Renting with pets: 9 tips to have a stress-free move to your new rental

A pet is family and we need to look out for their needs. Here are some tips to help your pet have a stress-free experience when you rent a new unit.

1. Rent with your pet in mind: The biggest tip is to consider your pet’s needs before you sign the lease. Think of the activity level for your pets. Are they housebroken? Are they still learning to socialize? How will they handle elevators? How will you handle elevators in covid times twice a day in taking them out for their walks? Picture your day in the new space with everything your pet needs in the day. Some spaces may be perfect for you but not safe or comfortable for your pet. Think ahead.
2. Make a safe space: Reintroduce their favorite sleeping and feeding environment in the new space. Create a sense of consistency.
3. Take the pet away from the chaos: Put your pet somewhere where they dont see the chaos on moving day. Or take them for a walk. It’s going to be stressful anyway. Try to contain their stress.
4. Acclimatize them to their carrier: If doing a long move in a carrier, dont spring it on your pet on the day of the move. Put their blanket inside and let them explore the carrier before you move.
5. Stock up on their favorite foods: Your new location may not have the same foods. While you figure things out around where to buy supplies try to contain your pet’s confusion and stress around foods. Stock up to the best extent possible.
6. Keep a blanket handy for covering your carrier: If traveling through an airport with a carrier it is not unusual for people and kids to want to come and say hello. Sometimes the attention is unwelcome. Keep a blanket handy to give your pet some private time.
7. Consult your vet on longer moves: I have moved across continents with cats. We did not need to sedate them. Consult your vet on whether sedating is recommended or necessary for your pets if doing a long move where the pet is not going to see you for hours on end.
8. Get their vaccine passports updated. Airlines and nations have different policies around vaccine passports. Consult with them on your pets’ vaccine passports and make sure you carry translated copies.
9. Talk to your landlord. At least in Canada a landlord cannot keep you from getting a pet, but they may be aware of some risks that you would like to be made aware of before you sign the lease. Ask about other tenants. Do they have pets? What’s the neighborhood like? Are there any known risks to pets? Did anyone live in this unit earlier with a pet? What were their experiences like.

At Dwello, our mission is to help renters improve their financial health. But no amount of financial security can compensate for stress to our pets through and after the move to a new rental space. Do you agree with the list above? Or do you have any other tips for other pet-parents? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.