Do birds cause damage? Tenant's secret bird

[Michael S.]

I have a pet clause in my lease that says "No pets, birds, or animals of any kind allowed on premises without written consent of landlord and Pet Addendum signed".

When my tenants moved in, I asked them if they had pets, they said "no". When I went over the lease word-for-word, I pointed out that no pets of any kind were allowed.

Come to find out, my tenants DO have a small caged bird. When I confronted the tenant, their response was "It's just a small bird, not a cat or a dog". When I reminded them of the lease and the terms (along with the associated fees for pets), he said "If you're going to charge me for the bird I'm just going to give it away." 

I hate to be an a**hole here, but I don't appreciate the tenants hiding it from me. Do small birds do damage? Should I waive the fee, or set the boundaries for what is and isn't allowed, especially when it was kind-of behind my back?

[Jeff B.]

Hi Scrooge.  IMO, you should loosen up - - do you forbid gold fish too?

I have the No Pets without written permission  clause too and seldom have needed to enforce it.  Unless you're talking about a large parrot, small birds sing softly during the daytime and are delightful to hear.