• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Convincing your landlord...

Greeling

Greeling

New member
so i have reached that wonderful point in life where i must leave the nest, mostly things are working out, except for one little detail... many apartment complexes in my area (of future residance) consider snakes an exotic animal and therefore cannot be kept. i have addressed all the major concerns (smell, escape, size, ect.) yet they won't budge on the issue.

i really need to take them with me because no one i know will properly care for them in my absence.

is there anyway to get around the rule without posible eviction? :duck:
 
Dont mention you have them, if they ask, of course you shouldnt lie, but if they dont ask then dont tell, they dont stink or make noise.. so noone will know you have them aslong as you arent walking around flaunting them!
 
but thats dishonest!
besides what happens when they have to do surprise mantinace or something?
 
Depending on the laws in your area, managers must give 24 notice before entering your apartment. If you want to get around the "exotic" issue, with only a little white lie, ask if you can have aquariums. They don't need to know what's in it. If they specifically list snakes in the rental agreement (and ASK to see a copy of it because many will lie to you about what you can and can't do), then I would keep looking. Keep calling around, maybe you can even find a room to rent in a house where they are ok with snakes. I'd bet if you read through some of those leases, they don't distinctly list snakes, just exotics. Find out what the laws are in your area for the legal definition of "exotic" and if it doesn't clearly state the snakes you own, show it to them. Maybe they are just being ignorant.
 
There isn't much you can do to get around this. Its a property rule and you will have to follow it. Like the rule of no cats or dogs or anything like that. I would wait and just move to a new place that does allow snakes when you move out. Also be aware of your City laws as well. Where I live there is a restriction of snakes of 8 feet and above.
 
My lease does not mention reptiles... only cats and dogs. So I'm not technically breaking their rules. As for the maintenance. They are on a shelf that can be covered when I call or they call me to get permission to come in. As was mentioned, here they are required to give you 24 hr notice before coming inside.

In Arizona, the places didn't consider birds, fish or small rodents (hamsters/gerbils) pets. My assumption was because they didn't cause damage that a dog or cat would. I think they were thinking of parakeets and not Macaws :D
 
I have never seen an apartment ad that said "NO EXOTICS". If it says no pets I just assume they mean cats and dogs which is usually true. And if they happen to notice that I have snakes then I will just say that I wasn't aware of that rule. In any case I have hidden plenty of pets from my landlords, including the RA of my dorm who did room checks all the time (thats why you should keep piles of dirty clothes around, or at least thats the reason I give people :)).
 
To some extent, the reason the no pet clause goes into leases is to protect the property owner from the damage pets cause. (Carpet replacement after every tenant ain't cheap.) Also the noise from dogs barking can get on other tenant's nerves.

I don't believe that I've ever seen a lease which specifically mentions reptiles--although I guess exotics legally could fall under that.

When I've looked for apts, I try to set up a time to visit, ask about the deposits, see the place, etc. Then tell the landlord that you want to be upfront with them, that you have snakes in aquariums--they won't know really what a vivarium is. No smell, no noise, etc.

SOmetimes the landlord will be OK, sometimes they won't. But I wouldn't offer the information in the first phone conversation. It's too easy for the owner to just say no and go on to the next person.

Once you are face to face, if you get some resistance, you can try upping the security deposit by half. (you'll get it back in the end, and it shows good faith that you dont' want the snake to damage the property.) That's how we got our Australian Shepherd into a no dogs apartment.

Good luck.

SaulsMom
 
Speaking as a land lord, if any of my tenants violate my lease in any way (or I catch them lieing about it) they will be evicted immediately. There is a reason why pets are not allowed, no tenant has the right to ignore a land lords rules when they do not own the property. The property is not that of the tenants, the tenant is simply paying for its use.

If you wish to do as you please, buy your own place.

I do not permit dogs or cats in my rental property. This is because of two illresponsible tenants who cost me $5,000 in repairs due to there negligence. Anything caged I am fine with (my current tenants have a ball python).
 
