My Landlord Says No Pets
January 8th 2009 21:00
Photo by Ilja Mack. Used in accordance with the terms of Wikimedia Commons’ GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts.
Thank God I didn’t listen to the friend who told me to just adopt Barley the homeless cat. I finally heard back from my landlord yesterday and he said no pets. Imagine if I had adopted her!
My landlord also wants another inspection done. It did occur to me he wanted the real estate agent to double check that I am definitely not keeping any animals on the premises. Not that anyone is going to find any because I am one of those boring people who like to do things by the book – which is how I got this dream flat to begin with because I had excellent references from my previous landlords.
My only concern right now is the goldfish. I have been goldfish sitting for my sister while she is on holidays. I wonder how the real estate agent is going to react when he sees them.
“Goldfish aren’t pets per se,” said my sister. “Plus you can hide them in the cupboard.”
True. I’m planning to hide them in the record box that sits under my stereo. No one is going to think of looking in there!
Still, I feel disappointed at seeing my dream of having a cat shattered. Looking back, I think that’s why I put off asking him for permission for so long. Who wants to have their request denied? Now I can (almost) understand why my friend Brett simply went ahead and adopted two homeless cats without checking with his landlord first. On the flip side, Brett has to deal with his angry real estate agent and having to hide his babies the next time an inspection is done.
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Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
We have an inspection tomorrow. We are only supposed to have 3 cats. We have 8. Its going to involve hiding litter boxes, food bowls, and counting heavily on our shy cats hiding for the five minutes she's here.
Not to mention, ducks kept in the laundry, and a mynah bird that never goes in her cage...Im going to spend most of today cleaning up Binky crap and hoping I dont miss a spot! She craps a LOT....
I suppose for Brett and me, its worth the stress. They can only do an inspection once every three months and if you're a good tenant (which we are) they sweep through in five minutes and its all over. Our agent and our landlord really like us, so we arent too worried. The majority of damage to the property was done by the horses - they destroyed the gardens and ate the fruit trees. When the landlord asked me about it, I sheepishly admitted the horses did it. He says, "Good, I wanted to clear it anyway" WHEW!
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
They tell me a cat is easy to keep inside, although I prefer outside access for them but if you're homeless and hungry, such a pussy will no doubt be happy to oblige, lots of people do it that way.
I'm sure you're an impeccable tenant and I'm sure your feelings about your landlord are spot on.
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
Thanks for your comments. I wish I had a landlord like yours. Still, I can't complain as repairs are done immediately and the rent he asks for is reasonable.
I've already told the real estate agent I have no intention of keeping animals behind the landlord's back and they can check all they like. The real estate agent did say the inspection is to do with a flood I had a few months ago.
At least now I can say no to people who ask me to give a home to a stray and not feel guilty.
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
I hope you can find the kitty a home. And perhaps visit?
~Dianna
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
When I first got Dark we were living in a "Strictly NO Pets" place and when we had our inspection I put all food and kitty litter upstairs in the attic - real estate never went up there. It was winter so I hid Dark in my car parked a few doors up from our place. The landlord of course wanted to chat about the weather or whatever movie was out at the moment out the front - so there is my trying to talk really loud because Dark could hear me and climbed up onto the dashboard inside the car to meow as loud as a symphony orchestra. They saw him but didn't say a thing - thankgod my house was immaculate.
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
Barley has already found a home.
Hi Jason
Your stories remind me of an old neighbour I had. She didn't ask for permission and smuggled her cats in. She had trained them to go into her wardrobe whenever someone came in. The clever moggies would sit quietly in there until the person left. She used to stress a lot about being found out but the difference was the landlord had a history of approving pets so I told her not to worry about it.
Guys, thanks for visiting!
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Landlord
As a landlord I would be the one who would be sued if someone was affected by pets in the building considering that I did not have a no-pet policy. Reading the comments of some of the renters makes me realize that these are self-gratifying individuals who could care less about the problems typically generated by tenants who do not care to live by their contracts. Who could trust the intentions of anyone who would lie in a contract with another human being?
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
Thanks for giving me your side of the story. I didn't realise seemingly innocuous pets such as goldfish and birds can cause so many problems. I don't blame you for feeling concerned.
My big carrot for sticking to the rules is the rental crisis. I have an excellent rental history which is why I have no problems getting my rental applications approved - and I want to keep it that way.
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Quite interesting. Of course, a building is different than an apartment over, say, an office which nobody spends time in. And then there's the matter of people taking proper care of their pets, which severely reduces risk factors. It's a huge variable, and in some cases I can understand why pets aren't allowed; in other cases, I don't.
~Dianna