Luckily, many tenants and landlords share the same perspective: a beloved pet is considered part of the family. However, landlords have invested lots of time and money into maintaining their property, and it’s up to you, the tenant, to prove that you and your pet can be entrusted with their property.
Past horror stories include landlords spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to repair damage caused by tenants’ pets – from scratched and damaged doors and baseboards to urine-soaked carpeting, not to mention dealing with complaints from other tenants about pet noise like barking (and even chirping from birds), to smells, messes, and general bad pet behaviour.
So, during your apartment hunt, it will help to keep in mind a ‘win-win’ scenario: your landlord is looking for a reliable, solvent, considerate, mature tenant – which describes the majority of responsible pet owners – and you’re looking for a pet-friendly, clean, quiet and well-maintained home. If you focus on that goal and put yourself in your landlord’s shoes, your odds of successfully finding pet-friendly accommodation will increase.
One of the best things you can do is be up front with a potential landlord, and bring your pet along when you view the rental home, especially if it’s a dog. Get references from your last couple of landlords, since an endorsement of your pet’s good behaviour can go a long way to opening the door to a new home.
Proof of your pet’s medical care and good behaviour doesn’t hurt. By providing relevant paperwork, your potential landlord will see that you are a responsible pet owner. Show proof that your pet has been spayed or neutered, recently vaccinated, and note any obedience or socialization classes.
The documentation, along with meeting and observing your pet in person, should help your landlord feel confident about renting to you. As a show of good faith, you can also offer to pay a refundable damage deposit of not more than half the rent – just be sure to get it all in writing and get a separate receipt.
Legally speaking, tenancy law around pets are similar from province to province. When you see common rental ad lingo like “No Smoking/No Pets,” Canada Mortgage and Housing Association website shows, for example, that Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act states that “A landlord cannot evict a tenant because they have a pet in violation of a "no pets" clause in the lease. The RTA does not address smoking. However, a landlord may have grounds to evict a tenant, either for having a pet or for smoking, if the pet or smoke damages the property or bothers other tenants.”
Typically, if a tenant has a pet even though the lease says ‘no pets allowed,’ the landlord cannot legally evict tenants just for having a pet. However, if the pet is making too much noise, damaging the unit, causing an allergic reaction, or the animal or species is considered to be inherently dangerous then the landlord can apply to evict a tenant.
Pet owners make good long-term tenants, and if we put ourselves in the landlord’s shoes, we can help make it easy to show ourselves as the attractive tenants that we are.
Do you have any stories and tips about finding rental accommodation with a pet? Or perhaps you’re a landlord who has a few pointers to give to prospective tenants?