Renting with Pets: An Interview with the Founder of Unmentionable Pets

Kim Concepcion is the Founder of Unmentionable Pets, a service that helps landlords and prospective tenants to resolve pet-related issues.

What does Unmentionable Pets do, and what is the meaning of your name?

 Unmentionable Pets shares information, resources, and personal stories focusing on housing issues faced by pet owners. My background in Property Management and Residential Real Estate gives me unique insight into what landlords want and need, and the goal of Unmentionable Pets is to create win-wins within the housing space.

The name comes from my own experiences. Often, renters do not want to “mention” that they have 3 cats, or a large dog, or even a reptile to potential landlords. This can later cause more issues for both parties. I thought the name would encompass many different situations in pet ownership (not just certain breeds or multiples), so we ran with it. We help pet owners, landlords, and the public in general with resources and options for facing a pet housing situation.

How did you come up with the idea for this service?

As a Realtor, over the last 10 years, the pattern would happen over and over, and over again. I would get a call, the person on the other end would be looking for a rental, and the first question they would ask me was: “Do you know if the landlord will take pet XYZ?” 

It would be a game of phone tag or outright no options to try and help place them in a rental. Many of them would just not say anything and call another agent pretending they did not have pets. I did not want that to be the reality. I created Unmentionable Pets to help share information with pet owners, and share resources with landlords about risk/reward options. We focus on how to get to a middle ground and support responsible pet ownership while paying attention to the landlord’s ROI (Return On Investment) and risk assessment from a business perspective.

My goal is also to help pet owners become homeowners and future landlords! With good fiscal choices, this helps to create more win-wins in the marketplace!

Have you ever had trouble finding pet-friendly housing? If so, how was the situation resolved?

Yes, I personally have had issues finding a home!

My husband is in the military, and most base housing has a list of banned dogs. However, my husband has wanted a pitbull-type dog since the day I met him. I always said no — not because of the dogs, but because we had to move a lot, and it was already hard to find something suitable for our family.

I didn’t want the added stress of having a pet that would be difficult to fit in that equation. So, our solution was that we knew we had to buy a home. From then on, we would be homeowners so that we did not have to let a landlord decide if the risk was worth it. That was 2009, and we have owned a home since then!

Do you have advice for property managers who are "on the fence" about no-pets (or breed restrictive) policies?

In my mind, it comes down to a few principles: communication, education, and willingness to serve responsible pet owners. 

The first is communication: Be willing to talk about why you would or would not like pet "XYZ" in your unit. Is there something you do not know? Is there more history or a compensation that can make it a win-win? Ask the questions and be willing to have a conversation.

No-pet policies, as well as weight and breed restrictions, are a major reason why pets are surrendered to shelters.

Real-life people and people on paper can be quite different: they might be as good as their resumé, or not. And many landlords are just following their routine – but they forget about the most important thing in the rental market: occupancy.

There is a huge cost to turn a unit year after year. If someone discloses a pet, put things in place to protect your investment. Good communication allows you to make these decisions, so let potential tenants be open and explanatory about their habits, plans, and lifestyle.

Education: Let’s be real! Pets represent a risk. There are good and bad pet parents out there, and their attitude can be decisive. But also, renting a home is always a risk! There are good and bad tenants, pet owners or not!

Know your options. Assess the risk/reward in each situation. What can be done to limit risk and protect your property? LOTS – over the last 3 years alone, more insurance carriers have put out low-cost options.

I have found, in my experience, that the owners who do not disclose their pets tend to cause the most financial damage to a property – physically and by not paying their rent on time. Good pet parents are really that: parents, taking care of their pets. They are grateful for a stable place to call home. Make sure this is the renter you are getting. Check references, check employment, do an internet search! Invest upfront to gather information so that you can make the decision that is most profitable in the long run.

You can protect your investment as well as offer a pet family a place to live. The more you encourage and fact-check potential renters, the more they are prepared and ready if they need to rent again.

