Service Dog Question

[Christopher R.]

Hello all! I want to seek advice on a situation I am having in one of my properties in North Carolina.

• I inherited a tenant in a triplex that we acquired 4 years ago.
• At some point after we acquired the property, the tenant gets a dog.
• I advised the tenant that this is against the lease and they said they were just dog sitting.
• Several weeks ago, I confronted the tenant and they admitted it was their daughter's dog. Their daughter lives with them.
• I gave them a week to resolve the issue. We thought this was resolved
• However, my wife discovered they still had the dog. 
• We sent them a 5-Day Notice to Comply with Lease Agreement
• When they received the notice, they showed us a document that the dog is a registered service dog. It seemed that they only got this certificate a month ago.

I would appreciate any advice in the situation. 

[Thomas S.]

Research the requirements for a service dog. You need valid proof not just a form they down loaded off the internet.

Your tenants are lying, obviously, otherwise they would have said it was a service dog in the beginning. I would strongly suggest you continue with the eviction for the time being. Push and they will back off.

Although I strongly believe it is not a service dog I do believe you should be getting rid of these tenants. They have no respect for your rules/lease or you. Evict