Pets Not Accepted: Should You Sneak Your Cat or Dog In Anyway?

i have a chow and have the same problem. she is perfectly behaved, quiet, friendly and sweet and never barks. she would never damage anything and is so ladylike i have to walk her at least a block from where we live to get her to pee. some horrid people somewhere want to categorize chows as a vicious breed simply because there have been some cases of abused chows being kept for fighting, etc and biting. other breeds like dalmations and labs have much higher statistics for biting and yet they are not on the vicious breeds list. it's completely unreasonable and unfair. and all the tiny, yapping, destructive, nasty little toy dogs that go to the bathroom every where every ten minutes, bark for hours and hours and viciously snap at my dogs face when she meets them while she stands there innocently are allowed? stinky cats who ruin an entire apt the first day with their urine smell are fine?
so i have to lie and try to pass her off as another breed. i pay the extra deposits and everything even though she just sits on her bed and doesnt even shed. why not charge a deposit for little screaming children who will spill juice all over the carpet or tear up all the plants? or for smokers who burn the curtains and ash everywhere??

it's all just a scam to make money, like the extra costs for a parking spot, and everything else they try to tack on. i'd rather die then give up my chow and i hate the whole industry of property management. someone above was saying what a noble profession it was, lol, it's a completely untrained job you get off craigslist with no eduation or credentials necessary.

I agree that pet owners have to be responsible and train their animals to be clean and clean up after them. However, I don't understand why it's so hard to find an apartment that allows pets when children are so much MORE filthy and parents with filthy children are much more numerous than filthy pet owners. Dogs bark and should be trained not to, but after living under obese kids that thunder around wrestling and chasing each other, I would probably choose the dogs. If there are laws protecting renters with kids, then there should be laws protecting renters with pets.

Some of these comments really solidify my thought that there is no hope left for the human race.

Re: "companion" animals and SD's...
My spouse has an obvious visible handicap (foot/ ankle deformity) with no hope of recovery and the expectancy for significant further deterioration to the limb and what is left of the bones. He requires the use of a mobility service animal at times to keep mobile. Backtrack for a moment- the apartment complex we resided in prior to moving to this ----hole wasnt the greatest, but they were accommodating with his need for a MSD. The cite we lived in at the time required minimal documentation regarding his condition and we were able to sign the lease with his "aggressive" breed (Siberian Husky) MSD on the lease with no fees or pet rent. Now we have moved cross country due to my job and have been put through the rig-a-ma-roo because this state and city has strict and stringent rules regarding breeds, weight, and what animals can be considered SD's of any kind. Long story short, we are paying a $30 pet rent per month because he lacked the "supporting documentation" required by the rental community to exempt my spouses trained MSD, $432/ year that we really dont have in the first place as we are legally living in reduced HUD housing. The complex was not willing to give us a grace period to get supporting documentation for his MSD and demanded we pay the pet rent or they would not rent to us. "Getting rid" of my spouses MSD was not an option; it is a way of life for him. At 6-5, 350 lbs, if he falls, who is going to help him up? Certainly not 120lb, me. His MSD's breed is designed for pulling large amounts if weight, hence the "sled dog" stereotype. To be expected to give up a necessity to his life or pay a fee to keep his key to mobility is selfish disgusting. Would you require someone with a cane or a walker to pay up the ass? NO. The sad part of this is really the fact that he is expected to pay a ---load of money to work with a doctor to become a guinea pig for a variety of tests to "prove" to the state that he is indeed needing mobility assistance , where for the last 33 years in a different city, different state, minimal was needed.
While I feel that some type of regulation is needed for pets in apartments, I think that in extreme cases, management ought to be willing to work with their potential tenants and not just see them as a number to up their fill rates. You cold hearted sons of bitches know exactly who you are, dont pull the excuse that it is your job in the line. Yes, the people who allow their dogs to --- and piss all over the premises need to be fined, along with those who stuff cat litter in the drains and clog them up. So for all you apartment managers who feel that us tenants are being a pain in the ass or shifty when just asking for a way to make reasonable accommodations to a less than envious set of circumstances, frankly, --- you too.