Willingness: Like-energy people tend to find each other. I often see people who own pets themselves become great landlords to other pet owners. This keeps pets with their families and out of rescues/shelters. Is that not the goal, to keep pets with the families that love them?

Maybe this willingness to help others is how I was raised, but the other side of me says to rental communities and landlords: THIS CAN BE VERY PROFITABLE! More and more people are getting pets instead of growing their families. Therefore, they're typically taking proper care of their animals and have a stable income to make things right if something were to happen! See that as an opportunity to grow your real estate portfolio. 

Also, the innovators and successful people of most industries follow a plan, assess risk, but also break into new ground. You can stay status quo, but others will take advantage of this market and grow much faster.

Ask yourself:

-What are your goals?

-What is your timeline?

-What is the property rental history?

Everyone has a risk tolerance – find yours and see if there are win-wins to be had!  

What tips would you offer to people who are looking for pet-friendly rental housing?

The first one is to please be a good pet parent. Your actions will impact the landlord and indirectly hurt or help the next tenant! Everything is connected and you do make a difference. 

Do your own due diligence. Local laws, optional insurance – you must protect the landlord. Ask your vet, trainer, or pet-sitter for a formal recommendation. Be honest and upfront with as much detail as you can provide the landlord. The more information you give them, the better a decision they can make. 

Respect if they are not interested. It is their investment, and the fact is, right now, landlords have a lot of options. So, if it is a no, thank them and move on.   

Lastly, ask your network. Do you know anyone with pets like yours? Know any trusted agents to help? You might be surprised, if you just ask a few people, what options might be out there that you have not thought about. Or, of course, contact us and we'll be happy to help!

What is your service area, and how can people get more information? For those outside of your service area, do you have online resources?

Our team has the most knowledge of Hampton Roads Area of Virginia –think the towns of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake. Also, San Diego County in California, and Lake County in Illinois.

Luckily, from my husband's time in the Navy, we know people who can help all over the country; thus why I can say coast-to-coast and really mean it! We are building our network slowly and would love referrals in any area for great agents, landlords, insurance people, etc., who share our passion for keeping pets and families together!

Our team has done a great job on our website, www.unmentionablepets.com, and you'll find us on other social media outlets as @unmentionablepets. So, make sure you take a look and give us a follow!

Is there anything else you'd like to say that our questions didn't cover?

The Unmentionable Pets community is focused on helping people, helping pets, and, in general, finding solutions. We are a place of education where questions are encouraged! There is always an answer – maybe not one you like, or maybe a tiny sacrifice, but there are always options! It's important to remember that we, the pet parents, are the ones who need to ask the questions!

I make it my personal mission to ensure our people are taken care of. Agents and Real Estate professionals can have a bad day, and that is something I want to know about so that I can have an opportunity to help or advocate for people with Unmentionable Pets. However, we are also a place of grace… let’s talk about it! Not every client goes with every agent, and vice versa! The goal is to find that balance on both sides and create the WIN-WINS!

Decorating Around Kids, Cats & Dogs

Guest Post by Kathia Emery, NWSID

Kathia Emery owns Emery & Associates, a design and decorating firm based in Portland, Oregon. She has worked throughout the Pacific NorthWest, California, and Hawaii. A design veteran of 35 years, Kathia says that pets are a significant consideration in most of her clients' projects.

Designer Kathia Emery with grand-dog, Rudy.
Photo copyright: Emery & Associates.

You can have great interiors with kids and pets if you take into consideration during your planning stages the special challenges posed by living with the little critters.  Here are some of the ways I’ve discovered through my own experience and that of my clients.

For Colors, Think Medium Tones.  Very dark and very light solid colors show a lot more dirt than medium tones.  A couple with no children and no pets, who don’t serve a lot of red wine at parties, can get away with all white sofas.  You can’t, unless it’s white leather, and then only if you have children and dogs past the teething stage (cats have been known to shred leather). Light colored flooring shows every footprint and Playdoh dropping, but hardwood flooring in a medium tone stain (not bleached, pickled or stained very dark) hardly shows any dirt and costs about the same as the highest quality inlaid vinyl. Medium-toned fabrics and carpeting show less lint and pet hair than very dark ones, so stay away from solid navy, forest green, burgundy, and black for broadloom carpeting or you will be vacuuming every day.

