Renters Navigating Landlord Restrictions
Renters are experiencing frustration and uncertainty when dealing with landlord policies regarding pets and service animals. They face challenges in getting approvals for pets, understanding legal requirements for service animals, and navigating potential conflicts with neighbors or other tenants. This highlights a lack of clarity and consistency in landlord practices.
SOURCES (60)
“Short back story: our neighbor likes to think the leash policy at our complex doesn’t apply to her. She allows her dog to run out her door, run around the parking lot and outside of her door. A few months ago was one of the…”
“My apartment complex does a lot of inspections. Right now they're doing walk-throughs and I think replacing the air filters. The walk-through instructions explicitly say that they will need access to the whole apartment and all pets must be "caged and away." Previous inspections have been just in the main living area and you could put pets in the bedroom/bathroom. This has been an issue for me in the past (my cat is a grazer with health issues), but not totally unthinkable. This is”
“Current setup: 1 bedroom apt, long hallway with bathroom on side (where pee pad is) that opens up to the main living space, kitchens, and bedroom off to the side. I have a gate that keeps my dog about 4 feet back from the front door to keep my dog from constantly barking at hallway noises. It’s a Plexiglas gate that I have to cover with towels to prevent pup from barking at own reflection. The problem: My dog is constantly going to the gate and barking. Sometimes it’s likely something in the hal”
“I live on the 3rd floor and the tenant in the apartment directly under me moved in about a month ago and she has 2 dogs (a small one and a large one). She puts the dogs onto the patio (about 6ft long and 4ft wide), leaves them there for a while, and lets them use their business. I will say that she did grow grass for them to use, but it’s not big enough especially for the big dog she has, and even then the dogs still go on the concrete of the patio. Anytime myself or a guest come to my apartment”
“Me and my boyfriend moved into our first apartment 5 months ago. When we moved into we were told we didn’t need to worry about pet rent and that we could have our three cats. the property manager claimed she did this because we didn’t have access to the driveway. I scoop their litter every single day. A couple months into being here there was a smell complaint “from our neighbors.” What happened was the contractor came in and said that it smelled like cats in their basement right below the litte”
“Location: Kentucky I have a rental property in KY that is being managed by a property management company. I just got called that apparently the tenant had a unauthorized dog bite a neighborhood kid. The lease only allows for 1 pet under 15 lbs, unfortunately I just found out, so did my property manager that the tenant was hiding a larger dog and cats. The property manager has done property inspections every 3 months and 6 months, they state that they never witnessed that larger dog. Last 20 days”
“Attic is locked. They drilled a padlock into the door without permission. Everything else is documented.”
“I've got an... interesting dilemma with my property management company. A few months ago, a new company took over and encouraged everyone to sign new (cheaper) leases with them to supersede the old contracts. The lease was MUCH more robust but basically the same, with a few things that stood out as discrepant: 1 - Certain breeds are now restricted. 2 - The old management company allowed smoking inside the units. This one doesn't allow it anywhere on the property, which they've sent o”
“Yes, I've talked on the phone with them several times over the last few weeks! The phone numbers have always matched up with what's listed on both the individual complex website and the PM's website.”
“We might be on the same track. I adopted a pittie puppy but he’s reacting to strangers randomly and now we’re facing eviction after he barked at a few neighbors. They then complained and the leasing company’s failure to update my lease stated I’m in violation of my lease when he’s been with me for two years. Long answer, I can relate and receptive to talking it out.”
