Tenants Have a Cat!!!
When I advertised my apartment on Craig’s list I was very clear that pets were not allow. I’ve discovered yesterday that one of my tenants has a cat. I was in my backyard and saw the cat on the window sill. I don’t want to seem anal, but a rule is a rule. They signed…
When I advertised my apartment on Craig’s list I was very clear that pets were not allow. I’ve discovered yesterday that one of my tenants has a cat. I was in my backyard and saw the cat on the window sill. I don’t want to seem anal, but a rule is a rule. They signed the rider and agreed to it, so they’re actually breeching a contract. How should I handle the situation without any animosity?
I tried that trick on my old landlord and she was totally unyielding when she figured it out. I had to bring my cats to live in my office which had a mouse problem (big sunny carpeted loft space.) A couple of years later the older one (16 yrs old) started pooing on people’s work lying around on their office floors and she got kicked out. I brought them home again and the landlady again freaked out, so I had to put the old one to sleep! The younger one came back to the office and starved herself to death she was so heartbroken (mind you she was morbidly obese). A tragic tale – but just shows you what people (i.e., me) in this city will do for real estate…
get rid of the tenant ASAP. definitely a sign of things to come. sounds like a typical self-entitled a**hole. town is full of them.
(do confirm first that it’s theirs and not a visitor’s cat)
Totally agree w/ Mrs. Limestone and a few others here…But most of the posters above prove why they would be incompetent as judges or arbitrators.
Whether or not the property owner likes cats, and why they have chosen to not allow pets is IRRELEVANT!!!
The renters broke the rules of the lease, which means they have broken the trust between themselves and the property owner.
They’d be gone if it were my property. Once someone lies or attempts to deceive, it’s impossible to have confidence in their character again.
We rent out 2 floors in our brownstone and had a no dog rule and an “other pet on approval” rule. We allowed both our tenants to have cats — 1 had 2 cats.
Even though we didn’t mind the cats — I find it simply appalling that you specifically told the tenants there was a no pet rule and 2 months later you saw a cat. Allowing for the slight possibility they were only doing a short-term cat-sitting arrangement (which, frankly, most considerate tenants would clear with you first anyway), it truly sounds like they always intended to have a cat (or perhaps already had one), and decided it was too hard to find an apt. that allowed cats, so just lied about it.
I agree you can be gentle in how you approach them — tell them they signed a lease with a no cat rule, you and the tenants below you are allergic, and that you saw a cat in the window that can’t remain. Ask them how they plan to rectify the situation, and expect an appropriate response from them.
I don’t understand the posters making excuses for your tenants. I was a tenant for many, many years, and it would never occur to me to simply disregard a major rider in my lease, especially a pet one which everyone is aware of. I have lots of friends with pets, and yes, it’s difficult to find an apt. that allows them, but that’s the breaks. None of them has ever simply decided to take an apartment that doesn’t allow them and have a pet anyway. Your tenants sound like people who feel entitled to do whatever they want, and in general that bodes very badly for their behavior in the future. I don’t get how people here are excusing that kind of behavior.
Would be curious to have you repost which course you take, and then what the result is. I can’t believe how many people here seem to be wired to shy away from what could be percieved as a conflict, but I’m willing to see if they’re right. I still don’t understand why you’d put something into your lease that you would be unsure if you are willing to enforce. Also, not sure if calling a person on breaking the rules is really ‘conflict’ to begin with.
I see what you’re saying Mrs. L… but any time you take a hard line or assume disrespect you’re inviting a pattern of conflict that could poison a tenant/landlord relationship.
There’s a 90% chance that the problem can be understood without labeling these people as “trouble.” What if it’s a friend’s cat and it’s only going to be around for two days? What if they are desperate to have a cat and lied but are basically okay people and want to work it out in a way that’s fair to everyone involved? What if they’ll pay more rent or a larger security deposit?
(I agree with Jimmy Legs that allergy issues between floors seem a little overblown, if you’ll excuse the pun… but it’s the landlord’s house.)
As a landlord, I understand the value of rules and would certainly *not* ignore the presence of the cat. But I would also keep in mind that having a hard attitude makes mutual understanding impossible, and that my rule might not reflect the best resolution to a conflict for everyone involved.
I think there are ways out of this conflict that preserve the integrity of the landlord without immediately categorizing the tenant as “trouble.”
This whole exchange makes me SO happy that I’m neither a tenant nor a landlord. There’s a lot to be said for single-family houses!
I don’t see what liking cats has to do with this. It doesn’t matter if the landlord is allergic or just doesn’t like the look of pets in general. His house, his rules.
I don’t understand how someone who leased the apartment two months ago and then violates the lease shorty thereafter can be considered anything but trouble. This isn’t an accident…the tenant brought a cat in after agreeing to no pets. This shows a clear disregard for the landlords property and rules.
Renters or not, pet owners know plenty about cleaning, “removing pet hairs and funk”, and keeping their homes nice! You have clearly rented to dirty, lazy people… perhaps because your apartment is nasty…?