Sample mood board for planning an interior design. Photo copyright: Emery & Associates.

For Fabrics and Carpeting, Think Pattern.  Patterned fabrics, especially random, all-over patterns, are my favorites for hiding slobber, stains and spills. Slipcovering your sofas and chairs in medium to dark background patterned fabrics is the most practical kind of seating to have—when the dirt finally does start to be apparent, you can remove the slipcovers and launder or dry clean them. Although the current generation of nylon broadloom carpeting resists stains so well that even pet accidents and muddy footprints can be cleaned up quickly and easily, my all-time favorite carpets for hiding the kind of hard wear kids and animals do to floors are Oriental rugs. Before you insist you can’t afford them, compare what you would spend for broadloom, and then multiply it by the number of times you will have to replace that broadloom. Then compare the figure to what an Oriental rug costs. I’m sure you will realize they make wonderful lifetime investments and can be passed on as heirlooms to your children. Because they are portable, they can move with you; they can go over broadloom carpeting or on bare wood or tile floors. I even have one in my kitchen in front of the sink (over my hardwood floor). The ornate patterns hide dirt, dust, spills, and make dog bones look strangely at home! When they finally need a good cleaning, you simply roll them up and take them to the rug cleaners.

 For Walls, Think Vinyl.  I know, I know—it’s not classy to live with plastic, but for families with little jam smearers it will repay you many times over to install beautiful vinyl wallcoverings rather than paper or paint.  Don’t ever put grasscloth or any organic, textured wallcovering on your walls if you own cats; something about these textures seems to cause otherwise sedate felines to commit violent acts of vandalism. Not all wallcoverings need to be patterned as long as they are washable vinyl or vinyl coated. Wallpapers come in a wide variety of washable textures, from fine and filmy to coarse and homespun, which add richness to your room without adding pattern.

Kathia’s husband, Jim Kahan, who makes the BEST cat furniture! Photo copyright: Emery & Associates.

For Windows and Accessories, Think “Above Their Heads.” Except for cats who enjoy climbing up draw draperies, most window treatments and accessories are impervious to children and pets if they are above windowsill height.  If you know your cat is a curtain climber, substitute another form of window treatment, either Roman shades or blinds. Newer blinds and shades are mostly cordless these days, but if you have window treatments with cords that hang down remember to clamp, clothes pin or tie the cord to itself to prevent toddlers and pets from becoming entangled in or chewing the cords. Patio door windows are continually smudged if you have toddlers (or dogs who think it’s entertaining to catch flies). The only solution I’ve found to this dilemma is to gate off the room, or to install deep louvered shutters (my Airedale dented the daylights out of metal miniblinds, but so far the painted shutters remain unscathed).

Art and accessories need to be above windowsill height.  Toddlers are usually incapable of  keeping their hands off things that interest them, so don’t even try to keep your beautiful objects displayed on the coffee table or floor until the child is developmentally ready.  However, if you can’t put your porcelain on the coffee table, you can display an Oriental screen on a sofa table or hang anything you love on your walls. Toddlers and pets might nibble on small house plants, but large tree-like plants in tall baskets have more impact anyway and are kid and pet-proof. Just to be safe, wedge chicken wire into the pit over the soil of any indoor plan to keep cats from thinking it’s another litter box.

Just because you have young children or pets doesn’t mean you need to sentence yourself to a life without style. Is there anything more appealing than a tabby cat curled up on a chair cushion, or a puppy asleep in a basket in front of the fire? You already value the warmth and coziness that children and pets bring to a home, so go for the rest of it! You can have great style and kids and pets, too!  

Original art by Kathia Emery featuring her dearly departed Labrador, Emma. Artwork property of Kathia Emery.