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I have always rented without telling them about our 4 cats. Never a problem, and has saved us thousand or more bucks in "bull sh*t non-refundable pet fees".
Lol, lovely advice. If you rented from us, at the first walkthrough, you would receive a 3 day eviction notice for 1) violating the lease and 2) being purposely deceitful on the lease
Quote:
Originally Posted by babytarheelz
Here's the bottom line. Pets do damage. Kids do damage. But the difference is that kids are protected by Fair Housing and pets are not. So an owner can allow them, not allow them, or charge fees, monthly rent or deposits if they so choose. It's their property and they can do whatever they want. The fact that they offer fees and deposits is a great compromise for everyone. It is a privilege to have a pet. They could just not allow pets altogether. If you don't agree with the terms of a particular community, you don't have to live there. Plain and simple.
QFT! This, exactly.
We've had pets do upwards of $15k damage to a brand new house. First tenants ever to live there and we had to replace carpet, pad and treat the subfloor, replace siding up to about 3 feet, retexture the walls and repaint in and out, and redo most of the backyard. That was for 2 puppies the tenants weren't authorized to have. We've also had another similar, but less extreme case, of about $8k pet damage. THAT is why owners charge extra.
If your pet truely does NO damage, ask about getting some of it back at the time you move out. If you've been an ideal tenant, the owner may say yes. They may say no, and that is their right. LLs charge so much for pets because if you are irresponsible enough to let your pets do that much damage, you also likely will not be repsonsible enough to pay the bill. Its easier to collect up front when they have some leverage.
If I had my way, every pet deposit would be a refundable $1000 per pet. You'd be surprised how many pets do that much damage over a short time. Some do no damage at all, thus the refundable part.
$200. is an excellent non-refunable pet fee. Feel fortunate.
The worst damage is to the carpet and subflooring, we're talking
$1000.-$2000. in damage, doors chewed threw.
I agree with Lacerta,
If I were a private LL, I'd want at least $1000 pet deposit on top
of the security deposit, it would be refundable upon condition like the SD.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nynraleigh
My opinion it should be a case by case basis, I have a 10lb shih-tzu dog who is super clean, goes to the bathroom outside, doesn't shed, etc...I keep my place immaculate, why should I pay the same fee as another person with an 80lb dog who messes up the place.
I went through this before buying my home, I rented in Brier Creek and my "non-refundable" pet fee was $200.00. I have no problem paying the fee initially, but the apartment should be reviewed for any damages, if the place is super clean, which it was I should at least receive a portion of those monies back. When I left the apartment, I received $0.00 back. Again, there should be a fee, but if there is damage, they should keep it.
In my opinion, cats do more damage as they pee and poop indoors, have more accidents on the carpeting and such. The smell is hard to get out of the place if an owner is not tidy.
I think the apartment management companies need to have a different system. A fee up front is fine, but a portion should be refundable based on the condition of the place when you vacate. Again, my opinion.
I am glad I don't have to go through that, as I own a home now. Good Luck.
Last edited by virgode; 08-13-2009 at 11:45 AM..
Reason: pghing/comment
The smell of cat urine is hard to get out....lots of people rent with cats...the cat "marks" or decides not to use it's litterbox and the landlord is faced with having to remove that odor (if possible) before being able to rent to the next people. So..yes cats can do damage just as easily as a dog can do damage to property.
ONE of the ways we keep damages down is to not have carpet the tenants can buy area rugs we have gone to the expense of stained cement floors or old style terrazzo we do some major waxing /polishing yearly for all units my biggest issue is cat urine .. cats spray the walls and that does cause a huge smell problem I like cats but wouldnt mind banning them from the buildings .. not every one is good about takeing care of them ...
I charge non refundable pet fee as well...it is common over here, if you have a problem with it search for one that doesn't charge it or buy a home. After all you want to live in some one else his property so you have to deal with that person's rule and mostly the rentals charging the non refundable pet fees are the most clean rentals over here!
Yep, kids can be destructive, if kids weren't protected by
Fair Housing, I bet some LLs would charge.
believe me I WOULD have a kid deposit! NON REFUNDABLE!! some parents dont get it at times and they deserve to pay the price of haveing a rug rat .. the two worst groups IMO? bored toddlers who eat anyplace in the apt and spit milk and teenagers 13 to 16 age group they are ones who punch walls, spill ink paint and sneak ciggerets .. yeh yeh yell about how mean I am but those are the ones who drive me wild when the families move to "nicer" places yanno places the kids havent trashed yet ! that SD doesnt begin to cover the mess or damages and spit milk in window tracks ..
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