Apartment Deposits for Pets. Why? How would they know otherwise?

Question

I really want to get a kitten. But my Apartment Office requires a $400 deposit and $200 is refundable. I don't have that kind of cash. In my last apartments I had a little dog without paying the deposit. They only found out when I had to put the dog on the patio over night one weekend. If I got a Cat, here in my new place(which is a much bigger property), how would they know if I kept the cat inside. Cat's don't make a lot of noise like dogs.

Answer 1

Cats like to sit in windows to look outside. Your little darling will give you away.It is best to see if you can work out a deal I paid $100.00 down and $20.00 a month until I got my pet deposit paid off.

Answer 2

it all depends on what kind of apartment management you've got... some places are pretty strict and tend to stay "in your face;" whereas management in some places are not to be seen unless you are late in paying rent. If you live in a complex with in-house management, there is a good chance you'd be found out if you're not careful. And if you live in such a place, do you really want to be all that stressed about getting sprung? On the other hand, you may live in a place that is managed from afar. In such a place, many people keep pets without paying pet deposits or fees. We lived in such a place not long ago and would have stayed there exept it was really getting too small for all of us. My daughter had the lease and when I moved in with her, I took my cat along. I asked a neighbor about pet deposit and she just laughed and told me no one there paid any attention to that. So we let it go. A year later, a stray adopted us and we had 2 cats. All my neighbors had pets - cats, guinea pigs, lizards (but no dogs). Maintenance people were around at least every 2 weeks but no one said aything. We never hid the pets. So... as I said, it all depends on what kind of management you've got.

Answer 3

It's not a good idea to "sneak" a pet past the landlord for some of the reasons stated here. Also neighbors can be just plain mean about it - maybe see you bring in a bag of litter or something. Also it is very easy for a cat to "escape" from an apartment and how would you go about locating it if you couldn't put up posters or ask others to be on the lookout for it.

It's also not fair to the kitten to take the risk as you will have to find another home for it if you are threatened by eviction and not willing to move to a place that accepts animals.

Answer 4

Believe me they will find a way....i moved out 6 months ago from an apartment and they said the evidence of a pet was the smell and a peice of food they found in the kitchen which to me was a some food that i made or something because my dog was never allowed in the kitchen but they will find a way to screw you over and then they will add it to your final bill..the chances are slim but it could hurt in the end. For a cat the hair is what can get you...it's not the noise as much as the smell and the hair that they leave...the $200 are for cleaning the carpet when you move out due to other people that might move in and allergies.

Answer 5

Have you requested a reasonable accommodation to have the animal in the apartment? You should have submitted a request for reasonable accommodation in writing via certified mail and you should receive a response from the landlord IN WRITING. You doctor or healthcare professional should have also submitted documentation supporting your need for the service animal. Along with this documentation, submit information about FHAA and what it says regarding service animals. The pet deposit should be waived. If you already submitted a formal request for reasonable accommodations and this is a misunderstanding on their part, bring it to their attention. Be polite. Do not be confrontational. If you are unable to resolve the matter, file a complaint with HUD for discrimination. Do not pay the deposit. You'll likely never see it again if you do and the animal is not a pet. Be sure to document everything, get names, etc and leave a paper trail. Email correspondence counts as a paper trail. I would bring it to their attention by saying something like, "I think there was a misunderstanding. Perhaps you're unaware, but..."

Answer 6

They will get up in a window and be visible; cats love windows. Also, landlords can come in and do property inspections typically on 24 hours notice (or immediately in the case of an emergency). You will have to find a way to hide your cat, or take it to another location every time a maintenance inspection, etc is done.

Why not make yourself look like a perfect tenant that the landlord can't pass up, provide references from landlords/pictures of your previous apartment that you had pets in? Then, make it a condition of signing the lease that they waive the pet deposit. If they want you as a tenant and believe you will be responsible, they may waive the deposit.

Answer 7

Hello. I have two cats, which is pushing it, and i live in an apartment that requires a pet deposit, AND a monthly fee for each pet. We do not pay any of it. No one has ever complained or even noticed that we have cats. They don't make TOO much noise, and they always stay inside. The only thing we worry about is if someone who works here would walk by and see them in the window, which is unlikely that they would remember who pays pet fees and who doesn't, But we generally keep our blinds down just incase. And when someone has to come here for maintanance or anything, we keep them in the bedroom. When i was younger, my parents also kept our cat in an apartment without paying the deposit, no one really knows or cares. I hope this helps. I know it is dishonest, and i do feel bad, but they require like $30 a month for each pet, which i think is rediculous and unfair.

Answer 8

my hubby and i just went and looked at an apt today and they not only charge a 400.00 pet deposit but they only refund 100.00 back to you and they also charge you 10.00 a month thereafter. so I would say you have that place easy . but I would never move in to some place that people had a problem with a chihuahua. what is the big deal ? I mean they get an extra 120.00 for the year also i think that is a rip off and they should be reported to somebody . I dont know who though. good luck to you.

Answer 9

You can take your chances when I was a kid we lived in an apartment and were'nt allowed pets but we had 2 dogs and a cat and were never found out. the only thing you would have to worry about is if the super needs to get into your apartment if something happens otherwise I would certainly sneek a kitten in

Answer 10

At some point you're going to have to have something fixed in your apartment. Cat's like to look outside, so they'll either destroy your blinds trying to get out, or you'll have to leave your blinds up a little so the cat doesn't destroy them, either way the manager will see it when she/he is walking the property.

Not to mention, the fees are even higher if you're caught with an unauthorized pet, and most communities will allow you to pay the pet deposit out.

Answer 11

Because cats and dogs that aren't well-trained/monitored can cause a lot of damage that is expensive to fix. A landlord has no idea whether or not you are a responsible pet owner, and so they want to be covered in the case there is damage to carpets or floors, etc.

Edit to add: The people who talk about the hair are right! It gets EVERYwhere, places you wouldn't even think about! I think keeping up with pet hair is worse than dealing with the litterbox.