Hello,

My tenant signed the pet agreement (addendum to rental agreement) prior to getting a puppy without my knowledge.  I just found out she got a puppy after signing the document and not asking for permission.   What are my options?  How do I handle this?  

I copied the pet agreement below to reference.  

PET AGREEMENT (Addendum to Rental Agreement)

The One Year Rental Agreement (the “Agreement”) dated July 27, 2019 to July 27th, 2020. , as Landlord and , as Tenant of real property located at ______________, is hereby amended to include the following terms and conditions:

The rental advertisement agreement specifically prohibits keeping pets and animals without Landlord permission. No pets will be allowed on the property without the landlord’s permission. As advertised when tenant found the listing for ___________, “No pets except goldfish”, and verbally agreed to no pets allowed on the property. Under no circumstances will cats be allowed on the premises or restricted breeds.

If the landlord allows the tenant to have a pet prior to the tenant taking possession of the pet, the following conditions will apply.

Condition for a pet:

Tenant agrees to pay additional rent of __$35___________ per month for the privilege of keeping this pet.

Tenant agrees to pay additional security deposit of _____$400_________ for the privilege of keeping the pet.

Name of pet: __________________________

Description of pet: _______________________ (type, breed, color, age)

Veterinarian: __________________________

Emergency Caretaker: ____________________

Tenant agrees to:

1. Provide proper care for the pet in accordance with veterinary recommendations or ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) guidelines. See www.aspca.org.

2. Adhere to local ordinances, including leash, vaccination, and tag/licensing, requirements.

3. Clean up after the pet and dispose of pet waste properly and quickly.

4. Not to leave pet food or water outside the dwelling, as it could attract other animals.

5. Not to leave the pet unattended for any unreasonable periods of time.

6. Keep the pet from being noisy, aggressive, or from causing any annoyance or discomfort to others.

7. Immediately remedy any complaints that arise from pet behavior.

8. Immediately pay for any damage, loss, or expense caused to others by the pet.

9. Provide pet with regular health care, to include inoculations as recommended by a veterinarian.

10. Spay or neuter the pet when it becomes of age to do so.

11. Arrange for an emergency caretaker for the pet.

Tenant agrees to indemnify, hold harmless and defend Landlord against all liability, judgments, expenses (including attorney fees), or claims by third parties for any injury to any person or damage to property caused by Tenant’s pet.

Landlord will take dated photographs of the house and each room.

Landlord reserves the right to revoke permission to keep the pet should Tenant break this agreement or provide false or misleading information.