Inherited tenant with constantly barking dog

[Jason Tousignant]

Inherited a tenant whos lIttle dog barks at every little sound.  Old landlord allowed pet but worried new tenant will complain. Not sure if dog is a service dog. Can I rewrite month to month lease to exclude pets? What can I do?

[David Butler]

Is the tenant with a lease and if so, what does the lease suggest? The lease will determine what you can and cannot do. If the tenant is MTM, communication is key. People are REALLY protective of their pets and I wouldn't have high hopes of this one conversation coming to a resolution, but it is key to let the tenant know that this barking dog cannot continue. Kindly suggest that this place may not be the best solution for their pet--they might enjoy a SFH so there is no one else making noise. This inherited tenant probably will not end up being a long term tenant as there really is not much they can do about their dog's barking and it is not going to change overnight. The sooner you have this conversation the better as every day that goes by without addressing this tells your inherited tenant that you are OK with their dog's behavior--just like the last owner.