Pet Policy Violated / Beyond Normal Wear and Tear

[Dawn Brandt]

Hi Everyone.  I have a house I rent to 2 men, or who need staff for care giving.  Each man requires 2 staff at all time to help with their needs. So we have 4 staff members in the house at all times. The Lease is set up in the men's name only, treated as roommates, the staff is not listed anywhere on the lease.

We have a no pet policy. There are no pets allowed on the premises. However, it has come to our attention, that The Staff is bringing their pets to work - which means, dogs and puppies (which I would never agree too!) have been in the house. This is not on a regular basis, but it's happening. I have spoken to the house director, and she said "I bring my dog to work all the time, is it ok if we leave the dogs outside"? I clearly stated we have a no pet policy. If she wants to pay a non-refundable deposit, then we can readdresss it. She said no, she will send a note to the staff to not bring their pets to work.

My point is, they knew from the beginning there was a no pet policy. Who is to say this isn't going to continue. And now what kind of damage has been done to the floors and the added wear and tear?

What can I do as a landlord? My thoughts are sending them a signed warning of some sort that they are in violation of the lease, and that they are risking their security deposit (if this is really true?)

What is considered beyond normal wear and tear? While we understood this house was going to house a few more people at a time, we are amazed at the number of traffic that is going on in the house. I would suspect at the end of their tour here, the carpets and floors are going to be trashed. How can I really determine this? The carpet was 2 years old when they moved in. Can I really make them pay for new carpet when they  move out? Especially now that they brought pets in the house?

Thank you for your input.