Should landlords allow pets?

What about folks who WON'T take care of their children? That is a bigger annoyance, yet you are not allowed to discriminate against them for having children. Somewhere, sometime, accountability must come back into the picture and pets as well as children will be welcome additions to the mix. Nothing is more dreary than an elderly facility with neither of them...

that's why landlords don't allow children nor pets in some places. i think a clause should be in the contracts that say you can have pets but if they aren't taken care of, the animal shelter will be called and charges will be filed. damages should be payed for by the tenant. (don't wanna go there with kids, because some people act like they're pets as in: oh, lookit how cute they are, i want one and then when they lose the cuteness, don't want to have anything to do with them and i could just go off)

I've been allowing pets at my place in Cedar Creek, but sometimes it results in proglems, for example Anita and her cats brought fleas, I had to do an expensive flea treatment. And Helen's cat shits on the floor and she doesn't know how to clean it up. And now I have a lady with two dogs about to bring them Sunday and she says they might eat cats. Sometimes I think it's foolish to allow pets, because of these kinds of situations but I haven't drawn the line yet.

You are a very patient man, Terry (or else these ladies are to die for)...no amount of damage is worth the grief of having to recify it yourself. If they cannot take proper care of their animals (to health department standards), they should have to make the choice of buying their own housing (usually out of the question) or visiting an animal elsewhere. I am very cold-blooded about this because I have had stuff ruined by other people's animals, and they do not seem to care!

It's resolving itself because Tess is moving out (the lady with the two cat eating dogs) and Helen is moving out in another month. She has a dog she calls a "sharpei" or something and and aging cat that can't keep in togetgher in the house and "marks" it's territory. The Persian cat in Sylvia's room is no problem, it's well trained and a scaredy cat.

In Germany they take your animals away, if you don't care for them as you should. You can call an Animal Right Club or the animal shelter, if you witness somebody who does wrong ( like beating or neglecting), they will look after it, and if neccesary, take the animals with them. This does not happen seldom!

That is a great idea, Isabel! Wish we had such compassion here. Terry, I am delighted your problems will resolve themselves for you - my favorite way to deal with things!

Great idea indeed Isabel and in some counties that is an acceptable and working program... too bad it's more difficult to demand children get proper treatment in some cases! (i could go off too Wolfie!)

The dog could be a Shai Pei, a chinese breed. Terry, that's a difficult question you pose, because as life-long tennant, I'd say "Yeah, any time!". But then, there's the investment and peace in the place to consider. Most landlords draw the line at small pets (fish, birds, guinea pigs, etc.), and ban cats and dogs. Dogs are the main cause for trouble. Many owners may not believe this, but a lot canines go mad barking (possibly because they are barking mad) when their people leave the flat. Miraculously, they stop the terror as soon as they hear the car's engine coming back. Cats and dogs can both do serious damage to wooden doors and windows, even wooden floor-boards. If you rent out with wall-to-wall carpeting and furnished, that's arguments against pets. You can either calculate that cost into the rent, or check if everything is left intact after the tennant moved out - before handing back a certain deposit they made at the biginning of their renting term there (remember - deposits must be invested securely so they gain interest from it!).

Good advice and thanks for the spell check. Like I say, it's resolving itself since Tess, a lovely woman, found herself a new place. I have two home networking guys moving in who work at http://www.rizer.com who don't have any pets. And Helen is moving out at the end of October. She got her own land and is moving a house there.

I think it is just not fair on dogs to keep them in a flat. Walking them once a day isn't enough.

Hi all. Twelve years ago I was living on my own and feeling rather lonely and decided I wanted a dog and was ready to take responsability for it. I lived in a flat, and didn't have regular hours, so I thought "small dog", although the only dogs I knew I liked were big ones. I bought a Yorkshire Terrier, a small dog who thinks it is a big one. I house-trained him like a cat so I didn't have to worry about not being able to take him out for long periods during the day (and night). Still, when he got really bored and nervous about my absence, he would pee on my books... I agree that if you rent a furnished place owning a pet should be out (or vice-versa) or you should be prepared to pay for the damage done.

You're right. Having a pet is a bit like having a kid. You have to be prepared to take the same kind of responsibility for the damage they can cause, otherwise you'll have a real hard time dealing with them.

...and so will everyone else!

yep!