Help me understand "No pet" policies

[quirkypixie]

I am very perturbed ......my family (me, husband, 5yr daughter, 1 outdoor cat and our 12 year old dog) have been looking for a Sebastopol/West County home for over 6 months.
Every home that is suitable, does not allow pets.
We have been landlords, ourselves, and always allowed pets. With no problems to speak of.
We are responsible pet owners, and our animals are well mannered. We have excellent references from past landlords, and there has never been pet damage, in any of our homes.
I understand pets can damage homes.....however shouldn't it be taken on a case by case basis? After speaking to past landlords, meeting the four footed family members, and seeing the interaction between pet and owner?
Any insight would be great.

Thanks.

[Tars]

Welcome to the age of litigation. Stinkin' foul useless lawyers; a blight on our society. If any attorney is reading this, go get an honorable job; y'all can deal with your bad karma later.

In an area like Sebastopol, where living units are at a premium, landlords can afford to be restrictive in their favor. There's a significant possibility that tenants' pets can cause damage to the property, or injury to or conflicts with tenant neighbors, which can result in the landlord having to sue, or even being named in a lawsuit.

We have a rental (which an attorney would find next to impossible to rent, whether they have pets or not!), and we allow tenants to have pets, which we have to approve on a per-pet basis. Tenants must exercise a great deal of control over the pets. tenants are required to pay a per-pet deposit. Tenants need to claim full liability in writing. We also charge a rather large general deposit on the house. If/when the tenant gives notice, we schedule an inspection immediately; same thing if the tenant is late with rent. In either case, we take immediate steps per our contract, so as to minimize any potential negative situation to ourselves.

Good luck in your search.

Tars

[AquaGyrl]

No doubt that 'no pet' policies can be a pain in the butt and some landlords won't make even the slightest expection or even check your pet's references. I once had a landlord who charged me a $600.00 pet deposit for a small bird I had even though the bird was crippled and couldn't fly. Go figure!!

In the case of dogs, I do know of landlords who won't accept dogs for fear of losing their property insurance. Don't know what breed of dog you have, but that could why you're having problems. Some insurance companies simply won't insure properties that house certain *breeds or mixed-bred* or, even, ANY dogs strictly for liability reasons.