A compiled reference of 28 verified statistics on pet damage in rental housing. It covers how often pets actually cause damage, what the repairs cost, what operators charge in pet deposits and pet rent, what insurance does and does not cover, and where the law caps pet fees. Every figure names its source (the Michelson Found Animals and HABRI renter survey, the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, Triple-I and State Farm claims data, HUD guidance) and was independently checked before publishing.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
The numbers cut both ways. Most pets cause no damage at all, and the fees operators collect are several times the average repair bill. But when damage does happen, one stained carpet or scratched floor can cost more than the pet deposit, and renters insurance will not pay for it.
Only 9% of pets cause any damage at all. The average repair costs $210.
59% of renter households have a pet. 37% have a child.
Renters with pets stay 21% longer, about 10 extra months.
Typical pet deposits run $200 to $500, plus $25 to $100 a month in pet rent.
2.5 million rentals house unapproved pets, about $1.5 billion in uncollected pet rent (a modeled estimate).
Dog-related injury claims averaged $69,272 in 2024.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in August 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
National renter surveys, insurance claims data, platform fee documentation, landlord guidance, and housing law.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each one inline where it appears.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
Where sources give different numbers, we show both rather than blending them into a false single figure.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
A note on reading these numbers. The damage-frequency figures come from a survey funded by pet-welfare organizations, so they represent the pet-friendly side's best case; we name the sponsor and sample wherever they appear. Repair costs are guide-level national ranges, not quotes. Legal rules vary by state and this page is not legal advice. Confirm any figure against the named source before relying on it.
Pet damage, by the numbers
All 28 figures, grouped by theme. Each one names its source and was independently verified.
How often pets actually cause damage
The best public data on pet damage frequency comes from the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, a 2021 survey of 1,299 rental residents and 551 owner/operators run by Michelson Found Animals (foundanimals.org) and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, HABRI (habri.org). Both are pet-welfare organizations, so treat these as the pet-friendly side's best case. Even so, the numbers are striking: damage is rare, and the fees collected are several times the average repair bill.
Statistic 1
Only 9% of pets are reported to cause any damage at all.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 2
Only 2% of pets caused damage that required a security deposit deduction. Most pet owners paid for repairs out of pocket instead.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 3
The average repair bill for pet damage is $210.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 4
Pet-owning renters pay an average of $864 in deposits plus $600 a year in monthly pet fees, several times the average damage.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
What this means: On average, the money operators collect for pets far exceeds the damage pets cause. The real risk is not the average. It is the rare bad case, which is why documentation of unit condition matters more than the size of the fee.
What pet damage costs to fix
The $210 average hides a wide range. A blotted stain is nearly free. A soaked carpet or a scratched floor is not. These national repair ranges come from RapidEye Research's guest damage repair-cost guide, compiled from national contractor pricing guides in 2026. They are the jobs pet damage most often turns into.
Statistic 5
Professional carpet cleaning for stains runs $120 to $235 per job. Per-room spot cleaning runs $25 to $80.
National contractor pricing guides, compiled by RapidEye Research (2026)
Statistic 6
Replacing the carpet in one room costs $200 to $900, at $3 to $11 per square foot installed.
National contractor pricing guides, compiled by RapidEye Research (2026)
Statistic 7
Refinishing scratched or gouged hardwood costs $3 to $8 per square foot. A full room runs $600 to $2,400 or more.
National contractor pricing guides, compiled by RapidEye Research (2026)
Statistic 8
Professional upholstery cleaning costs $120 to $232. Reupholstering a chewed or ruined sofa runs $450 to $1,400.
National contractor pricing guides, compiled by RapidEye Research (2026)
What this means: One bad pet incident can cost 3 to 10 times the average pet deposit. Speed matters too: a stain caught the same day is a cheap fix, and the same stain found weeks later can mean replacing the whole carpet.
Pet deposits, pet fees, and pet rent
What do operators actually charge? According to Zillow's landlord guidance (zillow.com), pet deposits and one-time pet fees typically run $200 to $500, with pet rent at $25 to $100 per month. The Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025 measured how many renters pay these fees. On the short-term rental side, BnB Facts (bnbfacts.com) analyzed US Airbnb listing data, and Uplisting (uplisting.io) documents typical Vrbo pet fees. We keep a full reference on short-term rental pet pricing in our Airbnb pet fee statistics report.
