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Should pet owners be charged additional fees if they live in an apartment?
Results so far:
| Yes | 34% | 116 votes | Total: 341 votes | |
| No | 66% | 225 votes |
Yes
by jcwitt
Created on: February 10, 2009
Charging pet owners a deposit fee isn't a matter of fair or unfair, but of liability.
Pets can cause serious damage to a home, whether it be a stained carpet, a scratched up door, or a lingering odor. Now I know that most people will house train their dogs, litter train their cats, and cage their rodents and birds...but accidents happen. Be honest, how many times have you been too busy to notice your dog whining at the door? Or what about that male cat you waited just a few months to long to have neutered. I know from experience, if these messes aren't cleaned up soon enough, and properly, there will be a stain or smell that stays behind.
It is for this reason that the pet deposit is necessary; to protect the interests of the owner. New carpet isn't cheap, and even if you can get just the affected area replaced, it is difficult to find a good, let alone perfect match. Even though some of these instances may be small, it will ultimately affect the profit of the apartment owners business; because that, whether you want to admit it or not, is exactly what an apartment complex is. Office or not, you are exchanging money with the landlord for a service, and that service is housing. If you move out and there is damage left behind you can't expect the owner to just shell out the money from his own pocket.
Another consideration is the health issue. Some people can be quite allergic to pet dander, and if the residents of an apartment complex can have pets, without any limitation, this could prevent one who is allergic from moving in, which once again will reduce the owners income. So, even if you may think it is unfair, you have to realize that if you rent an apartment, though you may call it your home, it is someones business and livelihood.
Finally, of course, comes the safety issue. Just because your pet is trained, doesn't mean it is not an animal; and animals, no matter how domesticated they may be, are creatures of instinct and dominance. Seeing two dogs fight I often hear the owners say "oh, they're just playing". With just a few minutes of research one will learn that this "playing" is more practice than anything else. It is how they learn to fight, and to kill. Though they may be mankind's companions, they are still creatures from the wild. Creatures who have no doubt that "survival of the fittest" isn't a theory, but a law of the world. This playing prepares them for the hunt, to defend themselves, and shows dominance over the loser. If, for some reason, an animal feels threatened it will attack, and this "playing" is how the learn to do it. With the justice system the way it is, such an attack can be partially blamed on the apartment owner if you have a decent enough lawyer, and once again will result in a loss of profit and income.
So, should pet owners be charged extra money to live an apartment? Yes, absolutely; though you may feel it is unfair, having a pet is a choice; and allowing a resident to own a pet in your apartment building is a liability. You can choose not to have a pet, but to expect a land owner to simply pay for any damage caused by your animal out of pocket, thus impeding on his right to free enterprise, is not just selfish, but ludicrous.
Learn more about this author, jcwitt.
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No
by Gabriella Samms
Created on: February 23, 2009 Last Updated: February 24, 2009
"Sure, we rent to those with animals, but your love for them will cost you". This is what you won't hear when seeking an apartment that not only will house you and your children; but pets you so desperately need to keep with you. No, that topic comes up later in what is referred to as the monthly "animal fee".
Apartment landlords protect themselves from potential losses by charging tenants a variety of extra costs. Security deposits for possible damages incurred along with upfront rent payments will benefit a landlord if a tenant decides to move suddenly; leaving the rental damaged. Carpet fee deposits ensure that the owner of a complex is able to clean or replace an area within the dwelling that may have been damaged or destroyed by a variety of circumstances including, but not limited too, spilled food, juices or cigarette burns.
Additional fees may also be required if a tenant wants vehicle protection such as carports. If monies are demanded upfront to take possession of an apartment to protect the owners from unsavory or irresponsible renters from damaging any area of the dwelling, then why should an additional monthly fee be put in place for animal ownership? Understandably so, landlords can elect to charge a higher renter's fee for additional people taking up residency or the amount of space offered; but if animals are not seen as humans in society, why are apartment owners allowed to benefit from them as if they were? Furthermore, why are certain types of non-human pets allowed to be kept on the premises without tenants having to pay fees for them? Rabbits, fish, hamsters and even birds are free of charge; dogs and cats are not? Newborn children are not considered an addition to the unit; yet certain four legged friends are.
Security deposits are returned at the end of a lease if a renter leaves the dwelling in the same condition as when first rented; the monthly costs of animal ownership is not. What is more puzzling is that not only are responsible renters subjected to pay fees that will be used for nothing if their animal fails to cause damage; they are discriminated against by the type of non-human companion they can choose in order to avoid additional monthly fees.
If an apartment complex offered an area where animals could relieve themselves and it was written that extra fees charged to animal owners covered the cost of cleaning such an area of waste, then an additional monthly fee would seem appropriate. However, if responsible owners care for the clean up of their own animals, then what is the additional monthly feel for? Is it a way of apartment owners to gain additional funds for no reason whatsoever, or are they discriminating against those who love the dog and cat specie? By not relinquishing the fees charged at the end of a lease for an animal that has caused no harm to a complex, it is hard to believe that their reasoning is any other then stated above.
Other then the fact that apartment management is able and has the right to make the rules governing their complex, there seems to be no valid reason for additional fees being charged for pets when protection fees are already in place. Many unruly tenants are sued for additional damages that extend way beyond the security deposit. To charge upfront for damage from pets that may never occur, with no expectation of reimbursement of these fees, is not only unfair, but should be seen as an act that is selfishly beneficial to only the owners.
Our economy, especially now in 2009, has caused many individuals to lose homes; forcing them to resort to renting instead of owning. Many renters either cannot afford the additional pet fees on top of rent, or find themselves having to give away pets due to the mere fact that many apartments won't allow pets to begin with. Loving house pets that have been a part of family's lives for years are now being forced into humane societies or released into the wild. What a horrible decision that must be to make when new renters are barely able to cover the monthly rent fees let alone additional costs for what they believe to be "pet rent".
The only one coming out the winner in this situation is the landlord.
If apartment owners aren't charging extra for people who smoke, have loud, wild parties or allow friends and relatives to sleep overnight and take up parking spots of paying tenants, then they should not be charging fees for animals.
Especially when fees are already in place for them to begin with.
Learn more about this author, Gabriella Samms.
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