I think pet rent is fine. Pay it, and then don't worry at all if your pet messes up the place - that's what you paid the rent for! I'm laughing at the property company where the cat sprayed the whole apartment and they're whining about how it cost soooo much to clean it up - just count that out of the money that your well-behaved pet owners pay you. If you have a pet, don't pick up after it outside - the apartments can do that, since that's what you're paying for. Pet rent is fine, just make sure you take advantage of every cent you pay.

Hi. I read all these great comments and stories, and I have learned a lot. Thank you.
I have not slept for days.
My complex has a No Pet Rule. I learned that in 1997 when I had to surrender my Beloved Cat to Animal Rescue or move. For a sizeable donation they guaranteed to put her up for Adoption.
Anyway, recently my 101 year old Aunt passed away. She had a beautiful Male Cat, who will be 3 years old, who has had all his shots, is neutered, and is trained, and does not scratch anything in the home, and does not go outside.
When my Aunt passed away I offered to take him home with me.
Because I have two neighbors, one with a Cat, and one with a Terrier, I 'presumed' that Management had changed its policy regarding pets.
Now, I just received a letter, after my apartment was painted last week. Apparently, one of the Painter's told Management about Billy.
So, I got a letter Friday that it's me or Billy, obviously. I have been sick to my stomach.
My Lease says: No pets 'without written consent of Management'. I signed my lease 19 years ago, and do not recall the 'written permission' clause.
I was told they will be here on the 21st of November to be sure Billy is 'gone'.
I am disabled, depressed, and anxious, and I don't know where to turn.
Is it too late for me to ask for 'written consent'?, if I tell Management how Billy came to be here?
Thank you for listening.

15 Nov 08
1. No, it is not OK to have pets in a NO PET apartment. (100% of us reading this already know that).
2. 10-15% of humans have cat allergies. Approx 60% of people with asthma, have cat allergies.
3. Old wives' tale - newborns should not be in the same room with cats because the cats "sucking life from a child by swallowing its breath" killing them. Respiratory problems are common reactions to cats. Newborns would be most susceiptble to respiratory distress.
4. Children might not be present when a parent visits a potential apartment and once everyone is moved in, the child suffers.
5. YES, report pets. The money you save by cheating is not worth the respiratory distress caused to others. (Pet dander is on carpets, walls, air ducts, etc. New paint/carpet/etc. helps a little, but someone with allergies will still have negative, respiratory reactions.)

I live in an apartment and I pay the pet rent that is required for me to have my 16 year old cat. The complex allows cats and dogs, but dogs are only allowed in certain buildings. My building is a no dogs building and I have seen many neighbors in the building sneak in dogs. Of course, they are caught because they are seen by security and other neighbors bringing the dogs into the building and also you can hear the barking! I don't believe it is fair at all that I am following the rules to live here and having others break the rules and think they can get by with it!

I have a chow mix, and I had two chow mixes for 15 years before that, and two Samoyeds for years before that. I've never attempted to hide my dogs, and I've seen plenty of places that have refused to rent to me because of my dogs, and the places that would rent have always wanted a non-refundable pet deposit.

Here's the thing - apartment owners/house owners who chose to rent their apartments/houses do not HAVE to rent to everyone who walks in and wants to rent from them. You have a right to own your pets, they have a right not to rent to you. The places that do rent to people with pets frequently charge non-refundable pet deposits and pet rents, not just to cover the costs of cleaning after the pets move out, but to discourage pet owners from renting there, and in the hope that if someone loves their pet enough to pay the deposit and to pay pet rent, they will take care of that pet and clean up after it.

I guess, under the theories that I have read here, if I disagree with anything I can just choose to do what I want and forget about everybody else's rights. I guess if one person doesn't clean up after their pet, that gives me, and everyone else the right not to clean up after THEIR pets. And just how long, do you think, before THAT complex changes to a NO pets allowed policy? How long before YOU'RE complaining about not being able to walk anywhere without getting poop on your shoes and the stench and flies that are all around you?

I love my dogs. I won't live without them, but my rights end where someone else's begin. I have the right to have my pets, but I don't have any rights to live wherever I choose. I choose to live somewhere that allows me to have my pets, and I'll respect their rules and regulations, whether I think they're being fair to me or not. (My dogs don't chew, bark, or pee/poop in the house, either - and my chow/mixes have never met a person that they thought was a stranger - hell, the only problem I have had with any of them is that they'll let ANYBODY into the house/apartment and LICK them to death!)

