We love our pets. Some people might think we love our pets a little TOO much, but we know better. Our pets are members of our families and we will do anything to make sure they lead happy comfortable lives, WITH US.

At Suite Home we understand, trust me we get it. We look for apartment communities that are friendliest to our guests with pets. When we tour a building we make a mental note when we see that jar with treats at the doorman stand. We want to see that dog run area so you can easily get your dog out during the long cold Midwest winters. We are seeing the latest in in-building pet spas and grooming stations as new buildings go up, and we are HERE FOR IT. Is there a dog park nearby? Perfect. Are we reading ALL the paragraphs full of fine print about weight limits and restricted breeds, and keeping up on the latest rules and regulations on service and emotional support animals? Absolutely! Do we know all about the DNA registries buildings are now requesting swabs for… actually admittedly that’s a little over-the-top but if that’s how it has to be to keep a pet-friendly atmosphere we understand.

We include pet bowls in the apartments. We have a carpet specialist on speed dial. All of that preparation and more is how we make sure all our guests, human and otherwise, have the best possible experience with us.

On the other hand, when a new guest moves into one of our apartments do we want them to know that a pet lived there before them? No way!

So what steps do we take to keep our pet-owning guests happy AND our apartments immaculate? You’d be surprised the lengths we will go to.

For a pet move out the Suite Home team will:
– Perform a thorough walk-through inspection to investigate the cleaning to be done and any pet-related damage
– Hire a professional to do spot cleans and a deep clean of all carpeted areas
– Hire a professional for a furniture clean
– Replace any damaged furniture
– Request a building touch up of baseboards, floors, and/or paint if needed
– Change all the air filters
– Do a professional clean or replacement of all linens and towels

These items all take time, meaning significant costs for Suite Home and professional labor, and an apartment can be off the market and unavailable for re-rental from one to several days, which means significant loss of revenue as well.

Which brings us to pet fees – ugh. Even BEFORE we factor in any of the above costs, most of the buildings that allow pets require us to pay pet fees and pet rent (and those DNA swabs- those are pricey!), so we need to charge enough to cover those amounts and to get the apartment back to the pristine condition it was in before you moved in.

Do we like charging pet fees? We hate it. But we also don’t want to disallow pets to keep up the quality of our apartments.

So long story short, we don’t profit off your pet fees they just cover what we need to do to make sure every guest has the same amazing experience you and your pet have.