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I rent to pet owners and collect a non refundable pet fee. A cat has to be declawed and a dog has to be trained. I never had an issue with pet owners...so far
I have signed lease contract in the old places the tenants lived and saw how that house looked and got a very good image of their pet behavior...
At various times in my life I have needed to rent shelter (i.e. a house or apartment), but I have always had pets. I am not the sort who can dispose of loved ones because my financial circumstances change. We will muddle through the best we can. I have had property owners tell me that, if I am not responsible enough (?) to afford to purchase my own home, I have no right to have pets. Interestingly enough, I have never had a landlord responsible enough to make needed repairs to the property he is letting--at least, not without legal action. Referring back to the post here in which the landlord claims the tenants' pets caused hundreds of dollars worth of damage to the wood floor under the carpet, I am willing to bet the landlord did not repair it--just complained.
What percentage of Americans own pets? Although I do not know the percentage, I have read that most pet owners consider their pets to be family members, even as their very children. On the other hand, there are those who buy pets for nefarious or at best trifling reasons; as fashion statements, to pick up women/men or as, say, Easter or Christmas gifts, only to throw the pets away when they are no longer cute or useful. I think we know to which group most landlords belong. I imagine they may dispose of their elderly parents in a similar mode when they become infirm enough to potentially cause some damage to the wood floor.
If a landlord's property is nigh unto a museum piece, perhaps because of fabulous expense or great historical value--by all means, the tenants must be carefully screened and fully aware of the rarity and exquisite nature of the rental property. But, honestly, most places being rented are dumps to begin with. The cheap material and poor craftsmanship of most homes built since the 1800's dictates that these shelters will not wear very well--they will wear out. But it is good, I think, that the wear come from being lived in by living, feeling creatures in need of shelter.
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I rent to pet owners and collect a non refundable pet fee. A cat has to be declawed and a dog has to be trained. I never had an issue with pet owners...so far
I have signed lease contract in the old places the tenants lived and saw how that house looked and got a very good image of their pet behavior...
Ouch, that you'd ask a pet owner to do something as cruel as declawing their cat. I'm sure you know its like asking a human to rip their nails off, and reputable pet welfare organizations strongly oppose it. Where I live, folks are pretty aware and I doubt we could even find a vet to do it. And if the cat were to accidentally be let out of the house (or if the owners are dumb enough to let them out), they'd have no way to defend themselves.
Just remember you can't refuse to rent to someone with a service animal.
My parents own and live in a three flat that they maticulously maintain. They have refinished all the wood floors, painted the interior from basement to top unit, completely tuckpointed the entire building etc. They are a pet friendly building. They have a side lot attached to the building that has grass and is landscaped. They allow their tenants children and pets and some neighbors who don't have yards for their pets to use this fenced area as a place to play and relax. They have terms in their lease for pet deposits etc. They are most concerned that their tenants will pay their rent and expect to do some maintenance once a tenant has moved out. I think it helps the building is owner occupied and that they can catch problems right away. They had one tenant who was young and had a cat and two dogs who she used to let run at large and they had multiple discussions with her about this as it was annoying to the neighborhood and my parents were worried her pets would get killed crossing the street. They didn't renew her lease even though it would have been a hardship for them to have an unrented unit. They will still rent to other pet owners but they aren't afraid to deal with irresponsible ones.
One last thing - I always had a pet when I rented and I could provide references and I took my dog to meet the owner so they could see what she was like. She was so zen they never had a problem. I am also a hypervigilent owner who would never be irresponsible. I also suggest crating for pets in apartments or rentals to minimize damage and keep them safe when the pet parent(S) are out.
I wouldn't rent an apartment or house that had previously been rented to pet owners, especially cats. I also wouldn't purchase a house or condo at any price that had previously been occupied by cats.
I don't care how clean the pet owners say they are. Take me blindfolded into any premises where there are or have been cats and I will smell it within seconds. Cats pi** everywhere, often leave dookie behind the sofa, and the litter box has been on some floor in some room maybe for years.
A neighbor with a dog who barks all day, or whenever the owner is gone, or every time a car drives by or a squirrel jumps on the deck, and I'm breaking my lease and moving without even any discussion of it. My experience with pet owners is they are very defensive, one sided, and make bad neighbors (unless you totally love their pet and will quietly put up with a lot).
Boy I hope you have alot of money for all those leases you are going to break . Cause believe it or not , that would not be cause for breaking your lease and the landlord or landlady can sue you big time for the remainder of the lease . dont believe me ?, Look it up .
Ouch, that you'd ask a pet owner to do something as cruel as declawing their cat. I'm sure you know its like asking a human to rip their nails off, and reputable pet welfare organizations strongly oppose it. Where I live, folks are pretty aware and I doubt we could even find a vet to do it. And if the cat were to accidentally be let out of the house (or if the owners are dumb enough to let them out), they'd have no way to defend themselves.
