How to Find Pit-Bull Friendly Housing

Pit Bull parents know that they’ve hit the jackpot: This clean-coiffed breed is legendary for being cuddly, sweet, fun, and (lucky you!) completely in love with their pet parents. If you are a new pet parent to a Pittie, you’ll be thrilled to learn about their loveliest attributes pretty quickly. That’s why, for many, adopting a Pit Bull can be the best decision they ever made, but it can be also particularly challenging if you live in a rental unit.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of negative assumptions about these pups out there, and many people believe these myths — including landlords — before they’ve even met them. In fact, many leases pre-emptively ban larger breeds they view as threatening, and Pit Bulls are chief among them.

While your quest to find housing that accommodates your pup may feel impossible, we assure you that it is not. We put together this guide to help you navigate Pit Bull restrictions so you and your new bestie can live safely and comfortably, free of housing insecurity.

Steps to find Pit Bull-friendly housing

With some planning, there is absolutely no need to scrap adoption plans or rehome your already adopted Pit Bull. Here’s a game plan to help you get started.

1. Research Housing 

First, start your search early. The more of a concerted effort you make early on, the more stress-free your living situation will be.

Before you sign any lease agreement, comb through the fine print for extra pet fees and to make sure there aren’t pet restrictions in your potential residence. A lease may outright ban certain breeds, such as Pit Bulls, or they may prohibit dogs based on size and/or weight. This still applies to Pit Bulls, so read carefully. If the landlord agrees to any lease changes, get this in writing.

If you are a renter, your living options may include the following.

• Apartment complexes: Housing in larger complexes is often run by management companies with stringent corporate rules. This means if the lease does not allow Pit Bulls, it will probably be difficult to “legally” change the owners’ mind. (You can charm the site manager as you see fit, but they are not the owner.)

• Independently owned homes: Smaller, independent landlords (especially of houses or condos) can change the rules anytime they want, which is a good thing. However, if they are subject to co-op board restrictions, which is common in New York City and some other major cities, you may encounter hurdles. 

• Subleased properties: Since this is a sublet, make sure the original lease does not ban Pit Bulls. If there is any language impacting Pit Bulls, do not assume you can squeak by on a sublet. Depending on your location, subletters typically have fewer rights, unless (in some places) the landlord has given written permission to the tenant to sublease the home.

2. Visit housing databases with filter options

Pit Bull lovers have assembled many databases to help pet parents find comfortable, hassle-free housing. Most folks will point you toward My Pit Bull Is Family, which keeps a nationwide database of rentable housing that’s Pittie-approved.

If you don’t find something there, you can also search apartment listing sites, such as Apartments.com or Zillow, for dog-friendly spaces. Just be sure to ask, when reaching out, for clarity on breed or size restrictions. With a little Googling, you may also find some local humane societies, rescues, and governmental organizations that compile their own lists of apartments that are dog and/or Pit Bull-friendly.

3. Ask around your network

Sometimes the simplest solution is right in front of you. Ask friends, families, and work colleagues if they know of anyone renting a space. If they do, the odds are in your favor (since someone can vouch for you) that the friend-of-a-friend is more inclined to work with you to accommodate your Pit Bull.

4. Consider using a broker

If you keep encountering setbacks while looking for a home for you and your Pit Bull, you might want to reach out to a housing broker who will take on your search for a fee. Ask friends you trust for the name of their broker, or check Yelp for well-reviewed brokers who can help.

5. Be prepared to negotiate

The smartest thing you can do is assemble all the paperwork and information your potential landlord may need…before they request it. The more prepared you are to convince landlords that you are organized and responsible, the better your chances at negotiating with them to land a dream apartment for you and your Pittie. 

Below are a few essential types of paperwork to consider.

• Create a pet resume: Start by drafting a pet resume for your Pittie. The ASPCA recommends including their name and age, photos of them interacting with other people (the sillier the better), any training they’ve had or tricks they can do, as well as vet records (including vaccine history, spay/neuter information, and check-up information).

• Secure references: Any resume should include written references from previous landlords or property managers, who can attest to the fact that you and your Pit Bull are clean, polite, trouble-free tenants.

• Line up insurance: Find a pet-friendly insurance company you like and confirm with the landlord that, although you don’t expect you’ll need it, you do have renter’s insurance and/or pet liability insurance on deck to cover potential damage or injuries. 

