Security Deposit and Pet Fee confusion

[Jared Marks]

I'm in North Carolina working on renting my first property. Any help is greatly appreciated. I read online that in some states if one charges a pet fee that doing so restricts what the security deposit can be used to address if there are damages beyond the amount of the pet fee. 

If I charge a pet fee and the damages exceed that fee, does anyone know if I'm able to tap into the security deposit to pay for the pet-specific damages?

(I've looked at the General Statues for Tenant-Landlord laws in NC, but don't find it clear enough to answer my question)

[Andrew B.]

You need to understand the difference between the deposit and the fee. Deposit belongs to tenant and is used to fix damage. Fees are non refundable and are considered income. Pet fees should have no effect on your ability to use security deposit to fix damages. You shouldn't even be differentiating between pet damages and human damages. Its all just damages.