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Too often I hear from people who are giving up their beloved family pet because the landlord enacted a new no pet policy, or because they are moving into a rental property that has a no pet policy. Less often, I also hear from owners who allow cats but require declawing.

Before you agree to a rental policy that costs your family, disrupts your life, and harms your pet, there are a few steps you need to take.

know your rights

Did you know that, as a tenant, you have certain rights? Each area will have its own set of rules and bylaws for tenants and landlords, but don’t assume your landlord is following these rules. Make sure you know what your rights are regarding your lease and your pets before you are forced to do anything.

For example, did you know that in Ontario your landlord cannot evict you or force you to get rid of your pet unless it is dangerous, causing excessive noise, damage to the unit or allergy problems? Even if you signed a lease with a no pets agreement, they can’t evict you. No pet clauses are considered invalid under the law and the only way you can be evicted for having a pet is if the Ontario Landlord-Tenant Board determines that the pet meets one of the above criteria. This means that while a landlord may choose not to rent to someone who has pets, once you’ve started your tenancy and moved out, you can’t be evicted for having pets.

Laws will vary depending on where you are, but don’t be intimidated into disrupting your life or the life of your cat when the law may be on your side. To be informed.

Don’t capitulate, negotiate

If local laws do not protect you or your pets, then the next step is not to give up and give in, but to negotiate and educate your owners.

Most owners who do not allow pets or who require cats to be declawed have these policies because they are concerned about property damage. Noise, allergies and crowds in common areas such as the lobby or the façade can also be a factor.

As a responsible pet owner, it is worth trying to educate your landlord on why these policies are wrong and unnecessary. If you can provide reasonable alternatives so the landlord can feel that his interests are sufficiently served, he may be able to convince you to change your rental policies.

  1. Acknowledge their concerns. Be courteous and reasonable and let them know you understand their concerns and respect their desire to maintain a clean and well-maintained building.
  2. Explain normal cat behavior. The people who create the policy may not be familiar with the behavior of cats. Explain that cats can be easily trained to use a scratching post instead of a mat, and that they instinctively prefer to bury their waste in a clean litter box rather than deposit it anywhere. Explain that cats do not normally scratch walls, doors, or trim, and that even an untrained cat is more likely to scratch the tenant’s furniture than destroy the unit itself. Let them know that you will provide a clean litter box and appropriate surfaces for your cat to scratch on.
  3. Let them know that your cats are spayed/neutered. Explain that spaying/neutering eliminates undesirable cat behaviors that may concern them, such as meowing, marking territory with urine and feces, fighting, and attracting strays to the area. Let them know that these behaviors are typical of intact animals and that theirs have been corrected.
  4. assure them that your cat will be in a carrier or on a leash whenever you are in a public area. Animals running loose can be dangerous and nuisance. Assure them that their cat will be under control at all times.
  5. Explain what declawing is and that it often results in other undesirable behavior. Many people don’t understand what declawing is and have no idea that it can result in even more undesirable behavior, like urinating outside the litter box. Make it clear that declawing is unnecessary and cruel and that if they are worried about the cat scratching them, there are alternatives, such as Softpaws. [http://www.softpaws.com/]that I would be willing to use.
  6. Please provide documentation to support your claims. Please provide supporting evidence from reliable sources to back up what you are saying. Best Friends Network offers many great resources for renters who need to remove their nails: http://network.bestfriends.org/celebrateclawsnotdeclaw/news/16849.html. If your landlord requires declawing, talk to your vet; they may be able to provide you with a document or letter that supports your position against declawing.
  7. Offer to pay additional security deposit. Reassure them that while your cat is trained and you don’t expect it to destroy anything, if the cat damages anything in the unit, you will take responsibility for repairing or replacing it. Show that you are serious by offering to pay a higher security deposit.
  8. Remind them that a responsible renter is a responsible renter, and by the same token, an irresponsible renter will cause problems even without pets. Your rental agreement should already cover problem tenants, such as those who cause excessive noise, disruption, or property damage.
  9. Offer to provide recommendations on writing a rental policy that allows pets but protects your building and other tenants. If you can do some of the legwork for them, saving them time and effort, they may be more willing to make changes.

 

your last resort

If your landlord is unwilling to listen or work with you and insists that you get rid of your pets or have them declawed, then you have a difficult decision to make. It may be time to consider moving to a pet-friendly home, or if that’s not feasible, you may need to rehouse your pets. I don’t think declawing your cat is an acceptable compromise.

Ideally, you’ll be able to find a new place that allows pets on your lease. Otherwise, properties owned by individuals may provide more flexibility than large rental companies when it comes to pet policies; At the very least, it may be easier for you to gain access to someone who has the power to make that decision.

If moving isn’t an option and you need to relocate your pets, do your best to find a new home yourself, rather than leave your cat in a shelter. All shelters have a large number of cats and very few adopters, and your cat is at risk of being in a cage for an extended period of time or being euthanized if not adopted quickly. Use all the resources at your disposal: friends and family, community billboards, Freecycle (if your local listing allows it), and Craigslist. You will feel much better knowing that your cat will go to a home instead of a cage and you will have a say in the type of home your cat will go to.

Contact your local governing body that handles landlord and tenant laws and enforce them to create statutes that protect pet owners without compromising the safety and integrity of owners’ properties.

Through responsible pet ownership and proactively promoting understanding through education, we can encourage landlords to establish reasonable rental rules and decrease discrimination against pet owners.

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