PETALING JAYA: With Malaysians’ love for their pets continuing to grow, property agents say demand for pet-centric housing projects has become a driving force in the property industry.
Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA) immediate past president Chan Ai Cheng said there had been a significant increase in demand for pet-friendly neighbourhoods and properties among potential house buyers.
She noted a 50% increase in enquiries among her clients who asked about pet-friendly homes and neighbourhoods, adding that most of them have small dogs or cats.
“This is evident based on the rise in the inclusion of pet-related requirements in tenants’ summaries requested by rental agents.
“This shows the increasing importance of houses that meet pet-related requirements.
“Pets have become an integral part of our lives, providing therapeutic benefits and helping us de-stress,” said Chan, who owns dogs, cats and sugar gliders.
She said many property developers are responding to this trend by designing pet-friendly parks as part of the neighbourhood or buildings, while some buildings have co-working spaces that allow pets.
“Most pet-owning homeseekers are also prioritising homes with good ventilation along with open spaces for pets to play and exercise such as a nearby community park,” she added.
In recent months, several property launches, especially high-end condominiums and apartments, have offered pet-friendly premises as part of their attractions.
Many cafes and some malls have also become more pet-friendly.
Association of Valuers, Property Managers, Estate Agents and Property Consultants in the Private Sector Malaysia immediate past president Michael Kong noted a similar trend with an increasing demand for pet-friendly developments due to the rising number of pet owners.
Due to increasing affluence in society, he said many families had begun keeping pets at home, adding that having expensive pedigree pets had also become increasingly popular.
“As a result, not just pet-friendly developments but also pet grooming salons, pet-friendly cafes, veterinary and pet hotels have begun mushrooming across the Klang Valley.
“Many developments are now pitching their projects as pet-friendly, marketed mostly to higher-end customers,” he said.
On July 29, the Statistic Department’s Economic Census 2023 report said the local pet care sector grew by 25% by 2022.
Three categories under this sector are pet care services, sales of pets and veterinary services.
Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were the highest contributors for the pet care services.
The value of pet care services sector arrived at a RM38.5mil output value, sales of pets output value at RM699.4mil and veterinary services output value at RM219.7mil.
Around 51.1% of Malaysian households were also found to own pets, in a separate consumer research report by global consumer intelligence company Standard Insight that was published in May 2023.
