# Normal charge for a pet in a rental house?



## allyally (Apr 28, 2004)

We rent the house we live in and we just recently had a fee added on for him of $25. Isn't that a little expensive in the US ? The most ive heard of is like 10-15. Is she overcharging me?? Just wondered if anyone knew bout this ! Thanks..


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## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

Heck, the apartment complex where I am doing TNR with the feral cats, charges $300 to keep an animal there. $300!!!! Wooooweeee :shock: 

Abhay


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## Sippycup (Feb 22, 2004)

Is that 25.00 a month? or a one time fee? We have a pet deposit of 250.00. That is a one time fee. Then when we move out if there is no damage we get our money back.

I think it would be strange if she were charging you 25.00 a month. Depending on how long you live there it would add up to more than my deposit. Which, again, we get back.

Find out. But just be careful she doesn't change her mind about you having a cat.


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## catnip (Aug 19, 2003)

I've usually heard between $25-40 per animal. My previous place was just a pet deposit of $250 I believe.


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## Lily (Mar 14, 2004)

yea..mine was $200.. i was like omg...i didnt realize how much it cost to have a pet in an APT...


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## Padunk (Oct 20, 2003)

They just want to cover themselves against irresponsible pet owners. My old place had a $200 pet fee... I can't remember how much it is at this place. For now, they don't know I have pets. If/when they find out I'll pay the deposit. :twisted:


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## Lilly (Nov 8, 2003)

I dont think I would like an extra 25 added onto the rent each month... that kinda seems like you are getting ripped off. What is the money for, room and board for your cat???

At places I have rented I have paid a one time deposit fee of 100 to 200 dollars, when I moved out I generally got the money back. It wasnt like I was paying to own a pet or anything, just in case there was damage.


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

i haven't had any pet charges, but my friend was charged an extra $20 a month for each cat they had. she moved to a new place where they had a pet security deposit but no monthly charge. it really just depends on the landlord.


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## allyally (Apr 28, 2004)

I am furious with my landlord. She came yesterday and i signed a new month to month lease. Not only did she put a couple stupid things on there but she failed to point out to me the statement: ""The Lessee (me) agrees to pay the Lessor in full the amount to replace the carpet and padding in the residence if the cat urinates on or causes other damage to the carpeting or property." She should have pointed that out to me and it is my fault i didnt read it all before i signed. But i could spill a pepsi on the floor and she can easly say its cat urine. I hate to have to move bc she is charging me extra plus had me sign to agree to that.. 

Sugar pie has been moved twice  The place he lived at from a kitten til about a year old we moved him from there and due to certain circumstances i had to take him an hour away to my bf's house to live with him. It was awful there.. sugar pie hated it. and so did i bc i left my baby i felt i abandoned him  so then we moved him back up here to a new house that he loves.. i hate to move but i cant afford the extra 20 a month (btw she lowered it from 25 to 20..) i feel i should contact the landlord about the lease i signed that she should have been more specific since she pointed out some other stuff.. Will it be bad on sugar pie if i move him again? I think this is why he is sick now.. (see cat emergencies.."My cat is having bowel movement problems. Please help.." Thanks guys for sharing your experiences and let me know what you all think of this?? Thanks...


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## marijun (Nov 24, 2003)

i've found that most pet-friendly apartments don't charge extra for pets. BUT...i have been asked for a non-refundable $300 PER CAT deposit for a cheap, crappy $350 apartment before. (i told that guy to shove it :roll: ). some landlords just tack it on to the rent, that's how they do things. the apartment i'm moving into soon wanted a non-refundable $200 pet deposit. i don't like the non-refundable part...but most landlords around here don't even let you have more than 2 cats, so that's the price to pay.


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

non-refunable is bs. the only reason a deposit is required is so that the money can be used if the tenant damages the apartment. not giving it back is like punishing a tenant cause they kept the apartment nice. i'd feel like i had to damamge something, so that i wouldn't be just giving my andlord $300.


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## Joys (Jan 12, 2004)

They charged me $300 for a deposit, $150 of it I don't get back. Plus another 20 dollars a month :roll:


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## Ta3339 (Feb 8, 2004)

We had a $150 non refundable deposit, per animal, but i do know if places that charge per month. the most i have heard of is $25. I kinda hate the non refundable part, as our kitty has done nothing to hurt this place, but i quess some cats could, and how would you ever be able to determine if it was the cat or the humans? 
idk.. i don't think there is any place that allows animals without some sort of extra $$$......


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## faile (Sep 14, 2003)

i don't have to pay anything for my cats.