“Apartment near me (NJ) are offering no SD (Security deposit). I read that some landlords are doing this to find tenants faster. I know it just means that if I break something I still have to fix it out of pocket and the landlord wont be able to dip into a SD. Should I be wary of apartments with these offers? They can still ask for first and last months rent upfront along with other nonrefundable fees. It'll be my first apt so maybe im overthinking it submitted by /u/PomegranateNo”
“Dog threw up his food on my unprotected mattress and carpet. How should I handle this? submitted by /u/Even-Instruction9252 [link] [comments]”
“This who yall got in this community btw, all of this over me just asking if it’s valid for me to ask my landlord if they’d be willing to change our carpet to wood floors & it doesn’t even have to be all of it submitted by /u/Redtailsfox [link] [comments]”
“My last two apartments have had dog parks. They're a reasonable amount of space, but they're not the size of a public dog park and thus more than 3 dogs would seem a bit crowded to me. My logical brain says since it's a dog park, the rule of not bringing aggressive dogs to a public space also applies to a public amenity space within the complex. But for some reason, when I see someone in there with their one dog, I skip it and take a walk instead. My dog is really good around other d”
“Hello. Already have one existing pet on lease. Added when moving in. Would like to add another pet on the extension, not current lease. Extension has existing monthly pet fee listed. They allow pets with prior approval. Haven’t run into this situation before. TIA! submitted by /u/emotionalemotionless [link] [comments]”
“I'm getting a 9 week mini poodle next month and was wondering what the best direction to go. I do not have any grass patches outside near my apartment unless I walk a bit and I live on a high floor. One way of thinking I could go is buying a patch of grass from a local sod farm and using that on my apartment balcony. Only problem is I'm not sure if they will sell during winter months so would have to transition to either Fresh Patch or artificial grass as well as the potential smell. Ano”
“Maybe check local comps, you might be priced a little high, as for the dog you could always ask to do an inhome inspection to see how they kept their current rental- my company does these all the time.”
“I had a dog I cared for alone for six years, after divorce. Though I live in a suburban home, I don't have a fenced yard - so I walked my dog three times a day without fail, and took great care of him. I've worked from home since COVID, so that certainly made it easier - and also provided my dog continuous companionship. Sadly he passed a few months ago, so I've been considering getting another dog, but have various thoughts & doubts cross my mind. Is it selfish to get a dog when”
“I'm trying to arrange housing (Los Angeles) for my tenants for mold remediation. They are living in a 2 bed 1 bath and have a dog. I was able to find an apt with that. He won't accept it because it's not a house, it's four miles away from the house in a so called bad neighborhood. I already paid for it and can't get a refund. Now I have to find another place and lose rent too. He's being really stubborn and I don't know enough on how to deal with him. Do I have to get”
“Where I live, landlords are required to give AT MINIMUM a 48 hour notice for entry (unless an emergency, which this is most certainly not). Got a paper on my door today saying pest control technicians would be coming into my home tomorrow. Would this be proper means to terminate my lease early without paying extra fees? I’m so annoyed with them. They’ve been doing stuff like this lately and it makes me mad. I’ve been here for years and they’ve never even had pest control come in. So why now? I h”
“Hello, I am very very sensitive to fragrances, odors and VOCs. I also have limited ability to travel due to disabilities. I'm looking at rentals and so many say they are renovated within the past year, which makes me worry a ton about offgassing and vocs. I'm currently moving from where I am specifically to escape VOCs from recent renovations and mold in the floor from a shower leak that are making me much much sicker. I'm looking at a place down the road that did all LVP with tile i”
“PM here. Whether it's rats is irrelevant. If your neighbor saw your tenant walking a dog, and he sees the dog go inside the property (or on the premises if your lease specifically verbiages it), then you need to make sure it's recorded (if you're that close with your neighbor, consider installing a temporary camera on his porch pointed at your property). If it's true, then send a cure or quit notice. You will not and shall not do anything without proof because if you're wrong”
“If they're on a joint lease then tell them they have to work this out for themselves. You can't tell one to move out to accommodate the other.”
