Bellingham, Stand Up for Pet-Friendly Housing

Proposed Ordinance to Remove Barriers to Pets in Housing
 
ASPCA Position: Support Pro-Animal Provisions

Update — July 17, 2025: Good news! The Bellingham City Council passed an ordinance that will help families find and keep homes that welcome their beloved pets. Thank you for each action you took to advocate for this improvement!

The ordinance increases housing stability for renters and removes barriers to owning pets in rental housing by capping deposits. It also prevents landlords from charging hundreds or even thousands of dollars in other nonrefundable pet-related fees, like pet rent. 

Now, landlords can only charge 2% of the monthly rent or a pet deposit of up to 30% of the monthly rent, but landlords cannot charge both. Furthermore, landlords are now prohibited from charging non-refundable pet-related fees. 

Why Pet-Friendly Housing Is Important

Pet owners face huge barriers when searching for a home. Renters, especially lower income renters, are more likely to have to rehome their pet due to housing issues than for any other reason. When renters finally find housing that allows pets, it often comes with costly up front or ongoing pet deposits and/or pet-related fees. When added to other housing-related expenses, such as moving, security deposits, and application fees, these additional costs have a devastating impact on people who are already struggling to find cost-appropriate housing.

Pets are considered part of the family by most people, yet an increasing number of pet owners are being forced to surrender their animals due to restrictive and costly housing policies. It’s severing precious bonds and flooding animal shelters and rescues with pets who could have remained with their families if these barriers didn’t exist. This proposed ordinance is a huge step towards eliminating barriers to keeping pets at home with the people who love them.

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