Pet Friendly Rentals (Seattle, Puyallup, Monroe: apartments, rental homes, houses)

[Megan1967]

I live in Madison, WI. I have a good friend who moved out to Seattle last year and, ironically, have recently started dating a guy who is determined to move back to Seattle within the next year.

Both have been very enthusiastically extolling the virtues of your city and strongly encouraging me to consider moving out there. I have one problem, however. Well, 6 actually. I have 2 dogs (Pembroke Welsh Corgi) and 4 cats. I own my own home here in Madison, but I seriously doubt I could afford a house in Seattle. For one thing the value of my home keeps plummeting due to the surrounding neighborhood and I'll be lucky to get 30K out of it after realtor fees.

There are very few landlords in Madison who would allow you to have so many pets and I'm assuming Seattle landlords are of a similar frame of mind. I'd be thrilled to learn otherwise, however. I could afford about $1500 per month in rent.

Related to this, does Seattle have a limit on the number of pets you can own?

I know this is going to sound crazy to some, but I'm not open to the idea of giving up any of my cats or dogs. They are very special to me and I've made a commitment to their care.

[Megan1967]

I did a little digging myself and just found this:

2. In single-family zones,
a. accessory dwelling units shall not be considered separate dwelling units for the purpose of this Section 23.42.052
b. up to four small animals are permitted on lots of at least 20,000 square feet; and
c. one additional small animal is permitted for each 5,000 square feet of lot area in excess of 20,000 square feet. Accessory structures, including kennels, for four or more animals must be at least 10 feet from any other lot in a residential zone.

So, basically, you can have any combination of 4 small animals. Darn. So close, and yet so far.....

[Seacove]

I would think six pets is going to limit you to a rental in country places like Monroe, Snohomish, Duvall, Fall City, Carnation, Preston, maybe Puyallup? Anything is possible but in the metro, I think the limit is three, not sure. The outskirts would be easier though.

Places like Monroe commonly have chickens (actually it's trendy to have chickens in Seattle these days), goats, horses, etc. so household pets would seem no big deal. You're just going to have a longer commute.

[Megan1967]

Thank you for the speedy reply, Seacove!

From what I have gathered so far, I don't think many landlords allow you to have more than 2 pets. It is completely understandable from their prospective. *I'm* a clean, sane person, but I know that many people with tons of cats/dogs are not.

I will check out the areas you've suggested.

[SusVelo]

We have 3 dogs and 2 cats, so feel your struggle, in SLC for now and it's one of the things that makes it tough to move. We've had best luck with rental homes and more non-corporate landlords who may be more pet friendly.

[SusVelo]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

I did a little digging myself and just found this:

2. In single-family zones,
a. accessory dwelling units shall not be considered separate dwelling units for the purpose of this Section 23.42.052
b. up to four small animals are permitted on lots of at least 20,000 square feet; and
c. one additional small animal is permitted for each 5,000 square feet of lot area in excess of 20,000 square feet. Accessory structures, including kennels, for four or more animals must be at least 10 feet from any other lot in a residential zone.

So, basically, you can have any combination of 4 small animals. Darn. So close, and yet so far.....

And check surrounding areas as well, each city has it's own code...

Number of Animals Permitted in Urban Area Households

[shaylahc]

I rent, and we have 3 cats and a dog. Most places are willing to take pets, but usually it's houses (not apartments), and you're not likely to find many of those for $1500. 6 pets is a lot, and they will need space to roam.

[Megan1967]

Originally Posted by shaylahc

I rent, and we have 3 cats and a dog. Most places are willing to take pets, but usually it's houses (not apartments), and you're not likely to find many of those for $1500. 6 pets is a lot, and they will need space to roam.

Good point. I have a house here in Madison and they have about 1800 square feet to spread out in.

I feel the need to explain.... I used to be involved cat rescue, which is why I have so many cats. If you are familiar with rescue work, people foster the animals in their homes for a 501c3 organization. The animals with issues tend to be adopted by their foster parents. You get tired of dragging them to adoption fairs when there are obviously no takers and you get attached to them as well. Of the 4 cats I have now, two were actually adoptable, but various circumstances lead to then staying. One is feral and even after 17 years has yet to become totally tame, even for me. The other was the kitten of a feral cat and while he is perfectly charming in my home, he cowered and hissed at adoption fairs. People only want the friendly out going cats, so he never got adopted.

I may be jumping the gun a bit on this matter anyway as the relationship is still rather undefined. It would probably be the deciding factor, but I wouldn't move unless things were serious enough to move in together which would help on the rent front.