Tenant lied about having a pet.

[Jim Vanhorn]

my tenant moved in on 11/1/2019. she is on a 1 yr least. before her lease signing I had told her a pet (small dog or cat) would be allowed with a $25 per month pet rent added to the rent.

I went over to the house unannounced the other day to have a township form signed. i saw a cat and said I see you decided to bring your cat, you had said you were not bringing it. there is a fee to have a pet that I will have to add to the rent going forward.

can I legally add this fee even though we are in a lease? or do I need to wait till the lease is up and raise rent accordingly then?

the home is in NJ. it's probably what most would consider a C class area. the tenant is an older school teacher that lives by herself. I did already collect a 1.5 month security deposit. the most I can legally collect in NJ

I am a bit pissed off that I was lied to, but at this time I have no interest in evicting her since she pays on time and I know I would lose at lease 1 months rent while looking for another tenant.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.