Should a pet deposit be returned to you if you no longer have the pet?

Question

I am talking about still living in the apartment, but without the pet that you had when you originally moved into the place.

Just as clarification - I had a cat that had all four paws declawed so it couldn't do any scratching damage if it tried. It never went anywhere except the litter box. The landlord would be free to check the apartment with a black light for urine stains. I don't see why I wouldn't be able to get my deposit back now.

Answer 1

Read your contract/lease.

Some pet deposits are non-refundable, in which case you will not get it back, period. If your contract states that your pet deposit is partially or fully refundable, you should be able to request it back after the landlord has done a walk-through inspection of your apartment and assessed any damages.

Answer 2

You can try to request it while you are still living in the apartment, but they can probably keep it until you move it, to pay for any damages the pet caused (and that worsened while you lived there, because the landlord was not able to come in a fix it, for example, the cat peed on the rug what started as a stain turned into mold because it was not cleaned in time, and now the whole rug needs to be replaced).

Ask your landlord to do a walk-through of your apartment so he can determine if any damage was caused by your pet, and have him either fix the damage immediately and return the unused pet deposit to you, or request that he sign a paper verifying that no damage was caused an the entire pet deposit has been returned to you.

But you might as well wait, in case you want to get another pet.

Answer 3

As much as I would like to say yes, because I am a pet owner and have had to pay a pet deposit many times, I can't agree that the money should be returned. The purpose of the pet deposit is to assure that if any damage was caused while the pet was living there, the landlord / owner will have the money to fix the damage. Sorry, I would love to get all the pet deposits back that I've ever paid.

Answer 4

In my past experiences I've found that a landlord will FIND anything they can to keep from returning a deposit of any kind whether it be pet or security. I would first make sure that there are no damages to your apartment and make it as clean as it was the day you moved in, if not cleaner. Most places wont return a deposit until you move out so it may be hard to do, it really just depends on the landlord!!!

Good Luck!!

Answer 5

Yes the pet deposit should be returned to you but only after you have moved out of the apartment, because the pet could of damaged something that the landlord cannot see until the apartment is empty.

Answer 6

No. Definitely not because the whole point of the deposit is to account for all the cleaning that they have to do because you had a pet. Just because you don't have it now doesn't mean that it didn't leave anything that would require extra cleaning. And you did have a pet at the time you moved in. So you will have to wait until they assess your apartment.

Answer 7

No. That deposit is to ensure that if the pet did any damage it can be repaired when you move out! When you move out, and there is no obvious damage from a pet, then yes, you have a good chance of getting it back, but typically not until then.

Answer 8

If your pet caused no damage to the apartment, like scratched floors or chewed or stained carpeting, then yes, you should get your pet deposit back.

Answer 9

Nope, if it is returned to you it will be after you move out and they can acess any damage that was done. You could always ask the manager what the policy is and see if they can check out the apartment and see what the damage is and if you deposit can be returned.

Answer 10

Not really, It would be returned when you move out as that is when the owner/manager would have access to do a walk through and make sure there is no damage from the pet. :)