I lived in an apartment and snuck my cat in for almost two years. He was already littered trained, and declawed. He never once had an accident. The landlords had no idea and we recieved our whole deposit back. It wasn't hard to sneak him in, however, he is a very well behaved cat who doesn't meow very often and was litter boxed trained before moving into the apartment. The worst part was when we gave our notice that we were moving and they began to show the apartment. At all times of the day either my husband or I would recieve a phone call from the landlord saying they were coming to show the apartment. We had to frantically run home, sneak the cat outside, hide all of his belongings inside, and leave the complex until the landlord left. That got old real quick, however we were lucky and they rented the apartment fairly quickly.

We are now looking at renting another apartment and it's such a pain to even find an apatment that allows pets. Most managers in our city wont even give it a second chance, they just simple say no. I could understand the need for a pet deposit - as long as we can get it back if no damage is done. But like many of you said, why do I have to pay an extra 30 bucks a month per cat in rent? This makes ne sense.

We found a pet-friendly apartment finally. However, they have ridiculous fees. We are planning on sneaking our cats into here. The neighboor's do not know if you are paying extra for your cat or not. Hopefully they will never make the connection.

But as a side not- not wanting to pay for stupid fees does not make me or any other pet owener a bad one. I love my cats more than anything and will do anything for them. however, I do not see the point in paying stupid fees to some big business that wants to make more money off of us. If my cat's damage something, you will be sure I will pay and fix that. However- until that happens, I will not being paying extra money to the already extreme rent rates!

I've been sneaking 2 small dogs -who are very well trained to hide in bag in and out of our luxury building for the past year. it's getting tough though. the super who lives on the first floor saw one pop thier head out of the bag on the camera in the elevator. we tried to get a letter from a psycologist staying the dogs are special needs for depression - but didn't fly. in my opnion,if you are decent renters who pay a lot of rent on time and are responsible-who the fuck cares if you have a pet.especially 2 very gorgeous animals!

My apartment complex allows pets and initially, I did what I was told to do and paid the $35/month pet rent for my 15lb, crate-trained dog. Eventually, I started talking to neighbors and finding out half of them didn't pay the pet rent because they just didn't tell management they had a pet. So I told them when I wen home for the holidays my dog would stay at my parents' permanently and they removed him from the lease. There are so many apartments and dogs here that management doesn't know anyone by name or apartment number, so I don't even worry about them seeing me taking my dog for a walk. The only thing I refrain from doing is bringing my dog into the office when I drop off my rent check. We had a scare last year, because my roommate filled out a maintenance request and where it asked if she had a pet, she checked yes by accident, forgetting they didn't know we had one. They sent us a notice saying get rid of the dog or start paying rent and I told them I was just babysitting the dog for the night and I apologized. It's never been a problem since. He doesn't bark or destroy things, so the neighbors would never have a reason to call and complain, therefore no one has to know. The maintenance guys even pet him when they come to fix something - they don't know which apartments pay pet rent! I think apartments should be allowed to charge a pet deposit, but not pet rent. He is not burdening anyone but me (and he's not a burden!) and he has not destroyed the property or apartment and I clean up after him outside, so I refuse to pay $35/month for him.

I used to think it was no big deal to sneak a cat, but since then my views have changed. I have in the past snuck in a cat into an apartment complex that didn't allow pets. I didn't have a pet when I first moved in, but got a cat later on when I still had about 5 months left in the lease. I didn't get caught, but I wouldn't do it again. You are risking way too much to sneak a pet-you could be charged a huge fine or evicted. I did get lucky about not getting caught, but it's a risk i'm not willing to take again. My cat didn't do any damage to our apartment, and when we moved out we owed nothing.

For my current place, I had to shop around quite extensively to find an apartment that didn't charge $700 or more for a non-refundable pet deposit and $15-$30 monthly "pet rent." I finally found a place that charged just $199 non-refundable pet deposit and no pet rent.

I think that pet deposits should be refundable if no damage has been done by your pet. Just like regular deposits. I don't think it's fair to punish all renters with pets for the occaisional nightmare pet that destroys the walls/carpets.