Statistic 9
Typical pet deposits and one-time pet fees run $200 to $500.
Zillow Rental Manager landlord guidance (2026)
Statistic 10
Typical pet rent runs $25 to $100 per month.
Zillow Rental Manager landlord guidance (2026)
Statistic 11
31% of recent renters paid a pet fee or pet rent. Among renters with a pet, 49% paid one: 51% of dog owners and 45% of cat owners.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report (2025)
Statistic 12
The average Airbnb pet fee is $20 per night, or $100 as a flat rate per stay. Only 23% of pet-allowing Airbnb hosts charge one.
BnB Facts analysis of US Airbnb listing data
Statistic 13
Vrbo pet fees typically run $25 to $100 per stay.
Uplisting Vrbo pet fee guidance
What this means: Long-term rentals charge for pets far more consistently than short-term rentals do. Most pet-friendly Airbnb hosts charge nothing extra for the pet, while about half of long-term renters with pets pay recurring pet fees.
Insurance and pet damage
A common surprise: insurance mostly does not pay for pet damage to the unit. According to Progressive (progressive.com), renters insurance excludes damage a pet causes to the renter's own home and belongings; repairs come out of the security deposit. What liability coverage does pay for is harm to other people. That side is expensive and growing, per claims data published by the Insurance Information Institute, Triple-I (iii.org), with State Farm (statefarm.com). In vacation rentals, Airbnb (airbnb.com) covers pet damage under AirCover for Hosts. We cover the claim process in our pet damage documentation guide.
Statistic 14
Renters insurance does not cover damage a pet causes to the rental unit or the renter's belongings. Those repairs typically come out of the security deposit.
Progressive renters insurance guidance (2026)
Statistic 15
Liability coverage can pay when a pet injures someone or damages someone else's property. Dog bites are typically covered up to policy limits.
Progressive renters insurance guidance (2026)
Statistic 16
US insurers paid $1.57 billion across 22,658 dog-related injury claims in 2024. The average claim was $69,272, up from $58,545 in 2023. This is liability for injuries, not property damage.
Triple-I / State Farm dog-related injury claims data (2025)
Statistic 17
Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts covers damage caused by guests' pets, including extra cleaning for pet accidents.
Airbnb, AirCover for Hosts documentation
What this means: For property damage, the deposit and the documentation are the whole game. There is no insurance backstop for a stained carpet in a long-term rental, so proving when the damage happened is what decides who pays.
Pets and the rental market
Pets are now the norm in rental housing, not the exception. According to the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025, more renter households have a pet than a child. The APPA National Pet Owners Survey (americanpetproducts.org) counts 95 million US pet-owning households. Yet supply has not caught up: Michelson Found Animals' 2025 pets and housing data report found pet-friendly access ranges from 39% of properties in Hawaii to 91% in Texas and Arizona. On the revenue side, Key Data (keydata.co) measured a clear pet-friendly premium in vacation rentals.
Statistic 18
59% of renter households have at least one pet. 37% have a child.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report (2025)
Statistic 19
40% of renter households have a dog. 31% have a cat. Nationally, 95 million US households own a pet.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report (2025); APPA National Pet Owners Survey (2025)
Statistic 20
72% of renters say pet-friendly housing is hard to find. 59% say it is too expensive.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 21
Only 8% of rental housing is free of all pet restrictions. Half of dog-friendly rentals set weight limits, averaging 45 pounds.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 22
Pet-friendly rental access ranges from 39% of properties in Hawaii to 91% in Texas and Arizona.
Michelson Found Animals, pets and housing data report (2025)
Statistic 23
Renters in pet-friendly housing stay 21% longer, about 10 additional months. 83% of owner/operators say pet-friendly vacancies fill faster.
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 24
2.5 million US rental properties house unapproved pets. At $600 a year average pet rent, that is about $1.5 billion in uncollected pet fees (a modeled estimate).
