Pet fees? Can they be applied to damage?

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by pmrider1961

I have a question I rented a place and in less than 3 months the LL charged me a pet fee for each dog. I played 600.00. I lived there less than 2.5 months and one of my dogs wet on the carpet I cleaned it up with shampooer now he decided to pull all the carpet up and wants me to pay for the hallway where they had their accident. I feel he's ripping me off. My sister insiste that I pay it or she will have too because she the one who leased it for me. Please advised Pam in Florida.

Yes, he can charge you reasonable costs to repair.

The pet fee was the monthly charge for having your dogs in the apartment. Think of it as a parking lot charging a monthly fee to park your car in their lot.

If you take your car and ram it into the guard station at that parking lot, you need to pay to repair the guard station. The parking fee you paid for your space has nothing to do with the damage you caused.

If you paid a security deposit, you may be able to apply that to the repairs.

Pay up before your sister's credit is ruined. And thank her for giving you and the doggies a place to live.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by pmrider1961

.......the LL charged me a pet fee for each dog........ wants me to pay for the hallway where they had their accident. .........

A pet fee is not a damage deposit. It does not cover damage. Yes, if your dogs peed in the hallway, you are responsible for replacing carpet in the hallway (prorated for the life of the carpet).

Are you out? Because your landlord is nuts if he is replacing carpet when there is an un-house-trained dog in residence. If you are out, you pay for whatever damage happened while you had possession of the apartment, so yes, you pay for the carpet in whatever rooms your dogs eliminated in.

Owning pets comes with responsibility. It was your dog who damaged the carpet, not the landlord's dog. There is no reason for the landlord to pay for damage that you allowed to happen that was caused by the dog that you allowed to live with you.

[Spottednikes]

Having pets in a rental increases the risk for the owner due to bite potential, damage, pet smells, etc. There are some potential renters that won't rent a home that has had dogs or cats due to allergies.
Chewing drywall is excessive damage, beyond the LL just needing to de flea a place or remove pet odors.
Look into crate training. Fix the drywall. Increase exercise pet gets. Most young 6 mo-6 yr old)dogs would do well with 2 45 min brisk walks a day, and 15 min or so trainin to tire them out mentally and physically. (With the caveat that large breed dogs should not be jogged on hard surfaces until their growth plates have closed.)