If AB 2216 passes through a slew of legislative obstacles, pet owners in California would be offered protections that, until its passage, could have them in the doghouse with their landlords.
The state bill, introduced earlier this month by San Francisco Assemblyman Matt Haney, would cover 12 million of the 17 million people who rent homes around the state and have furry friends, his office said in a news release issued this week. The legislation would remove blanket bans on pets in rental units, forcing landlords to provide "reasonable reason(s) for not allowing a pet in a rental unit" and would restrict landlords from asking about pets until after a rental application was approved.
San Diego Pet Parade
AB 2216 is part of the solution to California's housing crisis, according to Haney.
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“We have to keep building housing, and much faster, but we won’t be able to solve this crisis if 12 million people across the state are being denied access to that housing because they have a companion pet," Haney is quoted as saying in the news release. "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.”
More than 829,000 people are keeping pets in their homes without their landlord's knowledge, the news release claims: "This leaves landlords without adequate coverage for potential damages that could be mitigated if they knew their tenants had a pet such as pet insurance, or reasonable pet restrictions."
San Diego's Missing Pets
Another hidden cost, according to Haney: One of the leading causes of pets being surrendered to animal shelters around the state is a lack of pet-friendly housing.
"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." Jenny Berg, California State Director of the Humane Society of the United States, is quoted as saying in the news release.
AB 2216 was introduced on Feb. 7 and may be heard in committee on March 9.
