Opening more doors to paws
ARK Property Management is changing the mindset of landlords who oppose pets .
A rental property that allows pets seems to be about as rare as hen ’ s teeth these days . Deb Meleisea and Grace Gray , who have over 18 years ’ experience in property management , have heard all the sad stories from tenants who have been told to move out of their homes , that they are unable to find a new place because of their pets . The pair recognised a niche in the market and came up with ARK Property Management , helping people find homes for themselves and their beloved animals . Currently based in Auckland , the two have so far helped and had inquiries from well over 100 tenants with pets since starting up at the end of last year . Deb and Grace , who have had pets all their lives , say landlords usually make the blanket decision to say “ no ” to pets because of the negative stories they may have heard , or experienced , in the rental industry . ARK Property eases that pain by offering landlords two free property pet inspections every year ( in addition to routine property inspections ) and a free carpet clean . Deb and Grace have also created the ARK Pet CV © to allow a landlord to make a well informed decision , whether or not to allow a pet into their rental property . “ ARK ’ s aim is to change the mindset of landlords by managing the risk for them ,” says Deb . The pet CV costs $ 199 ( 10 per cent is donated to Paw Justice ) and rates pets on a points system , with the highest rating being five paws and the lowest being no paws . Pets are marked on regular vet checks , vaccinations , whether they have been neutered , treated for fleas and worms , their shedding resistance , character , temperament and much more . Photos of the pet are included , too . “ We vet everything on the pet CV by making checks with the councils , vets , doggy daycare centres and references . The CV is a really powerful tool that opens doors for pets . It gives the landlord peace of mind that maybe the dog doesn ’ t shed , is fully trained and is well looked after . It proves that the tenant is a responsible pet owner and that the pet won ’ t be left alone for great lengths of time without toys to play with , or that they can ’ t have babies because they have been neutered . “ The landlords can learn about the pet ’ s personality , what his likes are or dislikes are ; it gives a face to the pet , that here is someone you could allow into your home . They can ’ t resist them .” That ’ s what happened when a client , Anna , was looking for a home for herself and pet pug Max . Anna applied for a property that was listed as “ no pets allowed ” but , armed with Max ’ s fivepaws rating pet CV , she and ARK won the landlord over . “ The landlord fell in love with Max after reading his CV ,” Deb laughs . “ Now they have a wonderful new home .” Deb and Grace have been inundated with inquiries from all over New Zealand , and have even created an ARK CV for a woman and her beloved cat , both who are moving to New Zealand from France . They don ’ t even have a chance to put any listings up on their website because all the properties go straight out the door . But while waiting for more listings , they actively advocate for responsible pet owners – like Max and Anna – by presenting ARK CVs to other rental agents . “ We ’ ve heard many heart breaking stories . ‘ My landlord has given me notice and I can ’ t find anywhere that will allow a dog .’ Or old people are being moved out of their rental properties and have had a companion of 15 years but they can ’ t find anywhere that will let them take their pet . “ We have seen this with our own kids , who can ’ t have pets because they are renting . But the benefits of having pets are great , for adults and children . Children learn unconditional love , responsibility and caring for another living being ; having pets also encourages regular exercise . And research shows