Not always easy to put your paw on a rental accommodation in which the pitous are not canis non grata. In Quebec, we took the puppy by the horns with the imminent marketing of a residential complex of a hundred apartments specifically designed to live there with or surrounded by furry friends.
It is by relying on its flair that the Logisco real estate group set up the Muso project in western Quebec City, whose apartments will be put on the market in August 2023 and delivered in the summer of 2024. Noting that the search for accommodation to rent that accepts dogs could be a real obstacle course, the management of the company embarked on the construction of 109 apartments, arranged over 7 floors, where dogs will be welcomed with arms open.
Managing 6,400 homes in the Quebec region, Logisco generally does not accept animals in these, due to the sometimes thorny cohabitation between tenants and unsuitable infrastructure.
In recent years, especially since the pandemic, we have really seen the curve of the number of customers with animals rise. Our teams have therefore looked into a project for them, which is also aimed at people who do not have one, but appreciate their company, or who would perhaps like to have one later. It will also give an option for our current customers who would like to adopt an animal and could be transferred to Muso.
Mélanie Simard-Veilleux, Vice President, Customer Experience, Logisco
IMAGE PROVIDED BY LOGISCO
A projection of the Muso project, which will be implemented in Quebec, in the L’Ancienne-Lorette sector
In addition to leases authorizing the presence of dogs of all sizes, the designers have probed the possible needs of future tenants, humanoids or canids, and planned a range of characteristics to meet them.
“Outside, there will be a 3000 sq. ft. dog park2 approximately, divided into two parts, one of 900 ft2 for small dogs and another of 2100 ft2 for adults. There will be drinking troughs for the dogs and fountains for their masters, bag dispensers in case they forget, a small agility course, relief areas with an underground drain, ”lists Mme Simard-Veilleux.
Inside, there will be a grooming room with a bath-shower, a work table where you can tie the animal, and lockers to store your equipment.
The choice of materials also takes future snout tenants into account, with concrete construction featuring superior soundproofing, durable structures to withstand claws and snags longer, and waterproof coatings in common areas (ceramic and Flotex carpet).
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LOGISCO
Véronique Roberge, vice-president, construction, at Logisco, and Michel Parent, company president, accompanied by the dog Maurice, in front of the construction site which should be completed in August
With a high number of canids concentrated in the same place, should we fear other problems of cohabitation? “It was part of the discussions. We have planned a canine expert to present conferences on good cohabitation. »
We want to create communities, there will be regulations, such as keeping animal vaccination records up to date. We are quite confident, usually, pet owners have so much trouble finding accommodation that we think they will be more inclined to live together harmoniously.
Mélanie Simard-Veilleux, Vice President, Customer Experience, Logisco
Future litters?
There are plenty for the little ones, but also for the tenants themselves, who will have access to an equipped training room, a common living room with relaxation area, an aperitif area with a pool table as well as a area for teleworking. Among the hundred or so apartments on offer, there are two and a half apartments (rented for around $1,100), three and a half apartments (between $1,200 and $1,500) and four and a half apartments (from $1,600 to $2,000). The price includes parking, air conditioning, wireless internet and secure lockers.
“It is not more expensive compared to our other buildings, it is what it costs to build new in 2023”, assures Mme Simard-Veilleux, which specifies that the amenities for animals do not entail any additional cost – compared to the construction of other common amenities, for example a swimming pool.
IMAGE PROVIDED BY LOGISCO
A glimpse of the interior of the apartments
Future tenants will be able to put their paw on the reservation of these accommodations from August 2023, but be aware that there are people at the gate: the number of customers placed on the waiting list is currently 10 times greater than at the entrance. accustomed, a sign of a real appetite. Will the Muso therefore have babies? Logisco says it is still in prototyping and is waiting to obtain the first results of this first attempt, but is not closed to the idea of deploying it on a large scale if it is successful… in the bowl.
Bye bye, animals prohibited in the lease?
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The SPCA would like to see the lease clauses prohibiting pets removed.
The standoff over lease clauses prohibiting pets in rental apartments continues to rage in Quebec. Recently, the Montreal SPCA intervened before the Tribunal administratif du logement in the context of a dispute between a tenant and her landlord, in disagreement on the validity of such a contractual condition. At the same time, a bill aimed at making this type of clause in leases ineffective was tabled in the National Assembly on 25 May. For the Montreal SPCA, the possibility for landlords to ban animals is “abusive”, contravenes their status as “sensitive beings”, promotes abandonment and infringes on privacy. Some groups of owners, for their part, do not want to see the possibility of prohibiting animals in housing be swept away, fearing that they will have to manage damage and conflicts between tenants.