Read the lease agreement carefully, exotics can mean anything, any animal not native to your state even. offer to show the landlord the animal, and the enclosure it will be kept in.
and there is no reason to risk eviction for your pets. moving is expensive! talk to the landlord, be honest. it was hard for me to find a place to rent with all the animals i have....try finding a place to rent with 4 dogs! but i did. and it's actually a great place and i have an awesome landlord. i also have an airtight lease that lists EXACTLY what the pet policy is. I am allowed to have reptiles, dogs, cats, fish, and rodents. i dont have birds, so i did not even bother asking to add them in...
the main reason landlords ban snakes is for one reason....snakes can escape! and can cause damage especially if they find their way into the walls and plumbing. and also, it really is not cool for a landlord to find "Fluffy" long after a tenant has vacated......
the shelter has had to pick up stray snakes or illegal snakes from tenants, usually the snake is big, and/or has not been properly housed. and i've taken in snakes from people who tried to get them by their landlord and nearly got evicted for being dishonest. the landlord even stated "if you had only ASKED before you signed the lease I MAY have considered it!" it's the principle of it all too. who knows what else that tenant may lie about next...how many people they have living there, any other animals they may try to sneak in...etc.
and there's also the issue of what snakes eat. some people feed their snakes live rodents that also can escape or they dont clean up after the rodents and THEY STINK! rodents are messy critters. i have a hamster and oh man, i have to clean his enclosure at least once a week if i fall behind, he can reek!
and it does suck, but it only takes one irresponsible tenant to burn a landlord and ruin for the rest of us responsible people. i've talked to landlords who used to allow pets but would not allow it again because of all the costs they incurred in repairing the damages from the previous irresponsible tenant. I actually got very lucky, my current landlord did get burned by a previous tenant who owned a dog that tore up the place...i talked to them, they met my dogs and other animals and with an awesome reference from my previous landlord they allowed me to rent from them. They were so impressed with the care of my animals and of their property that they asked me to renew my lease for another 16 months! I did. Even though they got burned, they still were willing to give me a chance. It did take some work on my part though to prove they could trust me.
It will take some work, but you might get lucky and find a place that will allow your pets.
 
thanks so much guys! this was a huge help, and don't worry i had no intention of sneaking anything past the management, more trouble then it's worth, besides i have issues with not being up front. but i will wait to mention it till after i've shown i'd be a good sell lol the extra deposit seems like a good idea too ^__^
 
i've always offered to pay a little extra in deposit or fee. when i asked if it would be ok to foster puppies, i offered to pay an additional $100 once, since puppies can do some damage....but the landlord said "don't worry about it." i also offered to pay to have the carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year. i actually have it done every 6 months at least for my own piece of mind. And 4 dogs are rough on a carpet. they are housebroken, but it's the high traffic, muddy paws that are an issue.
 
Actually, its not due to damage that they do not allow snakes. I once was going to lease from a place but the landlord said NO Snakes. And many places have a stiplation on the size of snakes as well. So you have to ask about this.
The reason the one apartment said no snakes was that one day he was cleaning an apartment that kept a snake. The snake got away. He was was working underneath the kitchen sink and was attacked by a boa. After that, he said no more snakes. And I know many apartments have this rule as well for the same reason.
It may not be in the lease but it may be in the complex rules. So you need to ask these questions.
 
yeah that can't be any fun...finding a boa and then getting bit by it.
and tricksterpup is right, check with the complex's rules as well.
i know people who've had to get rid of their pets because the resident manager says "oh it's ok" and there's a verbal agreement between you and the manager, then that manager leaves and another manager takes their place and is a little more strict about enforcing the complex's rules....next thing you know, you've got a notice tacked to your front door telling you to get rid of your pet, that you are in violation of such and such rule....and there is nothing you can do about it. the complex's rules can override whatever your lease says. it's all complicated....
be careful if you look at a sub-lease or if you're looking at ads seeking a roommate....the roommates may be cool with the pets, but their landlord may not be. make sure you speak with the property owner/landlord.
i almost made that mistake, i was in college and i had a cat...a small orange tabby kitten. anyway i needed a place to rent for a semester, i found an ad in the classifieds from someone looking for a roommate. i called and told the roommate that i had a cat. he said "no problem!" i thought it was cool, but then i had the sense to ask about speaking to the landlord and getting on a lease, the landlord said "no pets no way!" completely conflicting with what the roommate had told me. it happens...some people just want a roommate quick to help pay the rent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top