New law passed regarding potential tenants with cats and dogs

[Zilla]

Originally Posted by marie73

I think landlords DO have the right to say no pets. It's their property, and I've seen first hand the conditions bad pet owners have left places in.

Those are the people who ruin it for the rest of us...... Can't stand it. And I think the people who say no pets on their property are those kids who didn't have a single pet as a child


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[marie73]

The people who lived across from me not only left all their cats outside to fend for themselves when they moved, the house had to be torn apart - floorboards, carpeting, wood flooring. I stopped by in the middle of the repairs and the stench pushed me back out of the front door. And I have to give the owners credit, they still allow cats and dogs in their rentals. To be honest, I'm not sure I would have if it was me.

[doodlebug]

I have a friend who I met volunteering at the local shelter, she fosters for a Sato rescue group and will do just about anything to help out an animal in need. And...she's a landlord. She's a savvy business person and understands that no matter how much she loves animals, it's the people that are the problem. So she has a size limit on dogs (30 lbs, I think) and she must meet the dog to see how the owner interacts with it (is it trained, does it listen or is it running wild?). If I recall correctly, she doesn't allow cats at all due some bad experiences.

Property owners have to protect their investment, it doesn't mean they hate animals...it just means that they are cautious of poor owners.

[Susan]

Originally Posted by 3furbabies

There's a new law in Ontario... I don't have links but read it on the news where landlords can't refuse to rent to you if you have a pet. So basically anyone renting an apartment can rent anywhere. If a landlord says no you can go to the tenant board or whatever and make a complaint. Also if you move in have no pets but the next day bring home 4 cats, they can't say boo about it.

This is not a new law, and whatever you read is not entirely correct. In Ontario, "No Pets" clauses are not legally enforceable. What that means is a landlord CAN refuse to rent to you if you have a pet, but the landlord can't later evict you for having a pet, even if you signed a lease with a "No Pets" clause...because, as I said above, such a clause is not legally enforceable in Ontario.

There are a few exceptions though. The landlord can evict you if your pet is making too much noise, if the pet is damaging the unit, or if the pet is causing an allergic reaction. In each case, you're not being evicted simply because you own a pet. Rather, you're being evicted because of the noise/damage/etc. In such cases, the landlord would have to provide evidence of the noise/damage/etc. The landlord can also evict you if the animal you're keeping as a pet is viewed as "inherently dangerous". So, if your pet were a tiger or a lion, you'd find yourself out on the street!

[cinderflower]

Originally Posted by Zilla

I'm also interested in what the heck is devocalize??

they do something to a dog's vocal chords that make it barkless. i don't think there's a similar surgery for cats.

I'm gonna open an apartment complex that doesn't allow children and see how people feel. No offense but I think kids are more damaging to properties then some pets are! Haha are you talking Ontario as in Canada?? Or Ontario CA??

there already are plenty of apartment buildings with no children allowed. i lived in one for years, then i bought a loft downtown and i have never seen a child in this building. of course, downtown is not the place to raise a child anyway, but i don't know if there is a building covenant against it. i know there is one against dogs of any size. people are made to get rid of their dogs all the time. they always think they'll be able to sneak one in and they always get caught. it's the noise of a barking dog left alone all day that's the problem. or at night, keeping people awake.

Originally Posted by marie73

I think landlords DO have the right to say no pets. It's their property, and I've seen first hand the conditions bad pet owners have left places in.

absolutely. my father had a few rental properties and he had to rip up the hardwood floors of one. it was unbelievable. the woman also had children and they rode a bicycle in the house and shot some windows out with a bb gun. after that, he refused to rent to families with children or pets. there is no law that says you can't refuse to allow anything you feel like banning if you're renting a house that you own.

the only places that cannot discriminate against anything are government-subsidized homes that adhere to the fair public housing act. and even then, they can refuse to rent to anyone with a criminal record.

[CJinCA]

the only places that cannot discriminate against anything are government-subsidized homes that adhere to the fair public housing act. and even then, they can refuse to rent to anyone with a criminal record.

Not sure where you live, but in the U.S., this is not the case. No landlord can discriminate based on race, age, children, and some other things. When I was in college, there were adults only apt complexes, but by the time I graduated, they all had to allow children. There must be some kind of exception for senior centers though, there are several of them around here.

That being said, landlords who insist on deforming your pet so you can rent from them is just barbaric and wrong and should be banned everywhere. Actually, declawing should be banned.

[Zilla]

Manipulate a dogs vocal chords so they can't bark??! That's absolutely horrible and I've never heard anything like it!! WHO on earth would do that??!!


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[kayla baxter]

Originally Posted by Zilla

Manipulate a dogs vocal chords so they can't bark??! That's absolutely horrible and I've never heard anything like it!! WHO on earth would do that??!!


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What baffles me is that in my province ear cropping, tail docking and dew claw removal is banned, but not declawing or debarking. So anything deemed cosmetic is awful but amputation and devocalization because the owner can't be bothered to train their animal is perfectly okay...
Last time I checked my dogs didn't come out of their crop surgery and have to walk on their ears...

It's next to impossible to find housing here with pets. The only reason we found a place that would accept the Danes was because I'm a certified trainer and my dogs are extensively trained. Honestly, the three cats are louder and have caused more damage to our home than the Danes, and one of them is a puppy.


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[cinderflower]

Originally Posted by CJinCA

Not sure where you live, but in the U.S., this is not the case. No landlord can discriminate based on race, age, children, and some other things. When I was in college, there were adults only apt complexes, but by the time I graduated, they all had to allow children. There must be some kind of exception for senior centers though, there are several of them around here.

actually, you're right. years ago you could refuse to rent to someone with pets or kids. and even though i lived in an adults-only community, there was probably no clause in the lease that prohibited children. there were six different 11-story buildings in the complex and children may have lived in a different area. or, because of its proximity to downtown, people with children may have just preferred live somewhere else. i think legally, the only age-limit allowed on rentals is a senior community. some people have complained, but i also live in a smoke-free building. it's legal to prohibit cigarette smoke in colorado even in private dwellings since 2006. however, since amendment 64 passed, i often smell a different kind of smoke in the elevators.

it's illegal to discriminate, but landlords often find other reasons to discourage tenants they don't really want. a bad credit check is one of those ways.

i agree, mutilating animals for a lease stipulation is abominable.

[Mitts & Tess]

Originally Posted by Zilla

Manipulate a dogs vocal chords so they can't bark??! That's absolutely horrible and I've never heard anything like it!! WHO on earth would do that??!!


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Ahhh try a lot of AKC dog breeders. I good friend of mine does this to all the dogs she breeds. Weve agreed to disagree on this subject.

My vet refuses to declaw cats and doc tails or ears on dogs. Dog which have been debarked, bark with a very hoarse windy light bark. It hurts me just to hear it.