They can. In a sample from Sail Away Vacation Rentals, pet-friendly condos in Panama City Beach brought in about 27–28% more revenue than same-size condos that don't allow pets. But in a condo, your building's rules decide first, and more revenue isn't the same as more profit. Read the pet section of your rules and regulations, then ask your rental manager for numbers at your bedroom count before you change anything.
Why I started asking about pets
I've been selling real estate here for 23 years, and pet policies come up all the time. Buyers looking at vacation rentals ask me: How many pets are allowed? Are they allowed for owners? For guests? But I'm not on the operations side of rentals, so I'd never looked at pets from an income point of view.
Then two things happened in the same week. We're getting ready to release Villas at Laguna Beach, 10 five-bedroom villas on the west end with big rooftop decks, and nine of the 10 have a private pool. When I was going over the updated rental numbers, the rental manager mentioned, almost offhand, that the units that allow pets were doing better. A couple of days later I had lunch with another local rental manager, and when pets came up, he said, "Oh, absolutely. It's not even close."
So I asked for numbers.
How much more do pet-friendly rentals earn?
Sean at Sail Away Vacation Rentals sent me a comparison of their pet-friendly 2- and 3-bedroom condos against their condos of the same size that don't allow pets:
Condo Size | Nightly Rate | Occupancy | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
2 Bedrooms | +9.1% | +17.2% | +28% |
3 Bedrooms | +26.7% | About the same | +27% |
Source: Sail Away Vacation Rentals, October 2026. Sample size and time period weren't provided. Percentages are relative to non-pet-friendly units of the same size. Revenue, not profit.
The two rows get to almost the same place in different ways. On the 2-bedrooms, pets filled more nights and lifted the rate. On the 3-bedrooms, occupancy didn't really change. The whole gain was a higher nightly rate.
Sail Away told me their pet-friendly homes look a lot like those 3-bedroom condos: higher nightly rates, not much difference in occupancy, and higher revenue. They didn't give me a number for homes, so I won't put one on it.
How many Panama City Beach rentals allow pets?
Not many. A contact at Panhandle Getaways told me about 9% of PCB rentals allow pets. That's an estimate, not a count, but think about it from a supply and demand standpoint.
I talk about this a lot with the '05 stack at Calypso. There are half as many of that floor plan in the building, and they've traditionally rented a little better. Not because it's a better floor plan than the other one-bedroom, but because it's scarcer. Pet-friendly rentals work the same way.
Do pet owners really look for pet-friendly rentals?
Yes. In a May 2026 PetScreening survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, 45% of pet owners said they had changed, cut short or canceled a trip because they couldn't find a place that took their pet. So you've got a lot of people looking and not many places saying yes.
What are the downsides?
For what it's worth, Sean told me most people traveling with pets are really mindful, and he didn't mention any trouble getting a unit fresh again for the next guest. You can also write your own pet policy that's stricter than your building's rules, such as one pet only, or a size limit.
Does my condo building allow guests to bring pets?
Check before anything else. Your building's rules and regulations should have a section on pets. Some buildings allow owners' pets but not renters' pets. Some limit the number, size or breed. Some say no pets at all. If your association doesn't allow renters' pets, the numbers above don't apply to you.
Here are the Panama City Beach condo buildings Sail Away found where rental guests can bring a pet, in approved units:
Building | Guest Pets |
|---|---|
Grand Panama | Up to 2 dogs or cats, 25 lbs each |
Treasure Island | 1 dog under 30 lbs, no cats |
Pelican Walk | Up to 2 dogs, 20 lbs each |
Dunes of Panama | Select units; limits vary |
Sterling Breeze | Select units, generally up to 2 dogs |
Horizon South | Only on stays of 60+ nights |
Source: Sail Away Vacation Rentals research, October 2026, not the associations' own documents. Rules vary by unit and manager and can change, so confirm with your building.
What if I own a house?
In a house, the pet policy is usually yours to set. If you're buying a home to rent, or thinking about converting one you own, check for deed restrictions, covenants and HOA documents first.
Are dogs allowed on the beach in Panama City Beach?
Only in one place: the Dog Beach on the west side of the Russell-Fields City Pier, in front of Pier Park. Dogs there have to be on a leash or under voice command and have current shots and tags. Service animals are the exception. If your rental takes pets, put this in your house rules and your listing so nobody's surprised on day one.
Could a pet-friendly rental help when you sell?
It might, and this is the part I find most interesting, especially with rental revenue down quite a bit over the last couple of years.
A lot of buyers here are buying for the rental returns, and they make their decision off the previous rental history. If your unit has one, two or five years of revenue that's well above the similar units it's being compared to, that can make for a more straightforward sale, and depending on the market it can mean a higher price. I remember a sale years ago, around 2005, where a lower-floor unit sold sight unseen for about 10% more than the same layout on a higher floor, because the buyer was buying the numbers.
Would I make my rental pet-friendly?
If I had several units, I'd seriously consider making one of them pet-friendly. With two, I think it would be an easy call to do one. With only one unit, I'd have to think about it, and it would depend on whether it's a house or a condo. If I did it, I'd probably write stricter rules, like one pet of a certain size, so I get a piece of the pet-friendly market while avoiding some of the problems that come with multiple or larger animals.
Thank you to Sail Away Vacation Rentals and Panhandle Getaways for sharing their numbers and insight.
If you want help finding the pet section in your building's documents, comparing buildings, or a first look at Villas at Laguna Beach before it releases, call or text me at 850-290-0417.
I'm a real estate broker associate, not an attorney. Pet rules vary by building and can change; check your own building's current documents.
