Landlord credit may give S.F. pets new leash on life

San Francisco resident Rex Reginald owns two large dogs and found it almost impossible to find housing when he moved here from Los Angeles. The struggle was so tough, 46-year-old Reginald said, that it led him to lobby The City's Animal Control and Welfare Commission to support a proposed tax credit for dog- and cat-friendly landlords.

"It's a win-win situation that will make people more responsible with their pets," Reginald said.

He explained that the proposal would not only keep animals out of shelters, but would include pet grooming and training requirements of owners, resulting in more well-trained, healthy pets.

"A lot of people I've met are literally hiding their animals in their apartment from their landlords," Reginald said.

The proposal was labeled "innovative" by the landlords' group San Francisco Apartment Association. Director Janan New said landlords in San Francisco currently get no tax incentives for anything.

"They're always being given punitive measures," she said. "This would be a carrot approach rather than the stick approach we usually see from City Hall."

San Francisco Animal Care and Control Director Carl Friedman said Wednesday that, while he hadn't seen a draft of Reginald's proposal, "We're very much in favor, theoretically, of anything that will have landlords allow people to adopt companion animals and keep them on their premises."

Friedman estimated The City's dog population at 120,000. With around 70 percent of The City's residents living in rented homes, he said the dearth of animal-friendly housing is the main reason pets find their way to his organization's shelter.

Reginald said the proposal currently calls for a 5 percent annual tax credit or up to $200 per lessee with a pet, whichever is less. He is drafting a final version of his proposal to submit to the commission at its next meeting May 11. Commissioner Richard Schulke is sponsoring the proposal, but could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

His proposal now is for a property tax credit for landlords of dog and cat owners, but he said that might be expanded to other species if the concept is generally accepted.

Jill Fox, a spokeswoman for the mayor's policy council on children and families, said there is an income tax credit for working families in San Francisco, but that she knows of no property tax incentive for landlords to rent to families. The 2000 census data show 112,802 children living in San Francisco, less than the estimated dog population. Fox said only 6,086 dogs were licensed in the city, however.

If the commission approves the proposal, it will recommend that the Board of Supervisors consider it as legislation. That would require a supervisor to adopt the proposal and enter it as his or her own legislation.