Updated almost 3 years ago on . Most recent reply
Tenant lied about dog (ESA), then brought to house on first day
Hello,
I am in CA, so any California advice would be helpful. Long story short... We have tenants that signed a lease and moved in yesterday. They hid their dog when we first handed over the keys, but I had to go back to the house later in the day to replace a faucet. As soon as I get there, I see about a 100lb dog standing in front of me. Tenant goes on to say that it is a service dog, so I legally have to let the dog stay, and that they decided to lie to us about said dog because they didn't want that to effect their tenancy. Also, this isn't a service dog, it is an "emotional support animal".
My lease agreement explicitly states no pets.
They blatantly lied about having the dog, and even admit that.
Do I have any options???
Most Popular Reply
I hate to add another "lawyer" reply, but it's advisable. Check with a lawyer, make sure you're protected, then offer their money back and advise them that it will be a waste of their time to continue unpacking. I am 100% sure that you don't want these guys staying.
The law requires that you give due consideration to a reasonable request for accommodation - it doesn't say they get to sneak in a dog and then inform you that they have accommodated themselves.