No Pet Lease

If you knew you weren't supposed to have pets in the place you're renting, would you keep one anyway? Even something "little" you didn't think would be found out?

Nope, that is irresponsible as a pet owner to do so because if you are found it, you will face having to rehome your pet. It is not fair to the animal. Not only may the animal lose it's home, but YOU run the risk of getting evicted/fined.

I lived in an apartment where they suddenly changed the pet policy and I had to rehome a dozen chinchillas within a month. It wasn't fun, but I managed thanks to some helpful people on CnQ. I ended my lease that year and moved to a different pet friendly apartment.

Circumstances change sometimes. You have to deal.

I am appalled that they could change the pet policy and have it effective in the middle of the lease! They should give you until the end of your lease so you can move instead of hide/give away your pet.

I think I would ask anyway, some places will be a willing to look the other way for one caged animal. Most places don't want cats or dogs that can destroy things or in an owner doesn't clean up, the smell is hard to get rid of.

It doesnt hurt to ask, if a SMALL caged pet is allowed. I dont think if the landlord is totally objectionable that I would do it.


I agree that sucks Mish!!! My LL has a no pet unless approved clause. He approved of my pets, he likes us and they dont smell, so he likes the pets. He always teases me about fur coats, but if that is all it takes to keep him happy, I will let it slide lol.

He told Paul the other day he loves us and wants us to never move out....

I don't get why chins would ever be a problem. They can't deny people housing because of their kids! Children are infinitely more destructive than chins. A few chews on the baseboards is nothing compared to what my brothers did to my parents' house! I'm a little shocked at all the apartment complexes that will not allow pets or won't allow "exotic" pets. I've been called by quite a few Phoenix apartment managers over the years to ask if chins were considered to be exotics and if they were even legal in this state!

I'd have to say that I would never live in a place that wouldn't allow me to have my animals. If I would not have been allowed to keep a chin in my apartment, I would have moved. It really isn't worth getting evicted or fined for having a pet. I would have to say that if you have a no pet lease, don't get animals or move so you can have the animals.

No. I would not keep an animal that I'm not supposed to. There's the "it's wrong" part and the "if/when the landlord finds out" complication that arises.

Instead, what I've done is to just ask. My story: I had a lease that specified a list of types of animals (including exotics) that tenants could not without permission; at the same time I wanted a hedgie. So I called and asked the leasing office about it.

They'd never heard of a hedgehog. I described what a hedgehog was and once they got past "not a porcupine," they were able to determine it was a small caged animal like (at least in their minds) a hamster or guinea pig, but with quills. Since hamsters and piggies were allowed, I was approved for a hedgehog. They didn't even charge me the $$ per month pet fee since she wasn't going to be able to make messes on the carpet like a dog or cat.

AZChins said:

I don't get why chins would ever be a problem. They can't deny people housing because of their kids!

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Apartments CAN and DO deny people housing because of kids. There are lots of places that are adult only. To me, it's the owners property and they make the rules for whatever reason. If they say no, the answer is no.

It is not worth the life of an animal to sneak them into a place where the rules have been set out.

Chins can be a problem in quite a few instances. I love my chins, but they have pee'd on the walls when spraying each other, and when people aren't careful, can chew the house. Not to mention, how the cages can damage wooden floors if you're not careful.

I'm lucky that our landlord is pretty well OK with all of our pets. We have a lot, but we also care for them well and clean up after them.

I can't fathom people who try to sneak their pets into a place. It's beyond my comprehension.

They have rules, but they generally can't deny someone a non-age restricted apartment for having a child. I'm not talking about the age 55+ age restricted places. I had a landlord tell me one time that I could not have a dog, but feel free to have children. No one makes you put down a security deposit for a kid.

menagerie said:

It is not worth the life of an animal to sneak them into a place where the rules have been set out.

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Precisely. A landlord might need to do something in the apartment on an emergency basis (infestation of wasps through the ceiling happened to me in my teen years), runs in while you're out for a few hours to deal with the emergency, and sets off a bug bomb to exterminate the swarm - along with that cute little chin you're hiding in the closet.

