I contacted a property manager in reference to a listing. I informed him i have 3 pets and wanted to find out the pet policies. I mentioned that my pets are 2+ years, all house broken and the cat is declawed. Weight of dogs are 16lb and 40lb, specified breeds (neither on the restricted breed list).
He said in addition to the first last and security, there is also a non-refundable $3200 new carpet fee because of the pets.
Has anyone else heard of this? It seems absurd. A toddler/College student could cause as much damage as 3 pets totalling the weight of 75 lbs to a carpet but parents/college students do not incur an additional "new carpet" move-in fee. Isn't this what a security deposit is for?
Update:I should emphasis the NON-REFUNDABLE carpet fee.
Update 3:Also I neglected to mention that I work from home, my dogs are well-behaved and are not destructive when we leave. very quiet, rarely bark and are trained to only chew on their toys
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Good morning nu d,
I hope your week is starting off okay. I am always shocked by tenants. Los Angeles has the best tenant/landlord laws in the country. The laws are under “LAHD”. Many landlords and tenants are unaware of these laws, especially when these laws, if broken, involve thousands of dollars in fines and relocation fees.
For example: In Los Angeles, a landlord MUST give a thirty (30) day notice plus pay a tenant relocation fee. These fees amount to a MINIMUM of $7000.00 to a maximum of $18000.00. The amount depends on length of residency, number living in household, and income level.
http://lahd.lacity.org/lahdinternet/LinkClick.aspx...
There “could” also be heavy fees and fines for doing what your landlord is doing. Your only problem is it will not help you unless you move in. Believe me nu d, these people do not play games.
Therefore, I would STRONGLY recommend you contact your local city government. You can visit, call, or do your own research on the website below. They have a hot line. Talk to someone about your problem. It will only take a minute of your time. They will explain your local municipal codes and laws. I have enclosed the main LAHD website below.
http://lahd.lacity.org/lahdinternet/CodeEnforcemen...
I hope this helps. You and your family have a beautiful day. Peace, from Los Angeles.
Not heard of it, good idea though. I rent out a house 3 bedrooms 1 bath... ppl dont take care of carpet like there suppose to if its not theirs. They figure what the **** I will clean that up later. So the landlord is making you pay for part of his carpet, I sure in CA its way more expencive then where I live. Sometimes pets completly trainned do things because there mad at you for not being there when they needed u to be. My dog is a black lab male, he gets even with me. If I leave during the day he will wait till evening and play the in out game.....knowing I need to sleep-- he barks at the door till i open it...lazy dog...oh forgot to mention hes 75-80 lbs. 3 years young...
No he can't do that