At an apartment, is a pet desposit PER pet?

Question

i have two cats that we are taking with us, so is there going to be a like...300 dollar deposit per cat or will there be a reduced price for the second?

also, how much of this is refundable?

Answer 1

Depends on the contract and the apartment. And as someone mentioned, yeah, don't expect your deposit back, or only very little. Last place I stayed they kept my deposit because the landlady had to VACUUM after I left, even tho I vacummed almost every day. (Seriously people, is vacumming that expensive???? and don't you need to vacuum and clean up after every tenant ANYWAY??? she was a major b*&^ anyway)

You should call the apt manager and have that cleared up. Or, you can have a friend call, say is interested in the apt and ask about the pet deposits if you don't want to drop your name.

here's a little secret: I rented at a place for 1 year and I had to pay 30 per month per pet. Because I had three cats... and two of them look similar... I only told them I had two... they never found out **g** (ha! you don't know me)

Answer 2

Just call the management and find out what the deposit is. You should have it on your lease, including what portion is refundable and if any is not refundable.

Professional apartment communities will set these fees up front with you. The reason why a portion of the deposit is not refundable, if any, is because cats are known to mark territory in a new house, and if the carpet is not new when you move in and the previous renter had a cat, your cats will smell where those cats did business and go in the same place. If your carpet is brand new (also find this out), and your cat has a few accidents or gets picky when the litter box is too full, you'll be responsible for what happens.

The problem with cats (I have two and love them dearly, so don't get me wrong) is that cat urine goes through the carpet into the pad and spreads. When you clean carpets with a steamer or some other machine, it only cleans the top layer of carpet, but not the pad, leaving the smell to come back. And from management's point of view, if you move out and there's a cat smell, or if the next tenant is allergic to cats, the carpet has to be replaced usually, and always the pad, no getting around it. That can be very expensive, and your deposit doesn't even come close to covering that cost.

Get the pet terms in writing, make sure you keep a copy, and even if management changes or a new landlord comes in, you will have proof that at time of move in you were not only allowed to keep your pet, but you paid a deposit as well. Pay the pet deposit with a money order, cashier's check or credit card and staple the reciepts to the pet terms you and the manager signed. That will be your back up in case something changes, and will win the day in court if it comes to that.

Answer 3

You need to ask the manager at the apartment for clarification on this. Usually it's per animal. I would think it's non-refundable. 13 yrs ago I was charged $15 per animal (5 dogs and 3 cats) per month, but no deposit. I had the money for them, but my apartment manager only charged me for the dogs, they were all small breeds. It might be becaue I complained about the 7 greyhounds in one appartment and the lease stated small dogs under 25 pounds only with county limit of 5.

Word of warning from when I was a teen, get everything in writing, but if there's a new manager, they will need to put it in writing too. We had a written agreement with the one manager and the next to come in made everyone get rid of all pets. It's better if the owner of the building gives you written permission and sets the deposit or monthly fees. And if there's a new owner of the apartments you should do it all over again. We got evicted because my mom refused to get rid of out cat of 9 years. A month later that manager was fired and the new one honored the previous pet agreements, too late for us we had to move in with my grandparents. Some were lucky and had family or friends take their pets and brought them back. So just we careful of any new owners or managers.

Answer 4

Ask, and have it all in writing. How much will you get back, how much for 'pet cleaning'. I had one place that up front, stated that part of the deposit goes to flea bombing the home after I move out. They did this with everyone, so that they were covered themselves later.
I'm moving in two weeks, the new landlord is very clear on pets. He doesn't like cats. He has had a few rentals that needed carpet replaced due to cat spray, and damage from cat claws. So, we have a $1,000 cat deposit. We will get it back if our cat leaves no damage.
For our puppy, it is another $250 deposit.

Answer 5

You will have to clear that up with the apartment people. Usually it is per animal and it is doubtful if they will give a MULTI pet discount. Where I live there is a pet deposit per animal but it does not include my aquarium of tropical fish. A refund is possible if the apartment is NOT damaged by your pet or pets. CAUTION ! If your pet causes more damage than the deposit, you WILL be liable for additional repairs.

Answer 6

Both depend on the contract. My friend just leased an apartment (she has two large breed dogs) and there was a $500 refundable deposit for pets, but it included both dogs.

Answer 7

Depends on how the apartment lease is worded. I wouldn't expect the deposit back for the pets. Every landlord I've had came up with every excuse to keep my pet deposits.

Answer 8

Does your initial lease agreement say that the landlord can make changes to the policy? If she has that wording in the agreement then yes, she can do whatever she wants. Otherwise, no, she wouldn't be able to charge you any new fees without your consent, which is probably why she is having you sign the new pet agreement. I would bring the copy of the lease that you signed to her and tell her that you've lived up to the agreement that you made and will not sign any new policies. Let her know that by adding to the lease, she is breaking the inital agreement, which would give you grounds to sue and/or move.

Answer 9

It depends on the apartment. You need to call the manager. Some apartments have a flat fee and have a limited number of pets you can have. Other apartments have a fee per pet...hope this helps!

Answer 10

When I lived in an apartment it was $400 for the first pet and $200 for any others that came afterward. Read your lease carefully. Didn't get much back...they'll find any excuse to take your money, unfortunately.