Finding rental accommodation in Ukraine can be particularly difficult for people with pets, especially cats. According to a March 2024 survey by OLX Real Estate, the presence of pets is a major factor that landlords consider when selecting tenants, almost on par with the requirement of stable income. While small children are also among the top three considerations, they are generally treated more leniently.
The survey found that nearly 39% of landlords surveyed by OLX are unwilling to rent their properties to tenants with pets, while over 18% are hesitant to rent to families with small children. Families with children are often denied single-room apartments or studios in new residential complexes, especially when the children are between two and five years old and the owners have recently renovated the property. On the other hand, families with children are often considered ideal tenants for apartments with two or more rooms, as such families tend to establish roots in the area and are less likely to move frequently.
Landlords are significantly more concerned about their property being damaged by pets. However, this concern often proves unfounded: according to the OLX survey, only 16% of tenants with pets had incidents of their pets causing damage to the property. Iryna Lukhanina, an independent real estate expert, notes that cats are generally viewed more negatively than dogs by landlords.
Additional Costs for Pet Owners
To secure a rental agreement with pets, tenants are often forced to pay extra fees (typically a 20-35% markup on the rental rate) or provide a deposit of three months’ rent instead of the standard two months. According to Lukhanina, additional terms may be added to the rental agreement, such as:
- An obligation to spay or neuter the cat or remove its claws (it is important to note that declawing is considered a cruel practice)
- Compensation for any property damage caused by the pet
- An additional security deposit of one month’s rent
- Additional payment for a weekly cleaning service that also inspects the condition of the apartment
Berezhniak believes that the treatment of tenants with pets reflects the extremely low level of culture in the rental market in Ukraine and a lack of understanding of the realities of the situation. Ukraine ranked ninth among the ten countries with the largest cat population – we then had 7.5 million of them, and data from 2019 indicates that more than 60% of the population of our country keeps pets, which means that more than every other family has furry companions.
In her opinion, if the rental market were more transparent, there would be a completely different approach to legal relationships and contracts, with terms that respect the rights of both parties. However, in the current absence of legal regulation and a general lack of rental culture, discrimination against pet owners remains prevalent.
