Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 8 votes
One of my tenants signed a year lease and she agreed to pay a little more in rent since she had a cat. A few months into the lease, she notified me that her cat died. Am I obligated to lower the rent since she no longer has the pet?
Rental Property Investor · Edmond, OK · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
I wouldn't say that you are necessarily obligated to reduct the rent, but it's something that would be appreciated. Especially if she's not planning to get another pet. You might ask if she plans to get another cat at some point in the future. Also, the cat wear/tear may have already happened, so I'd probably walk the unit to make sure the cat's few months living there didn't do any major damage.
I personally like pet fees rather than pet deposits or pet rent. A one time non refundable pet fee makes things a little cleaner because there is no question on whether it needs to be refunded or adjusted after the fact.
Rental Property Investor · Edmond, OK · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
I wouldn't say that you are necessarily obligated to reduct the rent, but it's something that would be appreciated. Especially if she's not planning to get another pet. You might ask if she plans to get another cat at some point in the future. Also, the cat wear/tear may have already happened, so I'd probably walk the unit to make sure the cat's few months living there didn't do any major damage.
I personally like pet fees rather than pet deposits or pet rent. A one time non refundable pet fee makes things a little cleaner because there is no question on whether it needs to be refunded or adjusted after the fact.
Provo, UT · Member since 2016 · 53 posts · 15 votes
6y
So when I have a tenant with pets I put something in the lease stating how much extra it is per pet and I have the right to veto new pets. That way they don't change from having a "small well behaved dog" to 3 big dogs, 5 cats, and a lizard. If the terms of your lease include the cost per pet then I would lower it when the pet dies. What exactly does the lease say?
Rental Property Investor · Northern, CA · Member since 2012 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
6y
If she "agreed to pay a little more in rent since she had a cat" as a form of "pet rent", then I would lower the rent by whatever extra she was paying for the cat because she no longer has the cat/pet. However, before you do that, you might ask her if she's planning to immediately replace the previous cat with another one. If so, I'd just leave the rent where it is for the sake of simplicity (unless it's going to be a while until she replaces it and she asks for the rent to be lowered in the meantime).
So when I have a tenant with pets I put something in the lease stating how much extra it is per pet and I have the right to veto new pets. That way they don't change from having a "small well behaved dog" to 3 big dogs, 5 cats, and a lizard. If the terms of your lease include the cost per pet then I would lower it when the pet dies. What exactly does the lease say?
Stewart, that is a good suggestion for how I should write my contracts going forward about how much extra it will be per pet.
The lease right now just says $1120 per month. I advertised it for $1100 and charged $20 more for the cat. The lease is written to allow for 1 cat, but it doesn't specify that the extra $20 per month was due to the cat.
Provo, UT · Member since 2016 · 53 posts · 15 votes
6y
$20 isn't a lot. I charged $50 per pet with an extra $50 per pet increase to the deposit. Lowest I've seen around here is $35 extra per pet.
If the lease is almost up I'd just stick with it until the new lease and put the 1100 a month at that time. If it's more than 2 or 3 months to go I'd change it back to 1100 a month.
Does the pet had a Name and was in the lease? Unfortunately, pet will no longer exist for you to claim any future damage to property due to.. guess what, pets! I recommend you do an inspection now, without the pet, and assess any damages so you can take advantage of your pet deposit (if you have any in your lease). I think you should reduce rent, what, $25/month max? My question, why would you not reduce the rent after pet dies and owner has no pets (with a pet rent agreement)? If it was all verbal, and you still want to charge rent for no pets, ask the court if tenant refuses to pay rent for the unexciting pet.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 8 votes
6y
@Josue Vargas yes that is what I plan on doing. Inspecting the property now that she no longer has the cat to see if she can get the pet deposit back. I will be reducing the monthly rent as well once I know she doesn't plan on getting a new cat.
@Josue Vargas yes that is what I plan on doing. Inspecting the property now that she no longer has the cat to see if she can get the pet deposit back. I will be reducing the monthly rent as well once I know she doesn't plan on getting a new cat.
So, what was your question again? Seems you figured it out.
I'd call the $20 a cost of living adjustment. That's not even a 2% increase in rent which won't cover inflation. I also wouldn't decrease it after the current lease expires. I'm a pet owner myself and would never require a tenant to prove their pet died. If you are leaning towards dropping it make sure to walk the property to verify there is no damage.
San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
I'd just say no, because damage could already have been done that can't be seen or smelled right now, but if she decides she'd like out of the lease, you'll let her break it with 30 days notice. And then, you'll see if you can give her her full deposit back, after assessing damage after she moves out.
Sometimes you have to call a tenant's bluff. And if you're not sure it's a bluff, it's still a good way to find out - by just telling them you'd hate to see them leave, but if they aren't happy with the unit or your decision, etc., that you'll be happy to work with them if they need to break the lease and move. Usually, they are struck completely dumb, say they need to think about it and then they usually stay and accept your terms.
I only had one who decided to move after we did the above. She had decided the air conditioner of a nearby unit that had been there for a full year where she had no problem with it - was all of a sudden intolerable and she wanted us to tell that tenant they had to remove their air conditioner. When I told her, um, no, we won't be doing that - she decided to show us a thing or two and move out. Then, we found out she had been hiding a rabbit in her unit the whole time LOL.
