SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A California assemblymember is fighting for renters who want to find a place to live without giving up their beloved furry friend. Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) said the majority of Californians who rent are pet owners. At the same time, the majority of rental homes do not allow any pets.
Haney said, “12 million people across the state are being denied access to that housing because they have a companion pet. The majority of renters in our state, pet owners, are denied access to the majority of rental units. That makes no sense at all and it’s dramatically exacerbating the housing crisis.”
A new bill authored by Haney, AB 2216, took one step closer to becoming law after passing out of the State Assembly Judiciary Committee this week. It’s now headed to the Assembly Floor.
AB 2216 would require landlords to have reasonable reasons for not allowing a pet in a rental unit, and only allows landlords to ask about animal ownership after a tenant’s application has been approved.
Haney lives in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood with his two orange tabby cats, according to his biography. He is one of only three renters in the State Legislature.
California has the second highest number of tenants in the country, with 17 million families and individuals renting. Close to 12 million, or 70% of these renters, are pet owners.
Under current law, only 30% of available rentals in any given city are pet-friendly. In San Francisco, just 21% of the available rentals on the market allow for pets, the assemblyman said.
The lopsided situation results in undercover pet ownership. When faced with choosing between getting approved for a home, and keeping a cat or dog, a huge number of pet owners keep their animals under their current or future landlord’s radar. “The lack of pet-friendly housing is causing more than 829,000 tenants to have pets in their units without the knowledge of their landlord,” Haney’s office wrote.
Others renters surrender their animals to shelters. A survey of 240 California animal shelters revealed that out of nearly 68,000 pets surrendered, the leading cause was lack of access to pet-friendly housing.
The Humane Society of the United States sponsored AB 2216.
HSUS California State Director Jenny Berg said, “Household pets are an integral part of our families. Housing is a fundamental right that should not be limited because tenants are forced to choose between keeping their pet or putting a roof over their head.”
Haney, who chairs the California Legislative Renters Caucus, said, “Like it or not humans have pets. They always have and they always will.”
