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Have a question about having a pet in my rental. I got a pet dog because of how I read the lease agreement. I read it as when I get a pet, at that point I will have to give a pet deposit which I'm fine with. Landlord says, zero (0) pets means no pets regardless what is worded after.
Here is the phrase from lease agreement;
ANIMALS. Tenant shall be entitled to keep no more than __(0) zero___ domestic cats, dogs or birds; however, at such time as Tenant shall actually keep any such animal on the Premises, Tenant shall pay to Landlord a pet deposit of ___TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS ($___200__), ONE HUNDRED ($100) of which shall be non-refundable and shall be used upon the termination or expiration of this Agreement for the purposes of cleaning the carpets of the building
sorry 24Hours... but I'm reading it as zero pets allowed. probably should have asked for clarification before getting the pet. that being said, couldn't hurt to ask your landlord now what can be done and offer a non refundable deposit for his/her troubles.
Sounds like your LL made an error with the lease, as it does give you an "out" with the pet deposit. It's extremely poorly worded, and that is his problem, not yours. Perhaps he meant to cross it out and forgot.
However, expect to have to find a different place to live when your lease is up.
Landlords can legally change/make new house rules as a tenancy moves along, written lease or no written lease. Keeping that in mind, according to your post, your landlord said to you "zero (0) pets means no pets regardless what is worded after." If that is verbatim what your landlord said to you either after you got your pet or before, then those are the landlord's rules. So the lease is poorly written - doesn't matter. They probably used one of those generic leases anyone can buy at a stationery store and filled in 0 (zero). What should have been done to make it crystal clear to a tenant was to cross out the rest of the phrases after the word "birds." Bottom line is your landlord told you verbally they didn't want any pets, and that's the way it needs to be. Your own personal interpretation doesn't matter - you're not the owner and responsible party of your dwelling.
Your landlord owns your dwelling and legally is entitled to make rules and enforce them as the tenancy moves on. It is not up to the tenant to make up the rules or to "read into" the written lease what you, as the tenant, wants to do. Arguing with your landlord over their badly/confusing lease won't help. An argument over the way the lease is written will just cause animosity.
Best bet is unfortunately to give your dog away or try and return it to wherever you got it from. Or move. Most landlords don't want pets because they usually cause damage - scratching, chewing, urination on floors, etc. You get the picture. The damage a pet can cause usually costs in the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to remedy.
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