One point is being missed. I think some tennants may feel justified in flouting the rules because the rules are made and enforced by landlords and property managers, who are viewed as among the most corrupt, money-mad, ruthless and dishonest sub-species in existence.

While some landlords are honest folk who provide a service and deserve to have their property treated with respect, the bulk of them are hardened criminals who belong behind bars where they are no longer able to prey on society.

My complex charges a pet deposit and pet rent for a fish. It is ridiculous. My family has a bunny at home, and my boyfriend and I want to get one as well for our apartment. It's a 5 pound max. bunny and they pretty much stay in their cage. We are considering sneaking it in, it's not like they need to go outside. So frustrating. Come on, dorm rooms allow fish, hamsters, rabbits, etc. An apartment can't even allow that? Pet deposit for a fish, that sits in its tank all day and never comes out unless you are cleaning the tank...what damage will they do? Make the cheap carpet soggy for an hour or two if they fall?

I rented a house and asked the landlord if I would be allowed to have (animals) in the house. She informed me that it would depend on the animals temperament and that there would be a deposit required.

She never inquired about what type of animals or how many. I had two animals at that time. One black lab and a cat. I let her meet the dog since I figured that would be the only animal she would worry about. (That, and we lived four hours away from where we were moving and I was NOT going to take my cat with me until it was absolutely necessary).

She agreed to let me have animals in the house with a deposit of $600.00 on top of the deposit for the house of $1250.00. Later she found out that I had the cat as well and informed me that I was within violation of my lease.

I didn't see it as a problem since I had asked her prior if it would be OK if I had ANIMALS at the house and since I had paid my NON-refundable deposit. I didn't specify just one animal, and I wasn't being devious. I just figured that she wouldn't have an issue with a full-grow altered cat that was completely house trained.

It annoys me that landlords think that they can get angry or demand more money depending on how many pets and what type of pets you have. And I don't believe in breed restrictions. That is RIDICULOUS!

Pets are cleaner than most kids... So why do they not pay deposits for children. I have two small dogs in my apartment. I crate them when I am not home and watch them when I am. They do not pee or poop in the building and I pick up their waste when I walk them. Now if people would do the same for there children. It amazes me at what parents let their kids do. Spill things, color things, and are plain dirty. I would rather live in a complex full of animals, that traching children leaving there toys and trach every where. But where is their deposit?

Non-Refundable... WHY?

I see very good points for both sides of the fence here.

I have one question for managers and two points for renters...

#1. Property managers, why are pet deposits non-refundable? I can understand the pet rent. But a NON refundable deposit? If my pet does not damage a property and this is obvious when I move out, how do you justify keeping my deposit? This seems like either greed or taking advantage of a situation. It seems to me like you are using any tenant's pet to make up for other pets. You don't do this with tenants (i.e., security deposits ARE refunded when no damage is found and the lease is not broken), why pets?

#2. Renters. Please keep in mind that even your "good pet" can be bad. I have a relative who has told me stories about the "best dog she ever owned." The dog was great. When a few neighborhood kids started prank-ringing her doorbell during the day when nobody was home, the dog started peeing. It was removed from the home before the cause was known, unfortunately. The POINT is that no matter how many times you say "it's a well behaved animal," you can not guarantee that the animal WILL indeed be well behaved in all situations. My cat has always been well behaved, aside from the couple times he's managed to find himself in the bathroom when the shower was turned on! He also found himself in a hotel room one night due to an emergency- you want to talk about BAD... I should have left him in his carrier all night.

#3. I see a lot of people saying that the cost of renting with pets is too high. Some say this is the reason why they sneak their pets into their property. *AHEM* The cost is too high? Remind me again WHY YOU ARE RENTING? Did you ever, for a SECOND, stop to think that perhaps, just MAYBE, the cost of owning a property is... well... HIGH? Granted, the market has tumbled but the cost of REPAIRING A PROPERTY is still high, so I hope you get the point. One property manager shared his itemized expenses with us- nearly $3,000 in lost revenue due to cats alone. If owners did nothing to offset those losses, they would not be able to own much longer and the new owner would probably crack down on pet owners. This is business we're talking about.

