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Have you brought a furry friend home? If so, you need to make sure that you and your apartment are ready to accommodate a pet. From cleaning to preventing damage to ensuring that they don’t get ahold of your personal items, you must ensure that your apartment is fully ready for your new pet.

Make Sure You’re Within Apartment Regulations

This is your first step. You may balk at your apartment’s pet fee and believe you can get away with not telling management you’ve adopted a pet. You would be wrong. For both your safety and the animal’s, you must be upfront with your apartment management and go through the proper channels. If you are found out, your lease could be voided and you would be forced to vacate your apartment. Not to mention the dangers of maintenance workers entering your apartment while you’re away, potentially letting your pet (which they are not expecting to encounter) escape. After you have your pet deposit and any other paperwork in order, here are some steps you may want to take to make your apartment more friendly for your pet.

Invest In a Great Vacuum

If you’ve added a dog or a cat to your family, it’s time to invest in a strong vacuum. Your new cat or dog WILL shed and cause hair and fur balls to accumulate around your home. Depending on the color of your pet’s hair, it may or may not show up in your carpet and on your floor and clothes. Even if your apartment is small, a good vacuum is a great investment. Hair and fur might be even more visible in smaller spaces.

Take Measures to Prevent Damage

From tracking mud and dirt onto the carpet to scratching the paint on doors and walls, pets can cause a lot of damage in a rented space. That’s why apartments ask for a pet deposit. If your pet caused no damage, you get it back. Who doesn’t want their money back? In addition, you don’t want your apartment to have to actually use the pet deposit since the repairs will take up time they could get another resident into the unit. It’s respectful to them to take the proper measures. This can include spraying furniture with anti-chew spray for dogs, putting double-sided tape on furniture, walls, and doors so cats won’t scratch, keeping your window blinds up during the day, and perhaps even keeping pets out of areas with carpet or putting a rug over the carpet so it’s not ruined in an accident. Rugs are easier to clean than carpet is.

Reorganize Your Space

Do you have a lot of items, electronics, or clothing situated towards the ground? If so, it’s time to reorganize your apartment and put those items higher up on shelves. Your new pet could snatch up your clothes and items thinking they are brand new toys! It’s especially important to make sure all valuable items are kept out of reach!

Purchase Clean Toys and Treats

Some pet toys and treats are known for ripping to shreds, leaving crumbs or even resulting in giant messes. Instead of purchasing these toys, look for toys that will not leave a mess or a trail behind after your dog or cat plays!

Is your current apartment too small or not right for you and your pet? Check out the many communities MMC has to offer in Murfreesboro, Smyrna, LaVergne and Nashville.