More than 20% of the Spanish population rents, according to recent data. Likewise, 25% of households have a dog, while 19% have a cat (to see The European Pet Food Industry report in detail, click here). However, only 3% of landlords accept tenants with pets, according to a well-known real estate portal.
As you can see, today is all about data. And there's more. 20% expressly prohibit keeping animals. And 70% neither know nor answer. "We'll see." As many of us know, in most cases, doubt turns into a "no" when landlords meet the potential tenant face-to-face. And if they also have a big dog, it's a lost cause.
In Madrid, the situation is slightly better than in the rest of Spain, since 3.9% of rental homes allow pets. 14.5% of ads directly ban pets, and 81.6% prefer not to comment. The districts with the highest acceptance of companion animals are Fuencarral, Villaverde, Ciudad Lineal, and Hortaleza. In contrast, Moratalaz, Puente de Vallecas, Retiro, Moncloa, and Salamanca have lower acceptance. As you can see, the situation is not exactly ideal.
To the difficulty of finding decent rental housing, we must add the almost absolute impossibility of the landlord accepting you if they know you have an ARISTOPET. Surely many of you have had a similar experience. And it's not pleasant. Suddenly, you find yourself trying to convince a stranger how good your ARISTODOG is: "He doesn't bark, he doesn't bother anyone, he's sociable." Or how well-behaved your ARISTOCAT is: "He has never scratched any furniture. Really. His scratching post is more than enough for him." And you even show them the background photo on your phone, where they look so handsome... When, despite all that, they tell you no, you feel a great sense of helplessness.
That's why many have no choice but to lie. Lie to be able to have your dog or cat with you, in your home. Well, it's not your home, but it's like it is. With all the risks that entails: if they discover you have a pet (something that will most likely happen if you have a dog), even though the contract included a clause specifying that pets are not allowed in the property, you could automatically lose your deposit. And even face other types of problems.
Landlords who oppose pet ownership don't stop to think about it, they probably don't even imagine it, but when they reject you for having an ARISTOPET, it's like they're rejecting you for having children or for having a partner. They don't know or don't want to know that your ARISTOCAT and your ARISTODOG are part of your family. You won't go anywhere without them. There's no townhouse, penthouse, studio, or palace you'd want to live in if your pet isn't welcome.
From here, we wish good luck to all ARISTOPETERS who are looking for housing. And we encourage all those who already rent to behave in an exemplary manner so that landlords stop fearing tenants with pets.
Changing the world our ARISTOPETS live in starts with each one of us!