What would you do? Tenant pet died....

Question

In lieu of added security deposit I agreed to let my tenant have a dog for an extra $25/month.  The pet died 5 months into the lease and so the tenant no longer wants to pay that extra $25/month.  But if the dog has done damage that I need to repair at the end of the lease, then I really want the full years worth of those extra payments..

So.....what would you do as a LL?   Push back and keep collecting or let it slide?  Visit the property and see if there's been damage?

Also, what would you do moving forward to avoid this awkward situation?  Just add more to the sec deposit and forget the extra monthly fee?

Nathan Gesner · Answer

I disagree with inspecting the property or making changes. The agreement was that they would pay an extra $25 a month if you accepted the pet. The agreement stands until the contract terminates. If the pet dies or they give it away is not your concern. They can negotiate a new agreement when this one ends.

Some suggest you inspect and then reduce the rent if everything looks good, but I disagree. I just inspected a place in May that looked great. The tenants moved out two months later and we discovered their dog had been peeing under two beds. It was nearly $800 to mediate the damage.

Natalie Kolodij · Answer

You chose rent over deposit.

You get the amount you agreed upon- you can't keep charging that, there's no pet to charge rent for.

Mike Dymski · Answer

maybe you are the beneficiary on the life insurance policy...

Kyle J. · Answer

I agree with @Anthony Hurlburt, if the pet is no longer there the pet fee should stop.

Anthony Hurlburt · Answer

You can't charge them for a pet that they no longer have at the property. If you want to be protected against pet damage it's best to have an upfront pet fee or deposit.

Karl B. · Answer

The best thing to do would be to let it slide. Tell them you'll do this but first need to inspect the property. They'll likely oblige. If all looks good then waive the pet fee but also tell them they MUST let you know if/when they get another pet.

Account Closed · Answer

Legally, if there's not an 'out clause', (specifying they can stop paying the fee), aren't they legally required to pay the extra monthly fee? Unless out of the goodness of your heart, you simply waive it, regardless of legal specifications.  I heard someone in one of these threads say "if your TV dies, do you quit paying your cable bill?"

Theresa Harris · Answer

The original post is 2 years old.

Michele Fischer · Answer

I also would inspect and let it slide, but explaint o them that they were paying the deposit in intstallments effectively so you are doing them a favor.

I woudl also spell it out very clearly in the lease/pet addendum.  was the $25/mo going to stop once the security deposit was raised?  Write up and sign all the assumptions.

Our wording:

New pets must be approved by landlord and are subject to a $25.00/month fee and $150.00 increase in deposit.  If existing pets are no longer residing at the premise, the $25.00/month fee will be dropped from the next rental period with at least 10 days notice, but all deposits are retained until move-out.

What would you do? Tenant pet died....

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