Info Feature: Pets & Landlords

Last month a pair of Labrador Retrievers named Cookie and Coco had to find a new home, as their owners lost their house and could only find an apartment that did not accept dogs. Fortunately, they found a new home the day after the word was first circulated about their situation. (The email, which we forwarded to all of you, spread far and wide in a short period of time, and only in the past week have we finally stopped receiving queries about them.)

One of our customers responded back to me with a collection of information from a landlord whom she knows. We consider this information rather timely, and we hope none of you ever need to use it, but here it is.

Landlords are people, too. Notions of Dickensian, hand-wringing, mustachioed men who laugh like “Mu-hahahaha!” are comical, but a lot of people think that the truth isn’t so far off from that. In reality, like other people, they can be approached with an eye toward calm, logical discussion and negotiation.

Landlords typically do not allow dogs for the following reasons: fear of property damage, and fear of liability for other tenants/neighbors. Eliminate those fears and you create a win-win situation.

Offer up testimonials from friends, neighbors, and previous landlords on the temperament of the pet(s). Let the prospective landlord meet them. Here’s a biggie: Offer a higher security deposit, or a separate “pet” deposit, in case of damages. Offer to have the property professionally cleaned when the lease is up. You could also try to offer the landlord a 30-day trial on the rental with the dogs to see how it works.

These are just the ideas that a landlord offered up. I’m sure other people could come up with more. The point is: There’s hope, and with some common sense and getting to an understanding of why pets might not be allowed in a building, often a solution can be worked out.

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