It's understandable that your furry friend is like a family member to you, but unfortunately some apartments near USF may say no to allowing Fido to be your roommate. While a lot of apartments are near USF are pet friendly, other communities have specific reasons for choosing not to allow animals in their residences.
One reason that apartments near USF may not allow pets is because of the wear and tear they cause on all of the furnishings inside the unit. While staining and ripping the carpet are two of the most common issues, there are an unlimited amount of things that your pet can destroy, only if they put their mind to it! This costs the apartment community a lot of money, especially after you move out. The new resident probably doesn't want to deal with gross, urine-stained, mangled carpet when they expect to move into a fresh, clean unit. While many apartments near USF will just eat the cost of cleaning or replacing these furnishings, some don't even bother and just take that cost out of the equation completely. Some apartments may require that you get the carpets professionally cleaned. Others may allow cats over dogs, mainly for the reason of the carpet.
For apartments near USF that allow pets, their maintenance and landscaping costs may be higher than certain communities which do not allow animals. Dogs basically use the outdoors as their personal bathroom. This isn't always the best environment for plant life, which may suffer from constant use. Dogs will also dig holes and run through flower beds, which may upset some communities. A pet may damage an apartment or amenity that requires maintenance. That is an extra cost. Some of these apartments near USF just avoid these types of situations all together by enforcing a no pet policy.
Another reason why apartments near USF may not allow pets is that they are aware of certain allergies other residents may have. This kind of goes hand in hand with smoke free apartments. People have allergies and they need to be taken into consideration. A certain community may pride themselves on offering smoke and allergy free apartments. They do not want their resident with allergies to move in, and a week later find out they are allergic to their own home! Pets can leave behind dander and other materials which may be harmful for some residents.
Bottom line, you will want to check with the apartment office and see what their pet policy is before ever putting pen to paper. It would be a shame to sign a lease, only to find out that they will not allow your furry friend or feline companion to come along with you. I would never want to see anyone put in that type of situation! Thankfully, our RentTampaBay search feature can easily help you find apartments near USF that do allow pets. Make sure you check the pet friendly apartments out first and when in doubt, be sure to ask the office because their policy may have changed.