Luxury pet amenities may grab attention, but new 2025–2026 research suggests the features residents rely on most are often the ones that support everyday life.

By Avi Kosch

 Founder & CEO

NEXGEN DNA, Inc.

Walk through the marketing materials for a new luxury apartment community today and the pet amenities can sound almost resort-like. Dog spas, pet wash rooms, grooming stations, indoor play areas, private dog parks and even hydrotherapy features are becoming part of the way some communities distinguish themselves. These amenities photograph well, create memorable leasing-tour moments and reinforce the message that pets are welcome.

But there is another pet amenity that receives far less attention in glossy brochures even though residents may depend on it every day: the pet waste station.

That contrast matters because pet-friendly housing is no longer a niche. Zillow’s 2026 research found that 59% of renter households have at least one pet, compared with 37% that have a child. PetScreening’s 2026 State of Pets in Rental Housing report found that 81% of rental operators are seeing pet ownership increase across their portfolios. As pets become more central to resident life, multifamily operators have to think not only about what attracts pet owners, but also about what makes living with pets easier after move-in.

The Pet-Amenity Arms Race Is Real

Pet ownership has changed the way apartment communities compete. Some properties now promote pet spas, grooming rooms and dedicated wash areas alongside fitness centers, pools and clubhouses.

The more useful question is what role each amenity plays after the lease is signed. Some features are occasional destinations; others become part of the resident’s everyday routine. That distinction matters because the features that create the strongest marketing image are not necessarily the ones with the greatest cumulative impact on convenience, cleanliness and maintenance.

What Operators Are Actually Installing

The latest industry data makes that distinction clear. PetScreening’s 2026 research found that pet waste stations were the most commonly offered pet amenity, appearing at roughly 45% of surveyed rental communities, followed by pet parks at about 35%. Multifamily Executive reported a similar pattern, with pet waste stations at 45.4%, pet parks at 32.1% and grooming or spa services at only 7.1%.

The gap is significant. The more glamorous amenity may be the spa, but the more common amenity is the waste station, and there is a practical reason for that. A grooming room may be used periodically. A pet wash may be used after a muddy walk. A dog park may become part of a regular routine. Pet waste, however, is a daily operational reality, often several times a day for every dog living on the property.

That makes pet waste infrastructure one of the few amenities that can affect residents, maintenance teams and the visual condition of a community continuously.

The Amenities That Photograph Best Are Not Always the Amenities Residents Use Most

Multifamily marketing naturally favors amenities that are easy to photograph. A tiled pet spa or stylish grooming station can become part of the visual identity of a community. A pet waste station is unlikely to become the hero image on a leasing website.

But some amenities create excitement while others reduce friction. A resident who walks a dog twice a day may pass a pet waste station hundreds of times during a lease term. If the dispenser is empty, the receptacle is overflowing or the nearest station is inconveniently located, the problem is immediate. The station simply has to work.

That quiet reliability is a different kind of amenity value.

Pet Turf Shows Why Amenities Have to Work as a System

Zillow’s rental-listing research offers another useful clue. Its analysis found that listings mentioning a pet-friendly patch of turf received substantially more daily saves and shares than comparable listings. That suggests renters respond to practical outdoor spaces designed for pets.

A dedicated turf area gives residents somewhere convenient to take their dogs, but the turf itself does not solve the entire operational problem. The more dogs that use a pet area, the more important waste management becomes. Zillow did not measure whether those turf areas included pet waste stations, so it would be inaccurate to claim that it did. Operationally, though, the connection is clear: a pet relief area without convenient bags and disposal infrastructure can quickly create the very cleanliness issue the amenity was meant to prevent.

The same logic applies to dog parks and walking paths. Pet-friendly amenities work best as a system, not as isolated features.

A Dog Spa Creates an Experience. A Waste Station Supports Daily Life.

This does not have to be an either-or decision. A community can offer both.

A pet spa can create a premium resident experience. A dog park can encourage social interaction. A wash station can add convenience. Pet turf can provide a dedicated relief area. But the waste station supports all of them because it serves the repetitive, everyday part of pet ownership.

That is the difference between a destination amenity and an infrastructure amenity. Residents decide when to use a grooming room or pet wash. Pet waste infrastructure has to be available whenever and wherever a dog is being walked. It needs to support dog parks, turf areas, walking paths, common spaces and the routes residents naturally follow each day.

Convenience Influences Behavior

Pet waste management is ultimately a behavioral issue. The easier it is for residents to find a bag and dispose of waste properly, the more the property supports the behavior it expects.

