Pets in No-Pet Memphis Apartments
Nov 12th, 2007 by Memphis Apartments
There are a variety of reasons Memphis apartment landlords do not allow pets in Memphis apartments. These reasons range from noise to property damage. Regardless, it is important to abide by your Memphis apartment landlord’s pet policy as outlined in your lease.
No-pet policies are generally for specific types of pets including cats and dogs. Fish and birds are often excluded unless the birds are noisy. Fish may not be permitted if aquariums are specifically prohibited. Memphis apartment landlords might not allow aquariums because of potential water damage. It has nothing to do with the fish.
Do not think you can sneak a pet into your Memphis apartment. If your Memphis apartment landlord does not allow pets in his Memphis apartments, you will quickly be found out. Someone will complain or your pet will make a noise that alerts neighbors you have an animal in your Memphis apartment.
The penalties for having a pet in a no-pet Memphis apartment vary. Your Memphis apartment landlord may require you to pay a penalty similar to a pet deposit. This does not mean you can keep the pet. He is fining you for violating your lease agreement. He has collected money from you that he can use to repair any damages that your pet has done to the Memphis apartment.
Many people have allergies to cats and dogs. For this reason, your Memphis apartment landlord will probably have to hire a professional cleaning service to remove the allergens in your Memphis apartment after you vacate before he can rent it to another tenant. He should not have to pay for this expense because you violated the no-pet policy.
Your Memphis apartment landlord can also evict you for violating a clause in your lease. This might seem extreme but some Memphis apartment landlords strictly enforce leases. The degree of the violation is irrelevant. The fact that you did not do as you agreed is enough for them to evict you.
Just because you want a pet does not mean the Memphis apartment landlord can make an exception with you. Legally the only exception he has to make is to allow a service pet on the premises. A service pet assists an individual with disabilities with daily living activities. A seeing-eye dog assists a person who is blind to move about without running into things. A seizure dog assists a person who has seizures by getting help or moving things out of the way when the person has a seizure.
While the Memphis apartment landlord has to make this accommodation, the tenant is required to prove that the animal is actually a service pet and that he needs a service pet to help him. Just because a person has a disability does not mean he needs a service pet. The tenant may have to provide disability or medical information to the Memphis apartment landlord as well as certification papers on the pet proving the animal has been specially trained as a service pet.
Other than as a reasonable accommodation, your Memphis apartment landlord has to be careful allowing one tenant to have a pet and not allowing others. He is basically establishing precedence and the court may find his actions discriminatory. For this reason, he is unlikely to make exceptions to his pet policy beyond reasonable accommodation.
If you are unsure about the types of pets covered by your no-pet policy, ask your Memphis apartment landlord. Be sure to do this before you get a pet. If you have a pet or think you might eventually get one, do yourself a favor. Rent a pet-friendly Memphis apartment. Do not enter a lease agreement that prohibits pets with the intention of violating your lease. This is more hassle than it is worth when there are plenty of Memphis apartments available.