Anyway, it's way to hard to figure out if she is lying or if she'll just sneak in another cat, etc. So, it's just easier to say, sorry, our agreement was to give me a financial buffer in case of cat damage, which could already have been done, so the current lease will stay in place as-is, but, if you want to move, I'll work with you, if you aren't happy here.
People who have cats, by the way, nearly always end up with more than one.
Rental Property Investor · Canton, OH · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@John Lamb
Well, you were charging $20 for pet rent. The pet is no longer "renting" so eliminate the pet rent. Keep any non refundable pet fee you charged upon lease signing (hopefully you did that).
Sunnyvale, CA · Member since 2018 · 191 posts · 178 votes
6y
This question seems to be more about morals so let me help push you in the right direction. If she was paying more rent because she had a pet, and now she does not, you should lower the rent.
Have the people who are talking about damages ever owned a pet cat? Sure they’re running up and down my stairs right now but they’re hardly causing any damage. Sure, the cat might pee on the ground but then there’s probably a reason why it’s not using it’s litter box then. My cats did mess up the sub $10 blinds at my old apartment. You
You seem like a nice guy, only charging $20 in pet rent. I don’t think the tenant told you about the cat for your sympathy. She probably told you expecting to get rent adjusted accordingly. It’s up to you if you want to go over and check if the tenant is lying for $200. But if I told my landlord my pet died and I wanted a rent reduction, and then the landlord came and checks if my pet actually died, I’d be upset. Does the tenant seem like a good long term tenant? Is this a battle you want to fight for $240 a year or would you rather “do the right thing” and move on and look for your next deal that’ll bring you much more than $240 a year. Some people like to chase pennies.
Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
6y
@John Lamb I would agree to remove it after inspection and with an addendum signed that removes permission for any pets. I would also let her know your pet fee is now $50, so in the future if she wanted a new cat, she would need pre-approval and would need to pay $50 extra.
Even though your lease doesn't call it pet rent, you verbally negotiated the $20 to add the cat. Ultimately you have to decide what battles are worth fighting with tenants. Tenants are our customer and they do move out of properties because landlords are difficult to deal with. You never want to pushed around by tenants, but conceding small reasonable things is just smart business.
You have to understand, this kind of thing really grates on tenants. Now, some landlords charge a pet fee instead of a pet deposit or pet addendum. If that's your case AND YOU CLEARLY EXPLAINED YOUR POLICY TO THE TENANT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE LEASE, you should call, explain it again, and keep on charging the fee.
That doesn't seem to be the case here. So I would do what @Joe Splitrock advocates: stop charging the informal pet addendum. Make sure you heed Joe's warning about inspecting the place first. Make sure the tenant understands you're not inspecting to see if the cat actually died. You're looking for damage the cat might have caused.
As a landlord, you can't be unaware that you are one of the archetypes of miserliness and naked personal greed in this society. In some ways, it's worse now than it's ever been. You can't grow a flourishing mustache and make extravagant promises about your "gently pre-owned vehicles" as a used car salesman. You can't sit in your official vehicle on the town square and binge on donuts as a police officer. You can't keep charging a pet fee after a pet dies as a landlord.
Homeowner · NWI · Member since 2020 · 5 posts · 0 votes
6y
@John Lamb I would unless she plans on getting another. Just my opinion. I had a renter tell me they will not get a pet and hide the dog from me. Just double check. GL
I would say if they are a good tenant you may lower it at your discretion. But when increasing the rent to account for any pets, it is not that you are charging extra for the "space" but rather the "damage" that the cat would potentially do. So the math is something like: $50 extra per month x 12 = $600 per year. Cat pees all over the carpet and let's say destroyed a couple of blinds (the more common damage I can think of), you will get a professional cleaner for$400-500 to clean the carpet plus let's say $200 for the blinds. The money you spend is pretty much covered by what she paid extra over 1 year.
The cat lived there for 3 months before dying, that means there could be some damage already done. You may need a new carpet or new blinds. If you only collected $150 (3 x $50), then you will be paying for the repairs out of pocket. Since the amount was already agreed upon and part of the rent (not a pet deposit), then you don't have to lower it until the lease expires. Lowering it you will basically have to rewrite the entire lease as the rent is a major component of it.
Investor · Katy, TX · Member since 2013 · 47 posts · 33 votes
6y
@John Lamb I like to charge a one time non-refundable fee at beginning, plus a $35 monthly fee. I would write an amendment to remove the $35 at the tenant’s request. It’s just the right thing to do. Real estate is easy. People are difficult.
Property Manager · Member since 2018 · 174 posts · 185 votes
6y
When we create a lease for a tenant with a pet, we add an extra "pet addendum" to the lease. In this addendum it clearly states what will happen in regards to pet damage, pet rules, and what happens if they no longer have the pet OR if they bring in a non-permitted pet. With this, we also charge a pet rent. This is in addition to the regular rent, so there is no confusion what the funds are for. In this situation, I would not reduce the fee, but possibly not increase her rent to the full amount allowable at lease renewal.
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2017 · 17 posts · 8 votes
6y
Thanks everyone for the input. I had no idea I'd get all of these responses based on a cat, haha. I did reach out to the tenant and asked if she was thinking of getting another cat. I also told her that if she doesn't get a new cat, then I would be willing to reduce the rent. As for the deposit I told her that I would need to inspect the property first. She was appreciative of my willing to work with her. She is going to keep paying the original rent as she might get a cat later.