Protect families and their pets from discriminatory landlord policies.
OAA PROGRAM AREA: Pet Assistance Resources
ACTION LEVEL: State
Each year, hundreds of Ohioans surrender their pets due to the lack of available housing options that will allow their animals to live with them. Landlords are able to enforce restrictions on what pets are allowed in rental units, and these restrictions significantly decrease the amount of affordable housing options for those with pets. Additionally, Ohio is currently facing a housing crisis characterized by older people wanting to downsize yet not being able to without giving up their pets. Coupled with this, renters are on the rise while there are fewer and fewer homeowners.
Due to this impending housing crisis and the sheer amount of Ohioans that give up their pets every year, state representatives Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, and Juanita Brent, D-Cleveland, proposed the Pet-Friendly Rental Act that would give tax breaks to landlords willing to accept pet-friendly policies. This policy would motivate landlords not to restrict breed or size and would keep them from imposing fees for pets. It would not prevent landlords from turning away potential tenants with pets, but it provides an incentive to accept pets.
As an effort to mitigate Ohio’s housing crisis and allow pet owners to keep their pets, please join OAA in asking your state representatives to support House Bill 277, the Pet-Friendly Rental Act. Your support will allow families to continue living with their pets and make a difference in many Ohioans’ lives.
What You Can Do:
Contact your State Representatives right now and urge them to cosponsor and support these bills using the sample letter below.
Share this Action Alert on your social media to raise awareness, educate, and encourage your family, friends, and co-workers in Ohio to contact their State Representatives about these important bills!
Take Action:
Dear Representative ______ ,
Throughout Ohio, hundreds of pets are surrendered to shelters each year. The primary cause of these surrenders is the lack of affordable housing options for those with pets. Landlords are able to reject pets living in their rental units, which often turns away prospective tenants or leads to them giving up their pets.
I implore you to support House Bill 277, the Pet-Friendly Rental Act, to encourage landlords through tax breaks to adopt more accepting pet policies in their rental units. Landlords would maintain their autonomy in deciding if they want to practice pet-friendly policies, yet the monetary incentive of tax breaks aims to provide landlords with greater reason to accept applicants with pets.
I respectfully request that you support the passage of House Bill 277 in order to mitigate the current housing crisis and allow owners and their pets to stay together.
Sincerely,
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