Pets are the New Kids

Title:  Pets Are the New Kids: Unleashing Leasing & Revenue Potential with Victoria Cowart

Summary:   Today’s renters consider their pets vital members of their families, and operators must respond accordingly. This session will explore best practices in pet policy management, offering strategies for implementing pet-inclusive policies while highlighting their potential to positively impact your property's financial performance.  It will also explore how to handle assistance animal accommodation requests and best manage pet and animal related risks. In addition, it will detail the latest legal and regulatory news surrounding assistance animal accommodations.

Takeaways:

● Recognize the growing importance of pets to today’s renters. 
● Understand the financial advantages of embracing pet-pawsitive strategies, from increased occupancy to resident retention.
● Identify best practices for reviewing and updating pet policies to create a more pet-inclusive, resident-friendly approach.
● Gain clarity on legal and regulatory requirements and how they apply to reasonable accommodation requests for assistance animals.
● Recognize the operational risks related to pets and assistance animals.

Bio:
Victoria Cowart, CPM, NAAEI Faculty, is the Vice President of Education at PetScreening. Previously, she was a direct property management industry member with extensive experience providing management and oversight for a mix of portfolios, including apartment communities, manufactured housing communities, and HOAs.

Cowart helped launch the Charleston Apartment Association, served as its president, and then became the president of the South Carolina Apartment Association and an NAA regional vice president. She has chaired four NAA committees, most recently the 2021 Legislative Committee.  Cowart was recently inducted into the South Carolina Apartment Association Hall of Fame. She is a passionate advocate for industry education, pets, and assistance animals. Cowart has a degree in the management of human resources, holds her CPM from IREM, has been certified as a Fair Housing Specialist by the National Center for Housing Management, and has been certified as an Adult
Mental Health First Aid Instructor by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.