July 2024 Newsletter

Welcome to the July 2024 PIHI Newsletter! This month, we’ll be diving into how the current administration's junk fee initiative may impact pet fees in rental housing. We'll also be sharing important stories we're following, as well as some of the latest PIHI research.

Cracking Down on Junk Fees: What Could It Mean for Pet Fees?

Get an in-depth look at how the current administration's junk fee initiative, which has overwhelming bipartisan support and aims to reduce or eliminate unnecessary or excessive fees that burden consumers, may impact one area - the various pet fees that have become the norm in recent years. Read Judy Bellack 's latest blog here.

Stories We're Following

When People are Under Economic Stress, Their Pets Suffer Too – We Found Parts of Detroit that are Animal Welfare Deserts

High Housing Costs are Consuming Household Incomes

New Research Reveals 82% of HR Professionals Have Seen the Benefits of Pets for Employee Mental Health

First Global Animal Health Conference of Its Kind Coming in 2025

Latest PIHI Research

To better understand issues around emotional support animals (ESAs), PIHI asked pet owners and ESA owners about their experiences. Here are some respondent highlights:

• 41% said housing reasons were factors in having a pet declared an ESA
• 22% said a housing reason was the most important factor in having a pet declared an ESA
• 48% said size limits or breed restrictions were the most important housing-related reason for having a pet declared an ESA

We know that housing issues are a top reason why pets are separated from their families and are not able to find new homes. Reflecting on a recent article about the challenges people and pets are facing, we took a look at the pet-friendly vs. pet-inclusive rental housing landscape in Michigan, and we found that no market is above 13% when it comes to more pet-inclusive policies. We hope that animal welfare organizations and others are able to use this data to help guide conversations around increasing access to pet-inclusive housing.