Michelson Found Animals & HABRI, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021)
Statistic 25
Pet-friendly vacation rentals earned $204 per available night versus $165 for non-pet-friendly rentals in 2022, about 24% more. Only 22% of US vacation rentals allow pets.
Key Data pet-friendly vacation rental analysis (2025)
What this means: Demand for pet-friendly housing far outruns supply, and the operators who close that gap get paid for it in longer stays, faster fills, and higher nightly rates. The damage numbers in group one are the main argument that the gap is closable.
The rules: where pet fees hit legal limits
Pet fees are not unlimited. Federal fair-housing rules and a growing set of state laws cap what operators can charge. Under HUD's Notice FHEO-2020-01 (hud.gov), assistance animals are not pets, and the California Civil Rights Department's fair-housing guidance on support animals (calcivilrights.ca.gov) applies the same rule at the state level. These rules bind long-term rental housing under the Fair Housing Act; short-term rental platforms set their own policies, and Airbnb's is similar for service animals.
Statistic 26
Housing providers may not charge pet fees, pet deposits, or pet rent for assistance animals. They may still charge for actual damage the animal causes, like any tenant damage.
HUD, Notice FHEO-2020-01 (Jan 28, 2020)
Statistic 27
California caps all security, "however denominated," at one month's rent since July 1, 2024. Pet deposits count toward the cap.
Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5, as amended by AB 12
Statistic 28
41% of emotional support animal designations were at least partly motivated by housing needs.
Michelson Found Animals, pets and housing data report (2025)
What this means: Fee income from pets is real but capped, and the caps are tightening. That shifts the economics toward the thing that is not capped: catching and documenting damage accurately, so the rare bad case gets charged to the right party. Deposit rules more broadly are covered in our security deposit statistics report.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
What percentage of pets cause damage in rentals?
Only 9% of pets are reported to cause any damage at all, and only 2% cause damage that requires a security deposit deduction. The average repair bill is $210. These figures come from the 2021 Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey of 1,299 renters and 551 rental owner/operators by Michelson Found Animals and HABRI.
How much can a landlord charge for a pet?
Typical pet deposits and one-time pet fees run $200 to $500, and typical pet rent runs $25 to $100 per month, per Zillow's landlord guidance. Limits apply. California caps all security, however denominated, at one month's rent (Cal. Civ. Code 1950.5). And under HUD Notice FHEO-2020-01, no pet fees, deposits, or pet rent may be charged for assistance animals.
Does renters insurance cover pet damage?
Not for the rental itself. According to Progressive, renters insurance does not cover damage a pet causes to the renter's own unit or belongings; those repairs typically come out of the security deposit. Liability coverage is different: it can cover injuries a pet causes to others and damage to other people's property, including most dog bites.
Do pet-friendly rentals make more money?
The data says yes. Renters in pet-friendly housing stay 21% longer, about 10 extra months, and 83% of owner/operators say pet-friendly vacancies fill faster, per the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey. In vacation rentals, Key Data measured pet-friendly properties earning $204 per available night versus $165 for non-pet-friendly ones, about 24% more.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these named public sources, each checked against the original before publishing.
Michelson Found AnimalsPet-Inclusive Housing Initiative survey (2021); pets and housing data report (2025)foundanimals.org
HABRICo-sponsor, Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative renter and operator surveyhabri.org
ZillowConsumer Housing Trends Report (2025); Rental Manager landlord guidancezillow.com
APPANational Pet Owners Survey (2025)americanpetproducts.org
Insurance Information InstituteDog-related injury claims data, with State Farm (2025)iii.org
State FarmDog-related injury claims dataset (2024 claim year)statefarm.com
ProgressiveRenters insurance pet coverage guidanceprogressive.com
HUDNotice FHEO-2020-01, assistance animal guidancehud.gov
California Legislative InformationCal. Civ. Code 1950.5 (security deposit cap)leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
California Civil Rights DepartmentFair-housing guidance on emotional support animalscalcivilrights.ca.gov
AirbnbAirCover for Hosts documentationairbnb.com
BnB FactsUS Airbnb pet fee listing analysisbnbfacts.com
UplistingVrbo pet fee guidanceuplisting.io
Key DataPet-friendly vacation rental performance analysis (2025)keydata.co