TOKYO - Condominiums with pet-friendly facilities and designs are proving popular not only with cat and dog owners but also landlords who can charge higher-than-average rents and expect long-term tenants.
Tokyo-based Asahi Kasei Realty & Residence Corp. manages and operates around 20,000 units allowing owners to live with their pets, with dog runs and leash hooks as well as paw-washing spots featured in common spaces of its Hebel Maison Pawtner properties.
Its rooms also offer passageways exclusively for cats, while floors are not slippery and wall coverings are easy to replace.
"When we solicit tenants, we conduct screenings of pets, including checks on the status of their training, so that only people who properly look after their pets can move in," said Ako Sasaki, who is in charge of pet-related operations at Asahi Kasei Realty & Residence and is also a qualified veterinarian.
The company also offers sports events for dogs, seminars on cats and services to dispatch trainers.
LeTech Corp., an Osaka-based real estate company that is a group firm of Sumitomo Forestry Co., opened its first condominium for rent in Osaka with all units tailored to accommodate only cats, in response to concerns that putting cats and dogs in the same property causes stress to cats, partly due to the dogs' barking.
Its rooms are also equipped with passageways for cats, including so-called catwalks near the ceiling that allow them to move freely between the living room and bedroom. Other features include double-entry doors to prevent escape.
"In partnership with an animal hospital, we also provide free health checkups in the common areas," said Hiroyoshi Hori, an official at LeTech's division in charge of property management.
The expansion of pet-friendly real estate comes after the novel coronavirus pandemic boosted demand for pets, according to Ayaka Sasaki, deputy editor-in-chief of the housing information website Suumo, operated by Recruit Co.
Sasaki said such housing tailored to pets is also advantageous for landlords in setting rents and lease renewals.
According to an industry group survey, 6.82 million dogs and some 8.85 million cats were kept as pets in Japan last year.
"It is a niche market, but there is steady demand from people who can afford to spend money on their pets," she said.