“I'm hoping someone can explain this because I'm really confused. I applied for an apartment and later received a welcome letter along with all of my leasing information. I also paid the required security deposit, which was a full month's rent. A few days later, I received an email from RentGrow saying they had sent me an FCRA Adverse Action Letter because of Limited Credit Experience. After looking into it more, I found out that RentGrow had actually conditionally approved me. Since”
“I'm hoping someone can explain this because I'm really confused. I applied for an apartment and later received a welcome letter along with all of my leasing information. I also paid the required security deposit, which was a full month's rent. A few days later, I received an email from RentGrow saying they had sent me an FCRA Adverse Action Letter because of Limited Credit Experience . After looking into it more, I found out that RentGrow had actually conditionally approved me. Since”
“My last dog potty problem, I did this (all in writing, always ): 1st offense - warning and reminder of lease/Pet Agreement rules they broke. 2nd offense - fine & 2nd reminder / enforce sanitation 3rd offense - fine & state further offenses will result in Termination of tenancy. Feels redundant just reminding them more than once, but in CA we unfortunately have to try to work with tenants no matter how stupid these issues are and how easy they are to avoid. Keeping a paper trail and "”
“Hey everyone. We have been living in our current apartment complex for about 4 to 5 years now and all of a sudden on 4th of July week we received notice only a day in advanced they were spraying every unit for pests. We did not request this to be done. We have not seen any signs of pests.This routine inspection had never taken place years prior. They are saying its just a routine pest inspection but going straight to spraying seems extreme. We had reported a pest issue in the past and they came”
“Hey there! Super irritated with the way apartment management/maintenance has been handling things lately and not even sure if I'm technically within my right to say anything, but it feels wrong nonetheless. Also, if anyone has any advice to offer as far as handling the issue// finding a new place, feel free to let me know. For context, I've been at this complex going on three years now and have had a relatively decent experience until about 6 months ago. I'll spare you all the detail”
“Just wanted to ask people’s experiences with pets. I have a 5 year old and I’d like to get him a pet but I’m worried about care and cost. Probably will do it later but I was wondering how yall manage with the hours of work, children and caring for a pet. I erroneously thought a guinea pig would be less stress than a dog but after looking into, guinea pigs are pretty costly. submitted by /u/rocket_racoon180 [link] [comments]”
“I have been in my apartment for 8 years, my development (Garden Communities) requires a $500 pet deposit upon moving in and then a monthly fee. At the time I didn’t think of it, but so far I have spent almost $9,000 for two cats who never leave my apartment. Has anyone successfully had the monthly fee waived after a certain number of years? submitted by /u/Financial_Process_11 [link] [comments]”
“i moved into this apartment in may with 2 cats. one of my cats passed away unexpectedly last week and i emailed my property manager to notify him and ask if my cat and one of the monthly pet fees can be removed. 8 days went by and i didn't hear from him, so i emailed again and still didn't hear back. i tried calling the office today since rent is due tomorrow and they didn't answer so i left a voicemail, but i doubt i'll get a call back before rent is due. i live in minnesota and”
“Yesterday when I was taking my dogs out at night, a tenant had their dogs loose and one of them went after mine (not the first time). I ended up getting injured in the process of separating them (unsure if I was bit by their dog but my legs were bleeding). The first time it happened, my family member was able to lift my dog up so he didn’t get attacked. Although their dog still tried to. I talked to management who told me they would get a lease violation because the dogs didn’t have a leash. Tod”
“i’m living with two roommates and we recently moved into a new place. right after we toured the house, we knew we would want to sign the lease and created a group chat with the three of us + him (the landlord) to coordinate. throughout this entire process, most of the time, he will initiate more casual communications by texting me individually (e.g. when he emailled us a signed contract he texted the group chat, but when asking how move-in is going he will text just me). i’m hoping that for actu”
“I'm hoping I'm reading the laws right, the wording can be a bit confusing. We own a home that is a legal two family with the town. The main home we occupy, and there is a 1 bed apartment above the garage that we are in the process of renting out. We have a no dogs policy, as we have young children and a dog ourselves. We dont want the tenant to be using our yard nor do we want any run ins with a dog fight or a potential bad interaction with our children. We are using a family friend who”
“Hi, I wanted to hopefully get some insight on what a landlord would prefer to know. I rent a single family home in suburban CA that my family has been in for around a year and a half and we hopefully plan to stay as long as the landlord would have us. About 6 months after we moved in the next door neighbors moved in and got dogs about 6 months after that. Around March of this year they started to dig holes under the fence. We don't have grass back there just some very old rock landscaping (t”
“this is the pet policy on my lease: 32. PETS NOT ALLOWED a) Tenant agrees not to have any pets or animals on the leased property without the permission of Landlord. If Landlord discovers Tenant has an animal on the leased property, without Landlord's permission, Landlord can: 1. End the lease by giving thirty (30) days notice to leave; or 2. Start a new lease with increases to the security deposit and rent beginning immediately; or 3. Remove any animal found on the leased property that is no”
“Have any landlords been fined or sued for tenants letting a dog run loose or a dog injuring another person? Or have you been involved in getting A tenant to comply with the local laws? New renters in my neighborhood let their dog roam around. The dog used to be tethered out front and didn‘t care about people or dogs passing by. Last couple weeks he’s been out and about exploring the neigh. He is not aggressive, doesn’t growl or get too close but he’ll follow you on your walk for a bit and then f”
“I recently moved out of my apartment and my landlord is claiming that I won't receive any of my deposit back because the room smelled like "smoke" and things I left in the room that had to be removed (I only rented a room and both my roommates smoked in there room) One roomate moved out 2 months before me and smoked I there everyday but got her money back. How can I contest this?? Because there is no way those things cost $1000 I have a video of how I left the room completely clear”
“My sister is moving out of her place at the end of this month and her apartment complex sent her this. Are these normal expectations when moving out? submitted by /u/Ok-Truth-7758 [link] [comments]”
“I actually had an apartment that’s said to go to leasing office and get key to deliver package hahaha!”