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## allyally (Apr 28, 2004)

ahh i wish i could say that! I wish i had a permanent place cuz im afraid if i move sugar pie again it will be bad! for now we are just talking about what to do next. id rather be paying on a house payment that was mine than a rental.. 

i called my landlord and told her what i thought so her compromise was she would keep 150 of my deposit which is the same as nonrefundable. but yet i will still be liable for the new carpet and padding for the whole house. i hate it for her but anyway ima come up with something else. 

faile: your cujo looks like my sugar pie when he was smaller =) Cute!!


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## Annissa (Dec 9, 2003)

My apartment charged me for my regular deposit (I got a $99 special when I moved in, but it's usually one month's rent), a $200 cat deposit and $20 per month cat "rent." I'm also responsible for any damages the $200 deposit can't cover such as new pads and carpets. I invested in a Hoover Steam Vac and I buy plenty of Nature's Miracle (I should buy stock in that product, seriously). 

allyally, my little sister spilled beer in my older sister's apartment and she got charged for new carpet because the apartment complex said it was a pet stain. My older sister didn't even own a pet. Unscrupulous apartment complexes make my blood boil. I always check out apartments.com when I consider moving so I can read the reviews of different complexes in my area.


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## Lilly (Nov 8, 2003)

I think that it is cheaper to actually go and buy a house than to pay rent. Your payment is generally lower or at least not higher. Also a house will always go up in value, unless of course you trash it. You can sell it and buy a new one one day, so you can start with a small house if you want. Plus no worrys about pet damage and that.

Good luck!


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## TAsunder (Apr 6, 2004)

Unless the place is huge, $300 non refundable is pretty high. I understand some amount, because they have to deep clean the apartment so that they can accomodate tenants who might be allergic to cats.

$25 is a bit high for one cat, but not criminal or anything. I pay $15 but it doesn't matter how many cats I have. I also had an additional deposit (basically it went up to half-month's rent).

Believe me when I say that a pepsi and cat urine are far different. It's virtually impossible to get cat urine out of a carpet. I believe my lease has a similar provision.


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## robertr4836 (Apr 28, 2004)

*That's awful!*

I sympathize with your plight. Although I was never charged a fee for my cat, Shadow, at my old apartment I did have some trouble.

Six months after I got Shadow my landlord called and said she had seen the cat in the window and that no pets were allowed (I was tenant at will with no lease). When I pointed out that other people in the building had pets she said that she was re-doing the apartments as they were vacated so she didn't want anyone getting new pets (but she didn't explicitly tell me to get rid of the cat).

About a year later she called to ask if her husband could let the gas company into the apartment to check something. I told her OK as long as they didn't let the cat out. There was a long pause before she asked, "You still have that cat?"

Two days later she called and said that she was receiving complaints from other tenants about my cat and that I had to get rid of him (for a year she didn't realize I had a cat and then in two days she was receiving complaints about him??).

Anyway, I told her I would find a new place ASAP. She said she didn't want me to leave just the cat (like I would give away my cat...she obviously doesn't own pets).

I'm happy to say that I now own a condo (with explicit rules allowing pets) and she lost a 5 year tenant who never caused any problems and always paid the rent on time. Thanks to a state sponsored first time buyers program I only needed $1500 from my savings for the down payment and closing costs. All in all I would say it's the best thing that's happened to me recently!


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## KeeKee (Apr 30, 2004)

I have paid as much as 150.00 for a pet deposit. The apartment that we are living in now, it's included with our damage deposit. 25.00 doesn't seem so bad, but then is that a one time fee or per month?

Kristy


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## Maleke (Jul 2, 2003)

We don't pay anything for our cats....and we live in an apartment. Maybe it's because we are in Canada? I'm not sure.


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## Kellz (Mar 9, 2004)

I had to pay $200.00 for he cat and $250.00 for the dog. Both one time deposit fees but if we want to get another dog or cat, we have to pay again, it's per pet! It's just plain crazy!


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## 93SRV (Oct 27, 2003)

The new place i'm moving into has the acual pets listed on our lease, and says anything else must be permissable by written request to the owner. Then says if there are any "notable" damages by the pet, we would be charge upon leaving. That's pretty good i think... no charges or anything besides the usual damage deposit.


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## garfield (Aug 2, 2003)

mine is 250 non refundable and then 25 per month, and then I think when you move out you pay to de flea the apartment, but I just didn't tell them that I have my cat. she is indoor, so she doesn't have fleas and she is pretty clean and doesn't really scratch. the maintenance guy is really nice and keeps my secret for me.


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