Why are Pit Bull-type breeds restricted?

If Pit Bulls are so sweet, how did we get here? Several serious dog attacks in the 1980s, many said to involve Pit Bulls, led to a ripple effect of bans across the nation. 

Seeing an uptick in potential payouts (and therefore, financial losses), insurance companies began to follow suit, barring certain breeds and dog sizes from rental property and liability coverage. Pit Bulls, in particular, were increasingly banned, and this created a culture of fear around the breed. 

Breed-specific legislation (or BSL) are laws that regulate or ban certain dog breeds, and can be statewide or local. They tend to impact many bigger dog breeds, but seem to always impact the livelihoods of Pit Bull breeds. (The term “Pit Bull” encapsulates five breeds: American Bully, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and the American Bulldog.) 

And yet, “there is no evidence that breed-specific laws make communities safer for people or companion animals,” the ASPCA writes. “Following a thorough study of human fatalities resulting from dog bites, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decided to strongly oppose BSL.” Additionally, many argue that BSL is rooted in racial and socioeconomic bias.

Today, about 21 states have banned BSL. In an attempt to stop canine discrimination, New York, Texas, and Illinois, for instance, have decided to, the ASPCA continues, “track and regulate dangerous dogs individually — regardless of breed.” 

However, more than 700 U.S. cities have enacted breed-specific laws. You can consult the BSL Census’ map to help identify which locations across the U.S. have these laws. 

Your responsibilities as a Pit Bull parent

As much as you adore your pup, another person — including your landlord or neighbors — may express fear in the presence of your Pittie, unintentionally triggering the dog’s anxiety or protective instincts. This means you should always work diligently to maintain positive relationships with those around you. This may include:

• Investing in rugs for scuff-free floors

• Cleaning up after your dog indoors and outdoors around the property

• Minimizing barking (be it through training or mitigating canine anxiety)

• Always leashing your dog 

• Regularly socializing your dog from a young age so they’re accustomed to meeting other people

• Advising friendly neighbors on how to approach your dog

• In some cases, getting professional training for your dog

Ultimately, it helps immensely to be a good neighbor. Communicate with your neighbors, be friendly, listen to them, and attempt to problem-solve where necessary. 

What if my Pit Bull is an emotional support animal?

If you have a disability or mental-health issues — and your Pittie qualifies as a service animal (under the  Americans with Disabilities Act) or an emotional-support animal (under the Fair Housing Act) — in most cases, you can contest efforts to deny housing. Also good to know: All pet fees must be disclosed in your lease, but management most likely cannot legally charge a monthly fee or higher rent for service or emotional-support animals. 

If your pet does not qualify for the above, you may contemplate just saying that they are emotional support animals (which come with less stringent qualifications than service animals). Resist this temptation: False representation of emotional support animals is considered fraud. Depending on your location, this can come with a fine, jail time, or both. 

Can a landlord change their mind about my Pit Bull?

Let’s say a landlord has suddenly reneged on a verbal agreement for your Pit Bull to live in your apartment. Or perhaps your rental’s ownership has changed. 

If you’ve lived with your Pit Bull in plain sight for three or more months, in some locations, management cannot enforce a no-pet rule. If you have been informed that the rules have changed, they cannot enforce this without a lease change. And if they decide to have your dog removed from your rental unit, they cannot do this without proper legal recourse. 

As uncomfortable as these threats may be, it’s your responsibility as a loving pet parent to protect your dog’s well-being and address any concerns or legal threats that arise. (Ignoring them won’t make them go away. If anything, it will lead to escalation.) Before anyone jumps to legal action, try to sit down with your landlord or property manager and talk through the dispute to arrive at a fair resolution. Finally, get this in writing by updating your lease.

And if the above doesn’t work, don’t delay in reaching out for some legal help (see below).

How do my Pit Bull and I get legal help?

In the case that you are unable to resolve a civil dispute with your landlord and feel like you and your dog are being unfairly treated, you may want to reach out to a lawyer. 

If you believe your right to a service or emotional support animal has been violated, file a complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act site or with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, respectively.

If you have a different dispute (or don’t want to wait for a government investigation), try searching online (use the words “animal law”) for more localized legal representation because laws will vary from state to state and city to city. The Animal Legal Defense Fund also suggests starting with the American Bar Association or Lawyers.com. You can likewise visit Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute for animal and dog law attorneys, listed by state.