Now, I do see this last point, #3 as a good reason for the non-refundable pet rent. In this case, pet owners would indeed be paying for the behavior of bad pets. Well, we're pet owners. We love our pets and many of us love animals in general. We need to do what we need to do. Until we come up with a BETTER way to protect property managers we're just going to have to accept this as the best way for us to have pets in rental properties.

For me, that means paying a bit of extra money (nothing compared to a few pet operations). For others, that means being dishonest and breaking agreements.

Let's think about that for a second... if a property owner doesn't allow pets, then chances are the only pet owners he or she deals with are dishonest ones. In effect, YOU, the "sneaking pet owners," are bad apples in the bunch of "pet owners" since those property managers likely have the words "untrustworthy" and "pet owner" right next to each other in their head. More simply, sneaking pet owners ruin it for honest pet owners and bad pets ruin it for good pets.

Luckily honest pet owners and good pets find a way to get over it. I bet most of us are right-wing ;).

There's my two cents.

If I had already had a pet and couldn't find an apartment that accepted the, I would still bring my animal with me. When I'm throwing away $500 to live in an apartment, I will live with whatever I want. If I was evicted, I would tear up the apartment, let me dog sh-t and piss EVERYWHERE and just not put that apartment on my rental history. OOOHH...like I care!!

I have moved in to not one but TWO apartments where the previous owners had animals and let them poop all over the carpet and pee all over the baseboards. In the first apartment I moved into, I noticed some weird brown stains in the corners so I bent down to get a closer look and caught a whiff of the nastiest thing I'd ever smelled. The management didn't know anything about a pet because the previous owner had kept it hidden aintenance came and pulled up the carpet and there were huge pee stains all along the wall! My daugther was ten months old at the time and it made me sick to think of her crawling in some dog's crap. This was supposed to be our living space! I had to wait an extra three weeks to move in to my second apartment because the previous owner--who had ALSO hidden his pet and who had ALSO let it pi$$ all over the floor--was refusing to pay the damages. I didn't have any family nearby so me and my daughter had to stay where we were and I had to pay penalty for living past the lease expiration date. Not to mention all our neighbors who have these stupid little yappy dogs who bark at EVERY DAMNED THING THAT MOVES! They say it's to alert them to intruders but with the stupid dogs barking at every falling leaf how the hell would they even know!? Why don't I take the dogs for a while and they can deal with my daughter when the stupid animals wake both of us up at 3am in the morning?
I am for the NO PETS policy because from what I've seen pet owners are the most disgusting people who let their animals $hit and pi$$ everywhere and can't even be bothered to take care of the animals they supposedly love so much. If you want a pet so bad then do yourself and your pet a favor: DON'T GET ONE! Work harder now and save up some money so you can buy a house with a big yard in the future and THEN you can buy or adopt as many animals as you like and they'll have a big yard to run around in instead of just an apartment rug to crap all over.

I have had my dog in my apartment for over a year. MY neighbors mind their own business and when management ha seen me out with my dog they have the don't look don't tell attitude. I'm very lucky. The complex allows dogs but small ones. Im'lucky my dog does not bark and is very lazy..

The last 3 apartment complexes I lived in I had a cat that I didn't let the leasing office know about when I moved in. I never got caught once. The reason I resorted to this deception was the scam known as "pet rent" like them charging you an extra $20 or $30 a month, just for the privilege of owning a pet. I have no problem whatsoever with a pet DEPOSIT, like giving them an extra few hundred bucks that will be ALL refunded to me if there is no damage. But the greediness of "pet rent" is a complete farce, it is 100% pure profit for the leasing office, every cent of that "pet rent" you pay extra per month goes to line the pockets of the selfish money-hungry apartment complex. That's why I rebelled and snuck my cat in anyway. For 4 years it suited me just fine, that's because I kept to myself, didn't bother anyone, my cats behaved, and I kept them hidden on those few occasions when maintenance came over.

My dogs pee in my apartment in-GUESS WHERE! Where some other dog that had lived there previously, has peed before. Its just what male dogs do. They are both neutered... doesn't matter. SO, my dogs get to wear male diapers. Pisses them off, pisses me off... but, what can I do? I stopped picking up poop after my dogs after I stepped in someone else's dog crap barefoot. If I am paying this "pet deposit" I am going to use it.