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I'm completely frustrated! I have 2 dogs (not "bad" breeds) and 1 cat. I am looking for an apartment in Phoenix. Even places that accepts people with felonies, sex offenders, eviction history, bad credit, etc. says no to me because my dogs are too big or 3 is too many pets Funny thing is, I have nearly perfect credit (790+), great rental history (e.g. my property manager invited me to move into a vacancy in the 4 unit bldg. she lived in), and a government job. Maybe I should have been evicted instead of owning pets
Sorry, just had to get this off my chest and better to do it to you all than the folks I am calling
I'm sorry to hear that but a LL can decide if they want pets or not...I rather have pets then criminals
Maybe search further.
And I can totally understand why they would not want pets, but I promise my dogs and cat are nicer than most if not all criminals. Ah well, such is life, ya?
Unfortunately, with 3 total pets, there are many residiential subdivisions that will not allow you to rent there. So in that case it isn't a landlord thing, but a legal thing. If the CCR's say "no more than 2 household pets (either 2 dogs, 2 cats, or one of each)", and they allow you to have 3 total pets, if the HOA finds out, you can get evicted and the homeowner can get fined. *Edit* I should say "you can get evicted or forced to get rid of one of your pets, or pay a hefty fine." Most leases have a clause saying you have to comply with the CCRs, and if you get a complaint from the HOA, you have to comply or pay the fine.
Now if it is apartment complexes where you are hearing that, I can see that they wouldn't want large dogs or lots of animals because of the lack of dedicated yard, and the potential issues with noise and smell. Even if YOUR pets aren't noisy or smelly, the potential is there for massive complaints from neighbors and as a LL, I wouldn't want to deal with that either.
If I were renting out an apartment in a complex, given a choice between someone who had been evicted, someone with a felony, or someone with 3 pets, I would almost for sure choose to leave it vacant until another choice came along. Same in a subdivision that allows only 2 pets. If the subdivision allows it, I would choose the pet owner (assuming they had good everything else, as you seem to) every time. With 3 pets, though, the deposit would be substantial.
Unfortunately, with 3 total pets, there are many residiential subdivisions that will not allow you to rent there. So in that case it isn't a landlord thing, but a legal thing. If the CCR's say "no more than 2 household pets (either 2 dogs, 2 cats, or one of each)", and they allow you to have 3 total pets, if the HOA finds out, you can get evicted and the homeowner can get fined. *Edit* I should say "you can get evicted or forced to get rid of one of your pets, or pay a hefty fine." Most leases have a clause saying you have to comply with the CCRs, and if you get a complaint from the HOA, you have to comply or pay the fine.
Now if it is apartment complexes where you are hearing that, I can see that they wouldn't want large dogs or lots of animals because of the lack of dedicated yard, and the potential issues with noise and smell. Even if YOUR pets aren't noisy or smelly, the potential is there for massive complaints from neighbors and as a LL, I wouldn't want to deal with that either.
If I were renting out an apartment in a complex, given a choice between someone who had been evicted, someone with a felony, or someone with 3 pets, I would almost for sure choose to leave it vacant until another choice came along. Same in a subdivision that allows only 2 pets. If the subdivision allows it, I would choose the pet owner (assuming they had good everything else, as you seem to) every time. With 3 pets, though, the deposit would be substantial.
And I totally understand that, but am vexed that I am considered a higher risk tenant than a sex offender If it is against a legal code I wouldn't rent to me either, though, so back to the phone for me
Unfortunatly, you are paying the price of past tenants who had maybe one dog or cat and left lots of damage. I no longer rent to pet owners no matter how mannered or well cared for the dog or cat appears. Even with a pet deposit, I have suffered severe damage that is more than the depoist. Try getting cat pee out of a hardwood floor. I used to rent with pets...no more.
Also, there are stautes about the number of pets per unit. i don;t know the AZ laws, but you may be exceeding the limit.
Good luck in finding something. I'm sure it will happen.
I would look for a single family house you could rent instead of an apartment. Big dogs and apartments aren't that great of an idea even if they are good dogs. It will be far easier to live in a house with a fenced yard, with far more room for your dogs. Small spaces can make a dog that wasn't a problem, to be more destructive then before.
Many LL's don't want to deal with people's pets. It never goes well when there are problems. Pets can cause a lot of damage, the unit will be far dirtier when they get it back, and if the other tenants end up hating your pet, plenty of headaches when tenants aren't getting along. Big dogs are more likely to be a problem with other tenants. Even if they are good dogs, some people are afraid of big dogs.
In the past if you were a renter, the idea of pet ownership was something one couldn't do. It wasn't that long ago that no rentals allowed pets.
But make sure the single family house can have 3 pets. Some places 3 is too much even if it is a large single family house. Good luck.
Try to find a private landlord. Instead of apartments, I prefer multi-family units. It also helps if the private landlord is an animal lover.
An old friend moved to Phoenix, and he found a studio that was like a very small house, with other studios attached. There was a total of 4, and a courtyard. He moved there with two pitbulls!! I think the area was ok, as I stayed there for a few weeks.
Last edited by DrEarth; 03-16-2010 at 05:40 PM..
Reason: sp
I agree that you should rent a small house. 2 dogs and a cat is too much for an apartment. The dogs would do better with a small yard. Besides they can bark when you aren't home, so having common walls is a bad idea.
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Funny thing is, I have nearly perfect credit (790+), great rental history (e.g. my property manager invited me to move into a vacancy in the 4 unit bldg. she lived in), and a government job. Maybe I should have been evicted instead of owning pets 
