Has anyone had the experience of their tenant having a dog that has bitten a neighbor? what steps did you take to mitigate liability and ensure the dog doesn't bite anyone else? this was an ESA animal which we HAD to accept , another instance of landlords hands being tied by the government....ug.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
1mo
For future rental applicants, have an Assistance Animal Policy in writing, and in place. "Reasonable" restrictions or limits on requested "accommodations" is allowed with Fair Housing laws.
For Assistance Animals, requiring a recent Veterinarian health report (updated annually), requiring animals be spayed or neutered to prevent aggressive behavior or commercial use, requiring leashes or carriers when transiting common areas such as stairwells, elevators, pool or rec areas, prohibiting aggressive or nuisance behavior, cleaning up after and ensuring no offensive odors emanate from the premises, as well as obtaining a legit letter (also updated annually) from a verifiable, local (unless applicant is new to the area) Medical Professional or Social Worker are all reasonable limitations in most cases. Perhaps more importantly, having a written policy that you provide to each applicant effectively discourages the gamers that are trying to skirt the system to keep a pet.
For those that allow regular pets, most of those same restrictions are just smart to implement.