How to Find No Breed Restriction Apartments
Looking for a place where your dog is welcomed regardless of their breed? It’s a real frustration — many landlords enforce breed restrictions for insurance reasons, liability concerns, or outdated assumptions about certain breeds. The good news is that apartments without breed restrictions do exist, and there are concrete ways to find them.
Understanding Breed Restrictions
What They Are
Breed restrictions are rules that prohibit certain dog breeds and their mixes from living in certain buildings, houses, and apartments. The most commonly restricted breeds include rottweilers, mastiffs, pit bulls, German shepherds, cane corsos, or Staffordshire terriers. But it’s not just about specific breeds—apartments will often impose restrictions on breeds based on behavior, size, weight, age, and amount of exercise needed.
Why They Exist
Breed restrictions are often in place due to liability concerns and insurance requirements, with many insurance companies still imposing breed-specific exclusions. One primary reason for breed restrictions is the prevalence of Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL), where in some states and municipalities, certain dog breeds have conditions and regulations. It’s important to know that state-specific bans and apartment bans are different—even if your city doesn’t ban certain breeds, the landlord can have its own restrictions.
Using Rental Search Platforms
Finding the Right Sites
When starting your search for no breed restriction apartments, rental platforms are your first stop. Here are your best options:
- Dwellsy: A rental search platform that lets you create a pet profile with details like species (dog, cat, birds, reptile, and other non-traditional pets), breed, size, and weight. You can filter listings from the start to show only properties that match your pet’s profile, and pet-friendly listings are clearly labeled with a pet-friendly badge, so you know exactly what policies you’re working with upfront.
- Apartment List: Has a pet-friendly filter that lets you search for rental properties, and you can then contact them directly to confirm breed policies.
- RentCafe: Offers pet-friendly apartment search with filtering options and detailed pet policy information.
- Apartments.com: Includes pet-friendly search filters and allows you to narrow down listings by pet policies.
- Zillow: Provides pet-friendly rental filters and lets you search by location and amenities.
What to Search For
When searching, look for
