by Traci

Created on: February 13, 2009

Should pet owners be charged additional fees if they live in an apartment? Yes.

It is unfortunate that all pet owners and their pets are treated as a "worst case scenario" when it comes to apartment living and other rental situations. Many pets are very well-behaved, non-destructive members of a family when trained and disciplined by their owners. However, the landlord, or property manager, must plan for the case when an owner does not responsibly care for their pet and damage is done to the property.

Being the owner of a registered Canine Good Citizen, who is on his way to becoming an International Therapy Dog, I often run into situations where I feel "my dog" shouldn't be judged by the general bad behavior of many other pets and their irresponsible owners. These judgements cause rules to be enacted where pets are banned from most establishments and required to always be on a leash in public areas and even in my front yard!

My displeasure with the rules for pets in public and on private property, where my pet is concerned, does not keep me from understanding the rights of a landlord in an apartment rental situation. The landlord has a responsibility and a right to ensure their property maintains certain standards for current and future tenants. Charging residents a fee to allow any pet to live on the premises is not unreasonable, nor unfair.

The introduction of a pet into a household may mean considerable damage easily seen by the naked eye due to the destruction of walls, doors, and floors. This provides an easy argument for the pet deposit or additional rental fee. It becomes harder for a tenant to understand the justification for the fees when there isn't obvious damage, but non-destructive pets can also mean additional costs for the landlord. Even the cleanest of pets leave hair and odors behind when an apartment, or house is vacated. This requires an additional cost in terms of the cleaning required to ready the space for a new tenant because these odors and hair may be objectionable to the next renter due to a dislike of animals, or something more severe, like allergies.

Pet owners need to understand the landlord is taking a gamble in allowing them to keep a pet on the property. The landlord has a right to reduce their risk by requiring a pet deposit, or additional fee from every tenant wishing to keep a pet when renting an apartment.

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