Dog issue - Tenant moved in puppy without consent!

[David Huynh]

Hey BP members,

I purchased an 8 unit that allows dogs & cats under 35 pounds. One of my tenants is currently paying the pet fee of $35 for her one dog but wants to bring in another dog (German Shepard) and I told her that it was not okay because the animal will be larger than 35 pounds before the end of the lease (6 more months). She informed me that she does not care and that she is not "breaking any rules" because the animal is under the 35 lb weight restriction and will pick up the puppy in a week or two.

I politely informed her that the partners and I find it unacceptable and that they must be vaccinated and have previous rental history or OK from another landlord. We do not want to make exceptions for certain tenants and then have others upset that they were not allowed the same circumstance. 

How else should I approach this situation? 

[Thomas S.]

You also need to modify your lease for further protection. Insurance wise you need to include language to exclude certain dangerious breeds. Your insurance company will back you up on this.

For now your lease is not sufficient and depending on your state regulations a eviction my not hold up. Go on line and get a copy of your state landlord tenant regulations and see what it says about dogs and evictions in general.