Hello!

I have a tenant in one of my duplexes who told me on her lease application she only planned on having one small dog on the property. The lease contract says explicitly NO PETS unless otherwise put into writing. I gave her a verbal handshake agreement that she could keep the one dog (did not put it in writing for her).

A few weeks later, her neighbor tells me she has more than 1 dog and several CHICKENS on the property. When I called her, she said she has only 3 chickens, keeps them in a coop, and uses them for the fresh eggs. When I told her the chickens need to be removed, she went and got a note from an online doctor to make them qualify as emotional support animals (the note uses the words "Chicken" and "animal" in singular, not plural, i.e. should only cover her for 1 chicken). I did an inspection without her knowledge or presence yesterday (this is allowed in my lease), and find out she has 3 dogs and 6 chickens, all wandering the backyard un-cooped.

I am ready to evict her. I believe I have grounds for an eviction since the lease contract says NO PETS, and her ESA note only covers 1 chicken. Even though the chickens are kept outside, and the house was in good condition when I inspected, this tenant is consistently lying to me, and taking steps like getting an ESA note instead of complying with my requests. My question is, should I pursue a removal/eviction here, or just let it go since the rent comes in on time and the house is in good condition? This is a short term lease, expires April 30th 2019.