5 Reasons Why You Should Not Hide Your Pet From Your Landlord

It can be tempting to attempt to sneak your pet into your property to avoid a no-pets policy. After all, you are great at keeping a secret, and can clean up all the mess they make or hide it. They won’t be that loud at all, so no one will find out! Besides, your property manager doesn’t pop around that often and they won’t ever find out. Wrong.

Sneaking a pet into your apartment under a no-pet policy is a bad idea. Here are 5 reasons why.

1. You could be evicted

Often no-pet policies are in place for a reason. Other tenants may be allergic, or the landlord’s insurance may not cover pets, or the landlord doesn’t want to deal with potential wear and tear. No-pet policies are annoying for pet owners but sneaking your pet in is not the answer.

Say you do it anyway. You sign the lease saying no pets, and you sneak your dog or cat into the property. Well, now there are very reasonable grounds to evict you. If you get caught, you will likely get caught, you’ll be evicted, forced to move, and have a black mark on your record. As you can see in this article here, this could affect your chances at other properties.

But eviction isn’t the worst-case scenario. If your landlord’s insurance doesn’t cover pets, and your dog bites someone else while on the property, you and your landlord might be sued, in response, your landlord may take you to court to recoup their costs. This scenario, while unlikely, can happen.

2. Your neighbours may give it away

You may think you are being sneaky, but when you are breaking the rules you can’t always trust that your neighbours will be happy about it. More than likely one will be a good friend of the landlord and may report any evidence of rule-breaking. It isn’t unlikely that your neighbours will see your furry friend poking their head up in the window, or catch you taking your pet out for a walk. It is much easier to be a good neighbour and stick to the rules.

3. There are extra costs with owning a pet

Pets can be expensive, and the cost isn’t all just on you. There is a lot of wear and tear associated with pets. Even the most well-behaved pet can be quite destructive. Wearing down carpets, scratching doors and curtains. Not only that, but fur will get everywhere. It will be deep in the carpets, on the top of fans, throughout cupboards and trapped in air filters.

When you move out, even if you have completed a spotless clean, the landlord will still need to go through, cleaning everything. A future tenant could possibly be allergic to dog or cat dander, making it necessary for the landlord to shell out for a very deep clean of the dwelling. This clean doesn’t come cheap and is done out of the pocket of the Landlord.

Yes, extra costs for keeping a pet could seem steep. But the cleaning costs are necessary to ensure a harmonious end to a tenancy.

4. Your pet may give you away

You might be the best at keeping secrets, however, your pet doesn’t know any better. If they begin barking, howling, you may want to reconsider sneaking them in. Dogs or cats making a lot of noise in the night, or during the day while you are away at work, will get you caught out fast. Annoyed neighbours may complain to your landlord or property manager. And yes, Cats can be noisy too.

Noise isn’t the only giveaway, during inspections, pet hair and the smell of pets can be obvious no matter how much you clean. Claw marks on the curtains or walls, or even on your own furniture will tell a property manager that you have snuck in a pet. Any experienced property manager will have dealt with this before, so they know the signs.

5. Its not fair on your pet

Pets need access to the outside world in order to live happy lives. They need walks and exposure to new surroundings and sunlight. It is detrimental to their health and wellbeing to be locked up inside all the time. Even indoor cats need some time in the sun. Animals can also suffer from mental health problems as much as humans and keeping them locked up inside will negatively affect their health.

Conclusion

Sneaking your pets around may seem like a good idea at first. After all, pets are one of the family, and their presence makes our lives better. But after a few weeks the constant paranoia associated with getting caught will put a hamper on the novelty and fun of owning a pet. It will ultimately cause more stress than it is worth.

We have covered only a few of the many scenarios that could happen when you sneak a pet into your rental property. If you really want to have a pet find a property without a no-pets ban, or if your current dwelling doesn’t have a ban, talk to the property manager about your desire to get a pet. They will ask you to complete a pet application form which will be forwarded to the landlord for approval. If you live in a property with a body corp, you will also be required to complete a pet application form for approval from the committee. It may seem like a lot but it is worth it for the stress it avoids.

For our available properties check out our listings page here. If you are a property owner and need an experienced property manager for your property, talk to Link Living today.

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