Okanagan Humane Society president says pet-friendly housing crisis eight years in the making

[Castanet News]

Residents of the North Okanagan have recently made headlines for their inability to find affordable, pet friendly apartments — from a senior forced to give up...

[online buy]

What happens when everything is left in private hands…..private concerns. Easier to blame the government though.

[shopped56]

Having witnessed what some tenants are capable of, in terms of property destruction, never mind pets, it is ALL on the people that are renting, no respect for someone's property equals less landlords, they sell, and less pet friendly rentals. And I do agree with extra rent for a pet. I own, and have had to do some work to some window sills because of my cat, but she STAYS. I also know of landlords who had such good tenants they would reward them with less rent, to keep them. The system is not broken, it is the lack of respect, of others property.

[workerman]

This article describes a desperate situation: Landlords with a right to protect their property, and well-intentioned renters with pets needing a secure space for their family, amid an overwhelming housing crisis. We have been private landlords for many years and never refused tenants having pets, or charged extra. We never encountered a problem in that regard as we screened the humans carefully, as we believed they were the key to a respectful partnership. Thank goodness for humane societies who are able to stretch their resources for those left in the cold, but some relief is needed to address this urgent dilemma.

[JMJohnson]

I believe this is a symptom of the ever growing and obvious housing problem. I don't think a band-aid issue on pet allowances will fix it. The rentals that don't allow pets are not going empty. These homes are being filled by renters who don't have pets. This type of article is shifting the attention away from the larger resolve. The biggest bottle neck is not pet restrictions. The biggest bottle neck is lack of affordable rentals.