I'm not asking it...they don't have to do it, but the pet owners with cats all had their cats declawed so whenever I put it on the market I allow cats that are declawed, since many are...my sister has a cat which isn't declawed and that cat ruined her second couch already...but it is her own house and her own couch so why should I care...we used to have a cat which wasn't declawed and never ruined anything, but I never know how people watch their animals and since it is my house and I don't want it ruined and neither do I want to be a police man checking my house all the time...so I decided this would be the best thing to do....
I recently moved into a rental house. The landlord stated that pets were ok to have on the property as long as their was a pet deposit of $500. I paid the deposit and had every thing put in writing on the rental agreement( breed of dog and amount of the pet deposit). About three months into the lease my landlord was visiting her son (who lives next door), and looked over my fence to view the back yard. Once my landlord saw my dog, she completly went bananas. She told me that I had 5 days to get rid of my dog or else I would be evicted. I asked my landlord 'why I had to get rid of my dog' and she replied with ' your dog is going to destroy my backyard and looks aggressive. I assured her that my dog is very docile and is not agressive. also, I paid about $100 a month to have the property professionally landscaped and told my landlord that any damages done to the back yard should be paid for with the money from the pet deposit. My dog is very well behaved and spends the majority of his days sleeping or sniffing flowers. My landlord refunded my pet deposit and my dog is now being fostered at my parents until my lease is up. Once my dog was rehomed, I asked my landlord for a new rental agreement since the original agreement had been violated. I summited this request through certified mail. It has been about three months and I still have not recieved a response back. I feel very cheated and I do not know how I should pursue this. Any thoughts
Eric from California
Eric,
Here is the link to the Landlord/Tenant booklet put together by the California State Government. It is published online; you can download it and/or print it out if you want. This is a great place for you to start to investigate your problem. Landlord/Tenant Book Index - California Department of Consumer Affairs
Don't forget to investigate the laws specific to your county, city, municipality, or the specific development you live in. This often addresses areas not addressed in the state codes.
Hope this helps!!
We face this problem anytime we move. My husband and I have a litter- trained, fixed, declawed cat who is about 4 years old. Never in the 3 years we have had her has she peed anywhere other than her box, or has she clawed at anything (was declawed when we rescued her). A lot of landlords in this area will work with us, mainly because they understand that a pet is a member of your family.
We keep any place we rent Extremely clean. You can't tell we have a cat, and we febreeze any surface she spends a great deal of time laying on (she is quite the lazy princess!).
I totally disagree that you can always tell a cat owner-- our landlord/maintenance guy came over and was concerned that we had gotten rid of our cat. He didn't see her and couldn't tell that she was living here! She had been in our room all day. He was surprised about how clean she is and how she doesn't smell.
My suggestion is, specify about what types of pets you would allow. Some landlords here allow dogs-- but no pit bulls, dobermans or known aggressive dogs. Some will not let dogs or cats, but will allow birds, fish and small caged animals. We won't even look at an apartment listing unless they allow cats.
I guess it's a personal decision. We always offer, if not required, to pay a pet deposit when we rent a place. It provides the landlord with a sense of relief and security that if our pet were to do any damage, we'd cover it (by the deposit or by fixing/paying for all repairs ourselves). It is always in our lease about our pets also.
I have a family home that I rented to a friend as I now live in a different city. My friend asked if she could have a dog which I agreed to. But now, this friend has three dogs (two pitt bulls) and the dogs often escape from her fence and roam into the neighbors yard barking agressively at visitors and leaving "gifts" how should I handle this as I do not want to loose my tenant and who is liable if someone is attacked. Last but not lease how can I find what the law in my state of Virginia says regarding this issue.
I have a family home that I rented to a friend as I now live in a different city. My friend asked if she could have a dog which I agreed to. But now, this friend has three dogs (two pitt bulls) and the dogs often escape from her fence and roam into the neighbors yard barking agressively at visitors and leaving "gifts" how should I handle this as I do not want to loose my tenant and who is liable if someone is attacked. Last but not lease how can I find what the law in my state of Virginia says regarding this issue.
For general landlord/tenant laws google "Virginia Landlord Tenant Laws" and you'll find a ton of information. Did you and your friend enter into a verbal agreement or was a lease signed? If it was a verbal agreement then she is on a month to month tenancy which means that you are required to give her either a 30 day or 60 day notice to quit depending on what your state law says.
If she is on a lease, does it say that she can have one dog and one dog only? I'm guessing you didn't specify what breeds weren't acceptable ... If nothing is in writing I would immediately write to her and give her 30 days to remove all the animals and go from there. Obviously the dogs aren't being contained and, yes, in many jurisdictions you as landlord CAN be held accountable if the animals are roaming and/or destructive. Have the neighbors been telling you about the dogs' behavior? Have they called Animal Control?
You may not want to lose this tenant but you'll lose a lot more if you don't start acting like a LL and less like a friend. The two don't often mesh. Good luck.
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Ouch, that you'd ask a pet owner to do something as cruel as declawing their cat. I'm sure you know its like asking a human to rip their nails off, and reputable pet welfare organizations strongly oppose it. Where I live, folks are pretty aware and I doubt we could even find a vet to do it. And if the cat were to accidentally be let out of the house (or if the owners are dumb enough to let them out), they'd have no way to defend themselves.
