This State Has the Most Pet-Friendly Rentals in 2022

Pet ownership has risen significantly over the last few years, and so has the need for pet-friendly rentals. Searching for a home that will accept your pet (and isn’t just limited to small cats or dogs) can be challenging, but luckily for pet parents, some real estate websites have made it easy to find them. For example, Zillow has a search filter that will show apartment buildings that accepts large pets.

To give animal lovers a clearer idea of the pet-friendly housing market in 2022, American Home Shield analyzed Zillow listings to find the states with the most rentals that accept cats, small dogs, or large dogs.

The research found that North Carolina is the most dog-friendly state overall, with 77.6% of rentals allowing small dogs and 58.6% allowing large dogs. But when it comes to cat-approved buildings, NC came in at number 16. According to the World Population Review, North Carolina is a dog loving state, with two-fifths (41.3 percent) of households being home to a pup, while only 26.5 percent have cats.

In second place is Georgia, while Mississippi is third on the list when it comes to accepting large dogs. If you own a big breed, you may want to steer clear of Hawaii, where only 6.7 percent of rentals accept large dogs.

As for cats, Georgia came out on top with 70.7 percent of homes allowing felines to reside there. This is probably due to the fact that houses and apartments in Georgia are typically on the larger side, while in contrast, New York only allows pet in 36.7 percent of homes—likely as a result of apartment sizes, which are notoriously small in New York City.

Regardless of what state you live in or whether you have a huge hound or a tiny kitten, it’s important that you’re following your landlord’s pet policy.