Victoria Cowart
With a rise in renters seeking pet friendly properties, it is important for landlords to realize what the risks and benefits are to allowing our furry friends into their rental units. Today Co-Host TJ Hock is covering all you need to know about pet screening with guest Victoria Cowert, Director of Education & Outreach at petscreening.com. Victoria guides us through why it is essential that owners deploy petscreening to mitigate some of the risks as well as the numerous benefits to being a pet-friendly property.
Victoria Cowart, CPM, NAAEI Faculty, is the Director of Education & Outreach for PetScreening. Previously, she was a direct multi-family industry member with extensive experience providing management and oversight for multifamily housing communities (conventional & subsidized), mobile home communities, and HOAs. She is a property management instructor and a proud graduate of both the NAAEI Advance Facilitator Training and the NAA Lyceum Program. Victoria obtained her degree in the Management of human resources and then her industry CPM designation. She was honored to be commissioned a SC “Palmetto Patriot,” to receive the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s Executive “Influential Women In Business,” and the NAA AIMS Grassroots Member Advocate of the year. She has served the industry as President of both the local and state affiliates as well as having served as a Regional VP for Region IV for NAA. Victoria has chaired four Committees for NAA, most recently as the 2021 Legislative Chair. She is passionate about education, simplification and creating ease and understanding for industry members. Victoria is a wife, mother and a proud PetScreening pack member who also leads her own “pride” of three pound-kitties.
Timestamps:
2:55 – What is the importance of allowing pets on properties?
6:21 – Why has there been an increase in support/service animals?
9:25 – If a landlord doesn’t allow pets, how does Pet Screening help?
11:32- Are policies regarding pets changing for rentals?
14:03 – What does Pet Screening do?
18:55 – What changes/benefits would a landlord see when they begin to allow pets?
21:30 – Are tenants more satisfied if they’re allowed to have pets?
24:25 – What are the outcomes of allowing pets in your rental units?
26:55 – The benefits of petscreening.com
28:49 – Are companies beginning to allow pets in the office?
Key Takeaways:
70% of homes in the USA have pets / animals, while only 27% have children
75% of millennials have a dog, 50% have a cat
Pre-pandemic, 1 out of 10 people had emotional disabilities, post-pandemic it is 4/10
The national average of pet damage to rental units is $191.
The correlation between service/assistance animals and a rise in physical, emotional and mental disabilities in the country.
Landlords can be legally responsible for pet bites if there is a history of biting from the pet
Owners can see increased revenue and reduction in turnover with pet-friendly properties.
Twice as many applicants and vacancies fill faster when allowing pets
Allowing pets is the #2 rental search factor, behind price
Details of the petscreening.com program