If the nearest station is difficult to reach, the dispenser is empty or the waste bin is full, the community has created unnecessary friction. That does not mean every resident will behave responsibly simply because a station is nearby, but convenient infrastructure removes one of the most common excuses for not doing so.

That is why placement, capacity and maintenance matter. A station that is present but poorly located may accomplish little. A dispenser that requires constant refilling creates labor. A small receptacle can require more frequent service and may overflow more quickly. The usefulness of the amenity depends not simply on whether it exists, but on whether it continues to work under real conditions.

Maintenance Should Be Part of the Amenity Conversation

Pet amenities are often evaluated from the resident’s perspective, but maintenance teams experience them differently. Every additional pet places more pressure on landscaping, common areas and waste-management routines. Bags need to be replenished, receptacles emptied and equipment maintained outdoors.

That is why pet waste stations should be evaluated as operating systems rather than simple fixtures. Capacity affects refill frequency. Waste-bin size affects collection frequency. Visibility into bag inventory affects unnecessary service checks. Durability affects replacement cost and appearance over time.

These details determine whether a pet-friendly feature remains useful years after installation.

Why PooStation Was Designed Differently

That operational reality was central to the development of PooStation.

We did not approach the category as simply a bag dispenser attached to a waste receptacle. We looked at the problems property teams repeatedly encounter: limited bag capacity, undersized waste bins, unnecessary service checks, nighttime use, outdoor exposure and the need for cleaner, more accessible operation.

That thinking shaped PooStation’s 1,200-bag capacity and 20-gallon waste receptacle, providing greater service headroom before bags need to be replenished or waste needs to be collected. An integrated EMPTY indicator allows maintenance personnel to identify when bags need attention without opening the dispenser unnecessarily, while LED lighting improves visibility during early-morning and evening walks.

The station also incorporates galvanized and powder-coated steel construction in major outdoor components, along with two ways to operate the waste-bin lid: a sanitary foot pedal for hands-free use and an accessible hand lever for people who cannot or prefer not to operate the pedal.

Those choices were intended to make the station work better, require less unnecessary attention and serve more residents comfortably. In a pet-friendly community, that performance is part of the amenity experience too.

Pet-Friendly Is a System, Not a Single Feature

A property does not become meaningfully pet-friendly because it installs one impressive amenity. It becomes pet-friendly when the overall experience works.

That can include a dog park, pet turf, a grooming room, a wash station, walking paths and social spaces. But it also includes the infrastructure residents depend on during ordinary daily routines. If the dog park is beautiful but there are no convenient bags nearby, part of the system is missing. If the pet turf photographs well but waste is not managed effectively, the amenity can quickly become a maintenance problem instead of a selling point.

The strongest communities understand that the glamorous and practical sides of pet-friendly living are not competitors. They support each other. A spa can help market the lifestyle. A park can create community. A wash station can add convenience. A reliable waste station can help keep the entire environment cleaner and easier to use.

The question is not which single feature sounds most impressive. The question is whether the full pet experience has been designed to work every day, not just during the leasing tour.

A dog spa may help sell the lifestyle. A pet waste station helps residents live it every day.

Happier Places, Cleaner Spaces™

Sources

PetScreening — 2026 State of Pets in Rental Housing Report

Research examining pet ownership trends, operator challenges and the prevalence of pet amenities across rental housing.

Multifamily Executive — 2026 Pet Amenity Research

Industry reporting examining commonly offered pet amenities, including pet waste stations, pet parks and grooming or spa services.

Zillow Research — 2026

Research examining pet ownership among renter households and the growing importance of pet-friendly housing.

Zillow Rental Listing Research — 2025

Analysis examining how pet-friendly outdoor features, including pet turf, influence renter engagement with listings.

RentCafe — 2025 Pet-Friendly Housing Research

Analysis of rental listing descriptions examining the prevalence of pet parks, pet washing stations, pet spas and other pet-friendly features.

About the Author

Avi Kosch Avi Kosch is the founder and CEO of NEXGEN DNA, Inc. and the creator of   PooStation, a next-generation commercial pet waste management system developed   for multifamily communities, HOAs, municipalities, parks, campgrounds and other   pet-friendly environments. Drawing on more than two decades of experience designing and manufacturing   commercial products for four- and five-diamond hospitality properties, Kosch   brings  a hospitality-inspired approach to product development centered on   durability, usability, maintenance efficiency and the resident experience. His work   with PooStation applies those principles to an often-overlooked category of outdoor   community infrastructure, with the goal of making responsible pet ownership easier   while helping properties operate cleaner, more efficiently and more effectively.