“Not only is that unsettling to have them in your home unannounced, but it could be illegal depending on where you live. My state (USA) requires a 24 hour notice of entry. Imo definitely worth complaining to the office about regardless, but especially if there's a law they're breaking.”
“Omg, please do not leave this note. Go to management. If they get fined or evicted it’s their own fault. Smoking in a shared, non smoking building is not acceptable.”
“You could contact the housing authority in your area to report this behavior”
“I have written about 10 or so this past year and they have all been for getting past pet rents and deposits. I have no problem doing it, especially if the patient already has a well documented history of mood disorder with treatment.”
“99% of ESA letters are specifically asked for to get around pet restrictions in rental contracts. They absolutely can bypass the rental agreement's restrictions on pets. That's the ONLY reason they are asking you to write a letter. I don't have any problem with pets. I like animals. But the entire ESA doctor letter business is BS. Everybody knows this. I didn't become a doctor to sit around writing letters for pets. You want your ESA gerbal, cool, move into an apartment where the”
“This doesnt look out for them, this just makes the person with a cat pay an extra $125 a month. I have never heard of someone getting around a pet free rule with an esa, except in the circumstance an apartment only allows cats and dogs and their pet is neither (and less allergen producing)”
“What does a pet free apartment building have to do with an ESA? It’s not a disability waiver so you can’t bypass apartment’s pet free restrictions anyway. Most apartments allow pets and ESA is just a way to get past predatory pet rents and deposits.”
“Update: I got a very apologetic reply from the manager stating that having him fill something out was her idea, not the screening agency’s and she sent a screenshot of what they actually asked for, which was just a full copy of the divorce decree. By the time I saw her apology, I had heard from a complex that’s not income restricted and while not as nice, it’s in my budget. I had already signed the lease with them online hours before I received her apology so it’s a moot point. Hopefully she lea”
“Two dogs and 3 cats? Look, you're probably a good pet owner. That's not hoarding kind of levels or anything, but also make sure you're not in violation of your town or countries pet laws. In mine, for example, you can only have a combined 4 cats & dogs per residence. It's not really enforced unless someone's being a bad pet owner, but I'd be a bit concerned about that. It sounds like your lease only has the dogs listed, so I'd plan on crating the cats. I'd go”
“See it not so much the guilt trip in letting him bark but rather I worried about my neighbors in my apartment complaining. I couldn’t care less leaving him in there when needed but don’t want to annoy my neighbors.”
“https://preview.redd.it/y3o37gcegb6h1.jpeg?width=1052&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db0865f673891ecc8109e1cf97edabfcdc264035”
“Bring your cats to your mom’s house for those days or board them. But I would start looking for a place that allows the number of pets you have. Stop risking yours and theirs housing by going against the lease. It’s not worth the stress”
“Definitely normal apartment over basement then. Is it possible for you to house the snakes elsewhere temporarily? Then move them in after 2 or 4 weeks? No one can stop you then”
“They also say it because even for pets they know about, they don't want to get attacked by animals or deal with complaints like "you let my cat escape." Now they can just play dumb and blame you for not locking them up properly.”
“No, they cannot. Before management/landlord can enter a tenants residence they must first issue a 24 hour notice of entry. Police are the only ones that can enter a residence for a welfare check.”