Tenant Request to Refund Pet Deposit for the Holidays —How Would You Handle This?

[Robert Williams]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice on how to handle a recent request from one of my tenants. Here’s the situation (personal details removed):

The tenant reached out explaining that they’re going through financial difficulties due to an ongoing divorce and lack of child support. They had paid a pet deposit when they moved in, but both of their pets have sadly passed away. They’re now asking if the pet deposit can be refunded or credited toward their January rent to help them during the holidays.

The tenant was apologetic about making this request and acknowledged it might not be typical. However, I should note that this tenant has been late paying rent several times recently, which has added some strain to the landlord-tenant relationship.

How would you approach this situation? Would you consider refunding or crediting the pet deposit under these circumstances? Or would you stick to the lease terms and handle it differently?

Looking forward to hearing how others might navigate this.

Thanks in advance!

Rob