Pet Friendly Properties For Rent in St. Kitts

What pet friendly means on this page

Every property above accepts animals as a written term of the lease, with the limit agreed before you sign. That is a different thing from a landlord who might say yes. If you are moving an animal several thousand miles, the difference matters a great deal: you want the permission in the tenancy agreement, not in an email.

Rents run from US$1,100 to US$2,500 a month. All of these are let fully furnished and air conditioned, with water and internet included in the rent and a prepaid electricity fee on top that is reconciled against what you actually use. You can arrive with luggage rather than a shipping container, which counts for a lot when you are also managing an animal’s arrival.

How many animals each building allows

• Vista Villas, one-bedroom cliff top condo – one animal, from US$1,100 a month
• St. Christopher Club Gardens, one-bedroom – one animal, from US$1,250 a month
• St. Christopher Club Gardens, three-bedroom – up to two animals, US$2,400 a month
• Manor by the Sea – up to two animals, US$2,300 to US$2,500 a month

These limits include service animals. A service animal counts against the same allowance as a pet in each of these buildings, so a household with an assistance dog and a cat needs a two-animal unit. Tell us at first enquiry if that applies to you, and we will get the arrangement confirmed in writing before you book flights rather than after you land.

Bringing a cat or dog into St. Kitts

The Federation admits pets from abroad, but the order of the steps matters and the first of them has to happen well over a month before you fly. In outline:

1. Microchip first. An ISO 11784/11785 fifteen-digit microchip must be implanted before the rabies vaccination you intend to rely on. Done in the wrong order, the vaccination may not be accepted and you start again.
2. Rabies vaccination at least 30 days before arrival, and still inside its validity on the day you travel.
3. An import permit from the Department of Agriculture, obtained before travel.
4. A veterinary health certificate issued in the country you are leaving, generally within 30 days of travel.
5. Treatment against internal and external parasites by a licensed vet, within 72 hours of transport.
6. Thirty days of quarantine after arrival.

Requirements change, and airlines layer their own rules on top covering crates, breeds and whether an animal may travel in the cabin. Confirm the current position with the Department of Agriculture and with your own vet before you book anything. Students coming to the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine should also work from the pet import checklist the school publishes, which is written for precisely this journey.

The quarantine happens in your apartment

This is the part most arrivals have wrong, and it is good news. Quarantine in St. Kitts is served at home, not in a government kennel. For thirty days from arrival a dog must be kept inside the house or in a secure enclosure, and a cat must remain indoors.

Which means your rental is your quarantine facility, and several things you might otherwise treat as preferences become requirements:

• Air conditioning, because an animal confined indoors through a Caribbean month needs it
• A private balcony or patio, which gives a dog secure outdoor space without breaking confinement
• A lease that starts before your animal lands, so nobody is moving house in the middle of a quarantine period
• Furnished, because you will be at home far more than you planned during those first weeks

All four properties above are air conditioned and fully furnished. Manor by the Sea and both St. Christopher Club Gardens condos also have a private balcony or patio.

What it costs to keep an animal here

Day to day, less than most arrivals expect. There are practising veterinarians in and around Basseterre, and because the island hosts a veterinary school the standard of care available is unusually high for a population this size. Pet food and supplies are sold in the supermarkets, though the choice of brands is narrower than you are probably used to and imported lines cost more. If your animal is on a prescription diet or specific medication, bring a supply and plan the resupply before you need it.

On the rental itself, the listings above set an animal limit rather than the nightly or per-stay pet charge that holiday lets advertise. A security deposit and the first month’s rent are due at signing. Ask us to confirm the deposit figure and any pet-specific terms for the unit you want before you commit to flights.

Renting with a pet as a student

Both St. Christopher Club Gardens condos are approved by the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, sit on both universities’ bus routes, and accept animals. For a vet student arriving with a dog, that combination is the whole problem solved in one lease.

Start earlier than you think you need to. The rabies vaccination has to be at least thirty days old on arrival and the import permit has to be issued before you travel, so the animal’s paperwork can easily outlast the notice period on a semester. Two to three months ahead of your arrival is sensible, and it is also when the better units in Frigate Bay go. If you are weighing up the area more broadly, our guide to apartments for rent in Frigate Bay covers what to expect on price, commute and lease terms.

Frequently asked questions

If your question is not answered here, get in touch. We would rather check a detail for you than have you fly an animal in on an assumption.