Can Landlord Charge Pet Rent?
Rent it Right
by Janet Portman, Inman News
Q: I’m interested in a rental that describes the rent in an odd way: First, the advertisement lists the rent, then it adds “pet rent.” Is this legal? –Rigoberto R.
A: It’s perfectly OK for an ad to specify that if a tenant has a pet, the rent will be a certain amount more than the stated rent (unless, of course, the property is subject to local rent control, as explained below).
That said, a few things need to be kept in mind:
1. Charging separately and willing to omit an essential service or aspect of the rental. As most landlords know, they must offer fit and habitable premises, which includes basic things such as working plumbing, heat, weatherproofing, and so on. Most landlords would never consider this — but don’t put it past the regrettable few who might offer a “working kitchen” for a separate sum, and be willing to accept a tenant’s “No, thanks, I’ll skip the kitchen.” In virtually every rental situation, a fit and habitable rental must include a functioning kitchen sink, and the law will not allow a landlord to get out of that obligation by offering an “optional” sink, available only if the tenant pays more rent.
2. When the “pet” is alleged to be a service animal. Once the tenant utters the words “service animal,” everything changes. It’s against the law (federal and state) to charge more for a service animal (an animal specially trained to assist a person with a disability). How to confirm that the animal is indeed a “service animal” is another question entirely.
3. Misleading advertising. It’s very risky business to advertise a rental as pet-friendly, state the rent in the ad, then inform inquiring tenants that the rent will be more than the ad indicated if they have a pet. Doing so may constitute false and deceptive advertising. It’s best to state from the beginning, in all ads and conversations, that the rent will be a certain amount more if the tenant has a pet approved by the landlord.
This last caveat — that landlords must approve of the pet — is crucial. It’s dangerous to imply that any tenant who’s willing to pay the extra rent can bring any pet he chooses. Careful landlords screen those pets!
4. Rent control. Landlords subject to rent control cannot tack on “pet rent” if that would put the total rent over the legal maximum allowed by the rent control ordinance.
5. Pet deposits. Some landlords charge not only pet rent, but also a separate pet deposit. This is legal as long as the total deposit is at or below the legal maximum (assuming your state has one). However, it’s a bad idea, from a practical point of view, to segregate the deposits. Here’s why: After specifying that the pet deposit will cover damage caused by the pet, the landlord may not be able to use that money for anything else.
But what if the pet is better behaved than the owner? The landlord could end up having to refund the entire pet deposit because the pet caused no damage, even though the remaining deposit won’t cover the cost of repairing damage caused by a careless human tenant. It’s better to charge the legal maximum (or as close to that as the market will bear) and have the entire pot of money available for cleaning and repairs, no matter who soiled the carpet.
See Janet Portman’s feature, How to Negotiate a Lease Buyout.
American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your real estate investment including REAL ESTATE FORMS, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at joinaaoa.
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