Men and pets have lived and worked side by side for millenia. That relationship hasn’t faded in modern day but has instead moved indoors, becoming part of how people define family and how they choose where to live. In fact, one report found that 80% of owners consider their pets to be a vital family member.
Yet, as pet ownership increases, rental housing policies haven’t evolved at the same pace. Breed bans and unclear liability rules continue to create friction between renters, property teams, and insurers leaving all three sides exposed to risk and frustration.
Get Covered works with property management operators at the center of this tension, helping them make clearer and fairer decisions about pets in rentals. StartupBeat spoke to Brandon Tobman, CEO of Get Covered about why pet policies have lagged behind other parts of leasing, where trust breaks down for renters, and what a pet-friendly rental process could look like in 2026.
What first drew you to the problem of renting with pets, and when did you realize the system wasn’t really working for anyone involved?
I was first drawn to the problem by the lack of transparency around pet policies. It was never really clear the types of pets that are actually allowed, what’s truly covered by insurance versus what isn’t, and who is ultimately liable if an incident occurs. It became clear pretty quickly that this confusion creates uncertainty for renters, property owners, and insurers alike, which exposes everyone to significant and often misunderstood financial risk around pet-related liability.
Pet ownership is more popular than ever, so why do you think the rental industry has struggled to evolve around pets compared to other parts of the housing experience?
While pet ownership has grown rapidly, the rental industry has struggled to keep pace because pets are difficult to define, manage, and enforce through traditional policies. Owners and operators have to balance risk mitigation with resident satisfaction and occupancy. The simplest way to limit exposure has historically been strict bans or narrow pet restrictions, but those approaches reduce demand and hurt long-term property performance.
Pets are family members, and residents make housing decisions based on that fact. Get Covered’s pet services and insurance solutions help our partners strike that balance by protecting against risk while supporting pet-friendly policies that actually work for both residents and property owners.
From the renter’s perspective, where does the leasing process most often go wrong for pet owners, and why is that moment so consequential?
From a renter’s perspective, things most often go wrong at the moment pet information is collected from the building or a ‘background check’ on the animal is completed. While details about the pet are usually gathered, the criteria used to evaluate that information is often too narrow or vague to account for individual circumstances. This is a problem because it can determine whether a renter can move forward at all, regardless of their pet’s actual history or behavior. The process is one size fits all and trust breaks down quickly. This is the mindset Get Covered is working to change. We want to encourage partners to have more thoughtful, individualized evaluations that better reflect the reality of responsible pet ownership.
How does better pet information change conversations between renters and property teams?
It can be confusing and pretty disheartening to hear that your dog, who’s basically a member of your family, isn’t eligible to live in a home or apartment simply because they look like a certain breed. That’s especially frustrating when there’s been no history of incidents and the pet just happens to fall into an arbitrary category of denial. Better transparency and enhanced pet solutions change those conversations by allowing decisions to be made based on the individual pet. This leads to improved dialogue between renters and property teams allowing for educated, discussions about a specific pet, rather than vague assumptions.
Each pet is different, and when the focus shifts to things like temperament, behavioral history, and responsible ownership, logic and reason will prevail over outdated, one-size-fits-all breed assumptions.
As we head into 2026, what does a genuinely pet-friendly rental experience look like and how is Get Covered helping move the industry in that direction?
Clear, upfront explanations of what information is being reviewed, how pets are evaluated, what the decision criteria looks like, and who is involved in screening. Residents should understand the process from point A to point B, so when a decision is ultimately made, it doesn’t feel arbitrary or confusing.
Just as important, residents should have visibility into the outcome, like what documentation was reviewed, what specific factors or flags influenced the decision, and how that decision was reached. Get Covered is helping move the industry in this direction by building pet services and insurance solutions that support clarity, consistency, and fair, pet-specific evaluations that work for both residents and property teams.
