Pet-Friendly Apartments Have Resell Advantage

Photograph of Aidan and Buckley by Amrit Singh

New Yorkers may love their pets, but sometimes New York apartment buildings don't like them that much: The Wall Street Journal has some anecdotes of brokers turning down potential buyers of multimillion dollar apartments because the buildings don't allow pets! In fact, some buildings can be especially strict about dogs—sometimes forcing Solomonic choices.

Michele Kleier, broker/president at Gumley Haft Kleier (as well as reality star), "put a Fifth Avenue duplex on the market in a building with a strict no-pet policy. The family-size apartment was listed for more than $6 million, she said. But 23 of 26 potential buyers were turned away because they owned dogs or cats." Kleier told the WSJ, "We had no one to show it to, and the owner took the apartment off the market."

One Upper East Side building's size limit and bond requirement for dogs was a dealbreaker for another woman, who stated, "My dog is a member of the family." But even though broker Barbara Fox says, "I think boards are just cutting off their noses and causing huge pains by not allowing dogs," the board of a Chelsea co-op no longer allows dogs "to avoid continued spending on legal fees to battle pet owners." (Think gassy or noisy pups.)

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By Jen Chung in News on April 29, 2010 3:42 PM

Comments [rss]

ozik

I wouldn't want to live in a building with dogs, things can be too noisy. Sometimes the owner doesn't even know it because the dog is freaking out when they aren't home.

I turned down apartments BECAUSE dogs were allowed in the building. I completely sympathize with a building board turning down dogs, the short term benefit of getting someone into a place is replaced by the potential for long term conflict over noise, animal waste, smell, etc.

nicemarmot

It's true, one of the big selling points of my building is that it's very pet-friendly. Of course, since there are tons of pets, some of them don't get along. And then there are the people who apparently think it's okay to let your dog take a shit in the elevator...still worth it for me though, because I do love my dog.

I think the elevator shit people are the same people who put their dogs in the tree boxes and let them dig.