the hardwoods. Use a dog crate to prevent unexpected damage, like chewed door frames or urine marking while you’re away at work. Pick up after your dog. Don’t let him bark non-stop or annoy others. Don’t let him run loose. Let willing neighbors meet your well behaved pet so they can support you in your ownership: Consider inviting them over to a BBQ for some enjoyable ‘get to know’ time. Wear a thick skin and be polite to those that are rude or afraid. Make it your mission to help them realize you’re a thoughtful, responsible dog owner with a well loved pet and your landlord will happily give you a great reference for your next rental.
8. Be resourceful and persistent. Craigslist is a great resource for dog friendly housing ads. You may want to consider placing a ‘Housing Wanted’ ad on Craigslist while you’re there.
9. Let science help you! Someone told you your dog is a pit bull, but the truth is, many dogs identified as pit bulls are actually mixed breed dogs who have been incorrectly labeled. Albert (right) was labeled a pit bull in a local shelter but the landlord of his wanna-be adopter restricted this breed from his building. After a DNA test showed that there was absolutely no terrier in his genetic make-up, he was welcomed into the apartment and officially adopted from the shelter! (Albert’s DNA results showed that one of his parents was a German Shorthaired Pointer) Wisdom Panel tests cost around $75. From his shelter advocate who arranged the adoption:
“It was very reassuring to both landlord and potential dog owner…I remember the landlord doing a complete 180 once he had a piece of paper in front of him (the DNA results). Having a printed document was much more official, and if the landlord was worried about being sued if anything happened, it could puts the onus of dog breed identification back on the dog owner.”
More info on why judging a dog’s breed by appearance alone tends to be very inaccurate! Breed Identification.
10. Patience and PLANNING! Please don’t wait until the very last minute to find a home that will accept your pet. The search typically takes several weeks, so give yourself a few weeks to find what you need. If you’re in a pinch, consider boarding your pet at your vet’s office or boarding facility to keep him safe while you hunt for a pet friendly rental.
11. Foreclosures – Know Your Rights! If you learn that your landlord has foreclosed, federal legislation signed by President Obama in 2009 protects your lease. Provided a new owner of the property isn’t moving in, you can stay put until the end of your lease, and if you have a month-to-month lease or if the owner is moving in, you are entitled to 90 day’s notice before having to move. Ninety days isn’t a lot, but it does buy you time to search for pet friendly home. Learn more: Renters in Foreclosure
12. Need more time? If you still haven’t found a place to live with your dog, consider boarding him at your vet’s office or boarding kennel while you search. Short on cash? Some businesses will allow a work exchange to help pay kenneling costs.
We know how stressful this can be on everyone and wish you the very best luck with securing what you need for your pets and family.
Are you a property owner?
How to identify responsible dog owners for your rental properties. INFO for Landlords.
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From It’s the Pits Rescue-San Diego, CA
Pit Bull Friendly Rentals
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Oceanside – Forest Glen Living – Shannon (760) 758-2792. No breed or weight restrictions. ALL pets accepted upon manager approval.
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North County – call Katherine (760) 754-1177
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Luciana Villanueva (619) 201-5363 website
Pit Bull Friendly Insurance
Dori Einhorn with Einhorn Insurance will be happy to help pit bull owners get homeowners or renters insurance. You will not be discriminated against just because one of your kids is a pit bull (provided you don’t have a “documented” history of biting). Contact Dori by phone at (858) 336-4644, by email or visit her website.
touch of home 
hi, just a quick question… what if the dog in question is afraid of people? how to present him in that case? she is an 85 lbs pit-mastiff mix, 1.5yo, and a bit skittish of people.. basically a big baby, but still..
Hi, sorry for the long delay with my reply. I have been very busy moving across the country. I now live in Kentucky. Your dog being afraid of people would be a plus for the landlord (not the dog), because then they will be assured the dog is less likely to bite people. The main point in renting with pit bulls is a liability issue and landlords paying high insurance rates. I would present your dog just how she is and explain she is skittish of people, let them meet her, get character references. I would socialize her more to help get her out of being skittish. Lots of people don’t understand that size of the dog does not matter in a lot of cases. My Sydney is like that, she is very skittish of new people, but if you knock on my door, she sounds like she is going to rip a limb off your body. Explain how gentle your dog is despite her size. Most people I met with mastiffs lived in an apartment, they are surprisingly good apartment dogs. I would also suggest emphasizing the mastiff part and not the pit part. Because of stereotypes, mix breeds are better ‘labeled’ with the part that is not pit. For example, I have a lab mix, which is true.