Tenant's Girlfriend Staying Too Much?

Question

Hi everyone. I have a great tenant. He's responsible, responsive, takes good care of the place, pays on time, etc. I've recently noticed, though, that his girlfriend stays over several times a week. She also has a small dog who stays as well, from what I can tell (my tenant has a larger approved dog; it's a pet friendly house, but I only have one dog deposit and one approved). She is not on the lease. Should she be? When does it become an issue? If, say, I'm not worried about him damaging the place and I'm not too worried about the little dog doing damage that the big dog wouldn't do (and I'm not particularly worried about the big dog), should I even make an issue of it? First time dealing with a situation like this, so wondering what folks recommend. Thanks for any advice and guidance!

Nathan Gesner · Answer

You should care. He's introducing another person and another dog, which introduces the potential for problems, additional wear-and-tear, etc. It's not a big deal, but you should have a policy to address this.

My lease states guests are authorized to stay no more than eight days a month, which is two days a week. If it's more than that, they are essentially a resident and need to be screened and approved. My lease also states that the tenant is only authorized to keep the animal they've been authorized to keep. They can't bring visitor animals in, baby-sit animals, add animals, exchange animals, or breed animals without my permission.

Taylor L. · Answer

I would not make a deal out of this. Keep cashing the checks and look for the next deal.

Account Closed · Answer

Sounds like you might be violating the right to reasonable privacy a little...

as long as he pays, who cares....do your inspections yearly or whatever

Rachel H. · Answer

Thanks, Nathan. Yes, I think that's the issue. That it is technically a lease violation. Assuming for the moment I were okay with it being a technical violation, is there any other reason why I should be concerned? If he's a great tenant and takes good care of the place and will be responsible for all damage anyway? I guess I'm wondering if there are legal or other reasons - other than the technicality - that having another person and dog on site should be a concern, if she (and the dog) are not called out in the lease. Thanks for your ongoing help!

Tenant's Girlfriend Staying Too Much?

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