Pet Deposit / Pet Addendum

[Kasey Destache]

Hi everyone,

I’m getting ready to rent out a back house in Los Angeles 2 miles from the beach and next door to a lovely park for $1650 per month (water and gas included). They will also get half of our semi-private backyard. This is my first time acting as a landlord for my parent’s house so I just want to make sure I’m following the law and being fair, especially during these unprecedented times. I’m also using the BP CA Lease Agreements, forms and pet addendum. We are allowing small pets.

I read somewhere that you are not allowed to charge more than 2 months rent for security deposit and first months rent by CA law. But I also need to charge the refundable pet deposit which is $500. So my question is if someone were to move in on the 1st of March 2021, am I able to charge $1650 (first months rent) + $1650 (security deposit) + $500 (refundable pet deposit), which in total is $3800? I know I need to prorate if they move in the middle of the month but I just want to use the above example and numbers to receive a definite answer. 

As I’ve mentioned, I just want to make sure I’m following the law but I also want to make sure we are covered if there is any damage caused by the pet(s).

I also read that a better option might be to charge a non-refundable pet fee of $50 per pet per month. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. 

I’d really appreciate any feedback! 

Thanks!