No, personally I wouldn't. That was one thing I always made sure of when I lived in apartments.

My first apartment was no pets, and the landlord lived downstairs of me. But I had asked specifically if I could have a chin since they were caged and he was fine with it.

But, I would never purposely bring an animal in if it wasn't allowed. Like stated, there's always a chance that the owner will find out and then you'd have to get rid of the pet, which isn't very responsible. It's different if they change the rules mid-lease, because then it wasn't your fault that you had pets and had to get rid of them.

The situation that Ash brought up was exactly that, her lease changed after she had signed one. It's not right that her manager did not give notice at least or even had talked things through with the tenants. Leases are legally binding, but if you have signed one that said nothing about NOT having pets, then they cannot kick you or your pet out. Sorry but it's legal.

They CAN kick you out if it said nothing about HAVING pets either. If you don't sign a lease that says pets ARE allowed, you're breaking the lease. If you want pets, GET IT IN YOUR LEASE.

And frankly, who said this had anything to do with the other thread? I brought up no situation, I simply asked if you KNEW you weren't supposed to have pets, would you get one anyway?

And last, but not least, in the OP of that "situation" it was stated she knew "pets were not allowed" when the animal was purchased. Only later in the thread did it come up that "oh, well, the rules changed, we used to be able to have them."

In her situation it is legal to keep the chin and they can't kick her out. And normally people have the whole pet thing in their lease.

Here is what she said about the lease...

we were allowed pets before the hurricane hit. that was the lease i signed. when the new management came in, she changed the leases from then on out but the previous leases still remained the same.

In this situation, they cannot do anything about her having a pet unless she signed a new lease, which she did not. They cannot do anything to her.

Yes, if you want a pet, you need to get it written in the lease, I don't think it's right that just because it doesn't say anything about not having them, means you can get them.

I was saying that if the lease said you could have whatever pet, and then half way through your lease they decided to change their mind, then being forced to get rid of your pets or evicted isn't your fault. But, if you just assume that because it doesn't say anything that you can have a pet and then turns out you can't, that's a different matter.

ETA: I think it's a matter of what it exactly says in the lease. If it doesn't say you can't, then it doesn't automatically mean you can.

And I quote...

yea, we're not allowed to have pets. we used to be able to last year before hurricane Ike hit, but after that, a new manager began working and changed the rules. even the owner fought her but somehow she got her way. its only by her personal preference that pets arent allowed.

i knew pets werent allowed when i got Gizmo. my parents even knew.

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It is only mentioned she "Thought" she was under the "old lease" when it came up that she was getting told to find a place where he could be had legally.


Also, leases are generally only for 1 year. Ike's over a year gone.

Well... 1st> Allie, I totally understood what you were saying and I wasn't trying to fight with you. It's just that she told me that her manager changed the rules while she was still in her lease. And did not make her sign a new one. I didn't mean that I would get a pet if it doesn't say anything about pets. I was just stating. I would have always asked the manager and owner first. But I don't think it's legal to not have the person sign a new lease when you change the rules and just verbally state something like that.

2nd> Ash, think what you may. We are all entitled to our opinions. I just wish that you had more compassion for someone who is possibly going to have to rehome their pet. I have a chin and I would never ever give him up. I love him to death. And I would fight management if they tried to say that the rules were different than what the lease stated. I am not going to continue arguing/debating about this. I think that her situation sucks, but it's not her fault.

I'm sorry, I tend to not have compassion who don't put their pets' needs above their own selfishness. If the leases were changing, then it was her responsibility to check and make sure her chinchillas still "ok". Also, she's moving into a new apartment in the SAME building, and therefore going to have to sign a new lease. What about the chinchilla then?

If she can hide the chin well enough, maybe everything will be alright? I know that she really needs to move to a place where the chin is perfectly legal, but she already has the chin and is living in a place where it is not okay. What's the solution now?

I know that when the chins seemed to becoming too great in number (I had five or six, I believe) I bought a house so that I could accommodate their needs better. That's not always something that people can do.

What should she do now?