Pet-Friendly Developments

Clancy Quay in Dublin 8, a Kennedy Wilson development with views over Phoenix Park, has numerous apartments reserved exclusively for pet-owners and has a gated dog-park on site, aptly named the ‘Bark Park’ – so as well as the freedom of Phoenix Park for leisurely walks, your beloved pet can have social interactions with others. Socialising with fellow pups is critical to ensure your dog leads a happy and well-balanced life. Cleverly, a further amenity of the scheme is the dog wash conveniently close to the Bark Park, meaning dogs can be washed down before going back inside – and a clean dog means no mess inside the property for the landlords.

Knockrabo in Goatstown is a luxury scheme of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments and penthouses suitable for a variety of tenants, from downsizers, to those looking to work from home close to the city, or small families testing out the Dublin 14 area. By adopting a pet-friendly approach to renting each category of tenant is catered for.

Coming to the market soon will be Belvoir, a Havitat development in Stillorgan. The pet-friendly scheme will be offering one, two and three-bedroom apartments in the landscaped gardens of Kilmacud House.

If you are considering renting with your faithful companion, be prepared that some schemes may require a ‘pet premium’, which can vary in price depending on the scheme - but a small price to pay for living alongside your four-legged friend.

Happy Tenants

In my experience, pets provide a common ground between tenants and their neighbours and are a great leveller in society across all demographics. Reasons to stop and chat in the hallway, social trips to the dog park together and the exchange of small favours between neighbours (everything from ‘would you mind feeding him while I am away for the evening?’ to ‘can you recommend a good vet’s nearby?’) can strengthen ties within a development and lead to a stronger sense of community in a scheme.

As we all know, pets also help to reduce stress and offer companionship, which as more of us than ever work from home is a welcome addition to the new ‘office’ – not to mention that getting some fresh air a couple of times a day becomes a non-negotiable!

Happy tenants mean long-term tenants, so its no surprise to see more and more developers turn their focus to becoming pet-friendly and thus ensuring decreased tenant turnover and vacancy. And as apartments that accept pets are still a rarity, by choosing to allow them then a scheme can achieve and retain a competitive advantage over others.

Our love of animals remains as strong as ever, perhaps even more so as we spend more quality time at home with them than previous years. The good news now is that finding an apartment to rent that accepts your family, pets and all, is becoming more accessible each year as PRS developers respond to this growing requirement of their tenants, as their own sector grows too.

Developing build to rent schemes to be pet friendly may well be barking up the right tree – I certainly think so. 

Clarie Neary is Head of Residential Management & Lettings at Savills Ireland.