S/O: Cats, long question

bel138

I desperately want a kitty. I always had a few growing up. DH is out of town a lot, and I think a cat would help me with lonliness. Problem is, when I called our landlord about this, he says that there is a monthly fee (ok, I get this) and a deposit of one month's rent. That's a lot of money. I've heard of a $200 deposit before, but not $800!

My cousin (the lawyer) mentioned in passing that unless this amount is specified in our lease, he cannot make us pay this fee. I looked, and neither the deposit or monthly fee are in there. But, what do you say to your landlord, "You're a jerkface and I'm not paying this"? I'm sure that would go over well and he wouldn't hold that against us or anything. /sarcasm font

Any suggestions?

RachNRich

1. I wanted my dog with me where I lived my first year of grad school (it was an awesome windmill-)....and I had to pay a $1200 deposit to have him there with me.

2. I'm not sure I agree with your cousin--but I could be wrong. Look up the rental laws for your state.

anna.oskar

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-long-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b7c884af-269a-4ed0-8fd1-8d8a7c814fb8Post:29b6579f-7e40-4621-b2c6-604737f9b96d">S/O: Cats, long question</a>:
[QUOTE] My cousin (the lawyer) mentioned in passing that unless this amount is specified in our lease, he cannot make us pay this fee. I looked, and neither the deposit or monthly fee are in there.
Posted by bel138[/QUOTE]

I don't agree with your cousin.  Does your contract mention anything about "changes to ____ can me made at management's discretion"?

bel138

Anna - I'd have to look that up.

Rach - If you knew that up front, that's one thing. But there is nothing about a pet deposit in our lease. That's why I'm peeved.

Brie2010

Does your lease say anything at all about pets?

This kind of stuff varies from state to state, so I'd call up your lawyer cousin (if he's in the same state) and confirm what he said. 

We had some issues getting our dog re: what was in our lease vs. what was orally represented to us.  We finally got the okay when we said "we'll pay extra pet deposit (we put down $200 more) and we will extend our lease for another year right now."  We know our rental company is having trouble filling up properties, so that was really our trump card.

september's bride

I've heard of this before, and it appears that it's in place so that the management team can cover the cost of potentially cleaning the apartment and losing out on a tenant for a time after you leave. My last landlord tried to put this in our lease after the fact and that was their reasoning.

I don't know how much leeway you'd have with fighting it, but maybe you could contact a local renter's association to see if they'd know?

PsyDet 2155

Hmmm I had to pay $500 to have Gil stay in the apartment...sorry no help here

RachNRich

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_cats-long-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b7c884af-269a-4ed0-8fd1-8d8a7c814fb8Post:cd4af55f-f0ab-48ca-b307-114af6715876">Re: S/O: Cats, long question</a>:
[QUOTE]Anna - I'd have to look that up. Rach - If you knew that up front, that's one thing. But there is nothing about a pet deposit in our lease. That's why I'm peeved.
Posted by bel138[/QUOTE]

Well, did you pick an apartment that allows pets? Mine didn't--which is why I had to pay so much to cover it. Perhaps that's why it's so much for you---if your lease says nothing about pets, it may be because they do not normally allow them. Just a thought.

PsyDet 2155

Are you saying an ADDITIONAL deposit of one months rent in addition to a security deposit?  If that's the case that seems way too much.

bel138

Yes, they allow pets. I know there are at least 3 dogs here. And there is a place to write in the type and names of any pets in the lease, but no mention of money for them. The landlord just told us to inform him if we got any after moving in. That's why I called him, to let him know we were thinking about a kitty.

psy - Yes, $800 in addition to the security deposit.

fangsiting

That does seem ridiculous.  Do you know the other renters with pets?  Could you ask them if they pay a fee/additional deposit?  If they do, then the charge may be legit, if not then the landlord is ripping you off. 

JanoBean75

Our place has a deposit and a $35 monthly fee...but they're also renovating the entire place as people move out. So any damage a pet does goes away when they remove the carpet and redo the floors.

squirrly

If it's not in your lease, I don't see how they can assess an additional fee.  But, ditto the others on validating.  I'd just have a frank conversation with the landlord about it.  Say that since it's not in the lease, you don't feel obligaged to pay any additional fees.  Maybe offer him SOMETHING, but get that in writing so that you can get the deposit back if the cat doesn't do any damage.

glam70s

Yikes.. I'm glad I live in Ontario, Canada... Here, as long as the pet is not endangering anyone in the building, you can do whatever you want. Even if you sign a lease that says pets are not allowed, it's completely void by law. I'm not sure if they're allowed to charge extra fees, but I definitely wouldn't sign an agreement to do so, knowing that my pet and I can go anywhere else we want..

We found this out because in my first apartment, my roommate and I signed a no pets clause, but we both worked at Petsmart and are huge animal people.. We wound up rehabilitating a number of animals that were brought into the store sick or abandoned, and the landlord tried to have us evicted.. Sorry, no such luck! We stayed put..

Good luck! Life just isn't the same without a pet..

aggiebug

Its a lot harder to repair a rental after a bad cat has been there, than a bad dog.  Their pee seems into the wood and does not come out.  My dad had to replace almost the entire staircase because a renter's cat decided to use it as his bathroom. All your landlord is trying to do is keep cats out of his properties.

 
I am not sure if he has any legal ground for above mentioned reasons, but he does have the right to increase your rent exponentially when it comes time to renew your leas.  So beware before you start this kind of fight.

CCBelle

I hate it when you get bitten in the butt for doing the right thing (letting the landlord know you were thinking about it).  My last apartment did not allow pets per the lease, but when I moved in, I asked if there were every exceptions to the rule.  And there was - I had to pay a $500 deposit, refundable when I moved out (assuming the cat had not done any damage).  To me, that is perfectly acceptable.  And when I moved, I got the money back.  Good luck!  My kitten is such good company, and I can't imagine life without the little guy.

beatlesgirl25

This probably won't be helpful, but I think it's pretty excessive to have both a deposit and a monthly fee. Isn't that redundant? Have you asked your landlord why both are required? We moved with our cat last fall, and it was tough finding a place that didn't charge ridiculous amounts for a deposit. But we found some for $250-500. A couple charged the deposit + monthly fee BS and we said no. Now we pay $60/month for our cat with no extra deposit, which I still think is pretty high on top of our pricey rent.

betrothed123

My apartment complex charges double the security deposit and an extra amount each month for owning a pet.  Every complex in my area that I have looked at does this.  It seems standard to me.