Section 8 tenant has dogs and isn't supposed to.

Multi-Family and Apartment Investing
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Section 8 tenant has dogs and isn't supposed to.

Joel OwensBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes

A building recently bought has a section 8 tenant.The girls boyfriend apparently is staying there and is not on the lease and another tenant has said there are dogs there.

We are in a transition phase of taking the apartments over.The lease does not allow for pets.

The landlord we got it from has been a little lax with the tenants.We are going in a cleaning the place up and bringing the tenants in line or they are gone.

Any suggestions helpful.

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Kevin Yeats
Lender · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2009 · 825 posts · 486 votes
15y

Joel et al, it really does not matter what the non-tenant boyfriend says or does in regards to the dogs nor does it matter what the tenant says or does. Or whether they buy insurance and pay for it all up front.

It matters what a jury says when the dog gets loose and mauls someone.

Do you want to be on the witness stand when the plaintiff's attorney asks: "Did you have a no pet policy as it states in this lease?" ... "Did you make a site visit/inspection and witness the dogs on YOUR property in violation of your lease?" ... "Did you take steps to have these dangerous dogs removed from your property?"

You get my point.

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  • Kiran K
    Real Estate Investor · atlanta, GA · Member since 2008 · 80 posts · 15 votes
    15y

    send a notice/letter or call them and notify them that dogs have been seen in the unit and its not allowed and take that as a first warning. Provide covenants and lease as a ref.

    Most of the times that takes care of the problem.

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  • Ryan B.
    Investor · -, IL · Member since 2010 · 409 posts · 616 votes
    15y

    I would do a routine inspection and if there is a dog let the tenants know they are in violation of the lease. If they do not get rid of the dog you will be forced to evict them.

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  • Steve Babiak
    Real Estate Investor · Audubon, PA · Member since 2009 · 13k+ posts · 8k+ votes
    15y

    Send / post "Notice to Quit", allowing for them to "correct" the situation cited in the Notice. Failure of tenant to "quit" the situation leads to PM taking action to evict.

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  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
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    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    15y

    Okay we did a site visit today.

    The section 8 unit in question only the woman is on the lease.The boyfriend is nowhere on the lease.

    Not inside but on the back porch was a cage that housed a pit bull and a retired Rottweiler.

    The boyfriend stated that the dogs are very friendly and that the Rottweiler is actually a retired Police dog and he had the papers to prove it.

    The property manager mentioned insurance does not allow aggressive breeds period.The boyfriend asked what if he got insurance for the dogs and paid 1 year in advance and provided proof??

    On one side I understand the situation but on the other side the boyfriend is not on the lease,no security deposit for pets is on the lease,and pets were never mentioned on the lease.

    It's a liability I don't want for the buildings.How do I know the guy won't show proof of insurance and then just cancel it right away??

    Thanks for the help.

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  • James Martin
    Property Management · Memphis, TN · Member since 2009 · 668 posts · 362 votes
    15y

    We had the same problem with one of our units that we bought. We sent out letters imforming tenants of the liability for having breed's with reputation or just any dog period. We also manned the unit tightly for the first month turning away all drifters and adults that wanted to stay all night who was not on the lease. It was very time consuming, but we have turn a low income apt unit to a very pleasent place to stay , manage, and increase in profits.

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  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
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    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    15y

    I don't mind smaller dogs as long as I have a large pet deposit to account for carpet and paint when they leave the unit.

    What would you do on the tenant trying to buy their own policy??

    I still don't think I would allow it because then I would attract the wrong kind of tenant mix for the properties.

    I would almost have to charge say 1,300 a month instead of 900 a month to compensate for the extra risk.

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  • James Martin
    Property Management · Memphis, TN · Member since 2009 · 668 posts · 362 votes
    15y

    We allow smaller dog in the residential houses, and we do get a larger deposit. For the apt units,we had to cut it out completlely because of the goverment programs that some of our tenants are getting. We rent a 20 unit complex to battered women, and the elderly that has the state paying their rent. The case workers will report the conditions of the complex to the state and we in return can lose our tenant and funding according to their rules. We chose an older crowd for slow turn arounds and low noise. For the risk you would be taking, I think $1300 would compensate that risk.

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  • John C
    Real Estate Investor · SouthCentral, IA · Member since 2010 · 97 posts · 45 votes
    15y

    Pitbull and a Rot?? Wow.. All dogs tear things up, little dogs just tear less up, but I typically allow them if they are accompanied by a tenant I like anhd a nice cash deposit.. Def get a big pet deposit if you allow them to stay. I personally think people that keep a Pit and a Rot caged up in an apartment are people I want to see mnoving out...

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  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    15y

    I had a Section 8 tenant get a pit bull that she wasn't allowed to have. No pets at all. She called us for a repair and when we arrived, the dog was in the back yard, looking through the kitchen window at us. Not barking, not aggressive. I told the tenant that the dog goes or she goes. And if she got evicted, I reminded her she would lose her funding. My attorney followed up with a letter. Dog was gone, but the tenant did not renew her lease 6 months later, insisting that without her dog she wouldn't stay. Bye bye.

    Keep in mind if a tenant has a potentially dangerous dog, you will never be able to enter the property and be completely safe. Pits and Rotts are very territorial and don't take kindly to strangers - maybe not all of them, but these kinds of tenants are not interested in socializing their dogs. My tenant herself said she got the dog for protection. From what, one has to ask.

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  • Kevin Yeats
    Lender · Fort Pierce, FL · Member since 2009 · 825 posts · 486 votes
    15y

    Joel et al, it really does not matter what the non-tenant boyfriend says or does in regards to the dogs nor does it matter what the tenant says or does. Or whether they buy insurance and pay for it all up front.

    It matters what a jury says when the dog gets loose and mauls someone.

    Do you want to be on the witness stand when the plaintiff's attorney asks: "Did you have a no pet policy as it states in this lease?" ... "Did you make a site visit/inspection and witness the dogs on YOUR property in violation of your lease?" ... "Did you take steps to have these dangerous dogs removed from your property?"

    You get my point.

    1Reply
  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
    Moderator
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    15y

    Yeah my thinking is that if this guy can afford a 1 year insurance in advance and keeps them in cages on the porch then he can afford to keep them somewhere else if he really wants them.

    Isn't it a violation of section 8 rules to have aggressive dogs in or around the unit??

    I know with section 8 the tenant has to meet certain criteria and conditions to receive the voucher.

    Thanks for the help everyone it is appreciated.

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  • Joel OwensBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    15y

    I want to try to position it as insurance requirements and section 8 will not allow you to have them.

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