Nothing can keep you apart from Fido and Garfield. They are your best friends in the entire world! You love them more than you do most people! They are the best cat and dog in the entire world!
But you have a problem. Your new apartment complex has a strict “No Pets” policy. What do you do? Your friends have told you just to sneak them in, after all, they are good pets. But you are wondering if it is as easy as they say it is, and in the end, will you get caught?
Sneaking a dog or a cat into an apartment can be relatively easy, especially if you aren’t talking about a St. Bernard or a Bengal Tiger. It’s getting caught by your neighbors and reported to your landlord that’s the bigger issue.
The actual “sneaking the dog or cat into the apartment” is the easy bit. And you can probably do this without much hassle if you are having a friend come over that has a pet they want to show or a new kitten they just got. Even complexes with fairly strict “No Pet” policies are going to be pretty lax on situations like that.
But what about if you want to keep your kitty with you from now until the end of time. What then? He doesn’t make a sound, always uses the litter box, and doesn’t damage anything in the apartment. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, more than you think.
Can My Apartment Neighbors Hear My Cat?
Not only can your neighbors hear your cat, more than likely they can SEE your cat too!
No matter how quiet you think your cat is on a normal basis, there are going to be times when he does make noise. It doesn’t have to be MUCH noise, just noise.
I have had tenants call me because they were convinced there were rodents in their ceiling, only to find out that the neighbors upstairs had a cat they weren’t supposed to have in there and he would scamper around at night for fun while he was playing.
I have also had a situation where I have either knocked on the door to ask a tenant a question or to give them a notice about something, only to have several cats and maybe a small dog trying to run out the door right at my feet.
Once, I even had to open a door to see if a tenant was still living there and a cat was sitting atop the biggest playhouse for cats I had ever seen, looking at me with an expression, “what are YOU doing in here?”
If the manager or landlord can see these things on random stops, you can bet your neighbors know about it too, and they have told the other neighbors because gossip is fun and is what neighbors do.
The most common cause for tenants reporting other tenants for cats they aren’t supposed to have is them LITERALLY seeing the cat sit at the window for hours, just watching the world go by. Even if you think if you pull your shades down, your cat won’t be curious and want to watch the action outside, your wrong!
Curiosity may not kill the cat in this situation, but he may, unfortunately, be the demise of your lease.
Why Do Landlords Have A “No Pets” Policy?
Primarily, landlords have a “No Pets” policy to prevent damage to their apartments that can be caused by animals.
This damage doesn’t just stop with clawing or scratching things up in the unit, although this happens too. One of the big things is ODOR.
There is nothing that gives away the fact that you have an animal in your apartment than Odor. Unless you have a goldfish, people are going to know the instant they walk in your apartment whether or not you have a pet or not. It doesn’t matter how much you clean. Doesn’t matter how much you vacuum. Your apartment is going to smell like cute fluffy critters.
I did write an article completely dedicated to eliminating odors in your apartment and making them smell good. And there are some GREAT solutions you can use to keep your apartment smelling the best you can make it, but it is no guarantee that it is going to cover up EVERY smell and odor that your pet has.
In fact, much of the “old apartment” smell you notice when you move into a new place is going to be either because of smoke or pets. THESE are the odors that the article helps you cover up and remove. Fresh cat piss is another thing entirely!
The other reason why landlords choose not to have pets in their apartments at all is because other tenants could be allergic to animals and it can cause health issues.
Be aware of this if you ARE thinking about sneaking your dog or cat into your apartment. Your neighbors around you have been living in a pet-free environment for as long as they have been there, and much of that air, including pet dander, is going to get circulated throughout the complex. Just be courteous to the other people that are living there, knowing that chances are, someone could be allergic.
Can I Be Evicted For Having A Dog Or Cat?
Yep. You absolutely can be evicted for having a dog or cat in your apartment.
Even if the apartment complex allows pets and they are doing serious damage or causing problems with other tenants you can be evicted.
But if the complex has a simple “No Pets Policy” and management finds out you are hiding a dog or cat in there, get ready to move out and pay some hefty charges along the way. Technically, you are breaking the lease, so they have the right to charge you for damages and cleaning, as well as the remainder of the balance of the lease agreement as well.
Apartment complex owners are looking to keep their apartments in the best shape they can for all current and future tenants. The reason they don’t allow pets is because of the potential damage they can cause and the hassle they can bring to other tenants that just isn’t worth it to them to allow it.
The problem probably isn’t with your pet. People that are conscientious about their pets tend to be good owners anyways. If you are reading this article, that means you care at least a little bit, which is a good thing.
The people that don’t care are the ones that aren’t taking good care of their animals, letting them poop in the hallway by the elevator and not cleaning it up, and letting their pets make noises and bark or whine at all hours of the day. THIS is what your landlord is trying to prevent. Not breaking the eternal bond between you and Fluffers.
But if push comes to shove, eviction can take place faster than you can say “Ruuh-Rooow!”
How Can I Convince My Landlord To Let Me Have A Dog?
The best way you have at talking your landlord into letting you have a pet of any kind is to offer to pay them more money for your apartment.
There are a ton of suggestions online for this problem, including “making up a resume for your pet” and “Set up a joint meeting between your pet and the landlord”. Ok, I’m sorry, but these solutions are worthless. It’s not going to happen.
Remember, the entire reason that a landlord doesn’t want you to have pets is due to the potential damage they could cause.
You need to address that point with them, not hand them a resume of your pet’s likes and dislikes.
How do you do this? Offer them a certain amount of money more each month to offset the risk against something happening to their apartment. Ensure that the pet will not be noisy or bother other tenants. But the main thing is this: Offer them more money.
Even so, if your landlord doesn’t have pets covered on their liability insurance, and something happens with your pet, YOU can be sued. Either by the apartment complex, another tenant, or both! In this case, all the money in the world isn’t going to convince your landlord to let you have a pet. It just won’t happen.
But if they are willing to at all, it will be the additional money you are willing to pay that will sway them over to your side. They are businessmen just trying to run a business. If you can show them that you recognize that there are risks involved with having a pet, and you are willing to offset those risks with a little bit more in the monthly payment, or even a pet deposit, there is a good chance that your landlord will hear you out.
So, while it can be easy to sneak a cat or dog into your apartment, beware of the potential risks involved, including cleaning, repair fees, and eviction that can happen if your cute little fur baby gets found out.
