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HELP!

2K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  icklemiss21 
#1 ·
I live in a building that has 3 apartments. Apartment 1 has 2 dogs. Apartment 2 has 2 cats. I have one new kitten. IT is supposedly a no pets building but since the other 2 apartments have had pets for years I assumed the landlord turned a blind eye. There is NO WAY they cannot know that Apartment 1 has 2 huge, loud dogs. Anyway, today my landlord told me that my kitten has to go because it's NO PETS. The landlord acknowledged that Apartment 1 has 2 dogs but said they're okay.

I am trying to figure out my legal rights. Turns out there is something called "arbitrary enforcement" - my landlord is breakign New York law by allowing some tenants to keep pets and banning me from keeping a pet. You can't have one law for one apartment and another law for the other. Also, under New York law it turns out that if i keep kitten for 3 months without the landlord actually evicting me after that period he CAN'T evict me. Finally, I was diagnosed clinically depressed and my psychologist will confirm that having a pet is extremely helpful to my mental health. Under another law tenants are allowed to keep pets if they help them with certain physical (ie blindness ) or emotional (ie clinical depression) conditions.

In addition to all that I wrote my landlord to offer to pay an extra $100 a month in rent if they let me keep kitten. I hope they'll just go for the extra money.

At first I was going to give kitty up for adoption if my landlord didn't take my offer of money. But now I've decided to fight it. I think I have a pretty good chance of winning my case.

Anyone have any experience of this?
 
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#4 ·
indigosmom said:
Under another law tenants are allowed to keep pets if they help them with certain physical (ie blindness ) or emotional (ie clinical depression) conditions.
I applaud you for recognizing that, I'm not sure I would have even thought about it in your situation. It makes sense, though. It sounds like you are taking the appropriate measures already, the ball is in your landlords court. Wish I could offer some advice to you, it sure doesn't seem fair (or legal for that matter)...the way he is going about enforcing his "rules". Please let us know how it turns out.
 
#7 ·
Maybe the landlord enforced the "no pets" rule after he already had been renting to people with pets and just decided from this point forward no pets except for the 4 pets that are already in the complex.. Either way, I wish you good luck and hopefully you'll be able to keep your kitten!!
 
#12 ·
Heather102180 said:
Maybe the landlord enforced the "no pets" rule after he already had been renting to people with pets and just decided from this point forward no pets except for the 4 pets that are already in the complex.. Either way, I wish you good luck and hopefully you'll be able to keep your kitten!!
Nope the pets rule has been in place since before these other teenants got their pets. The landlord seems to hate cats with a vengeance. They said the dogs are okay "because they're really quiet". Quiet my ass. I can hear them barking like crazy right now and they're two floors down from me.
 
#15 ·
See, this is why I like being in Ontario. In the Tennant Protection act:

"No pet" provisions void

15. A provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals in or about the residential complex is void. 1997, c. 24, s. 15

So landlords aren't actually ALLOWED to have no-pets clauses in Ontario! (Unless for some reason you're not covered under tennant protection, like me, since I live with an owner of the house :? But he doesn't care anyways!)
 
#16 ·
vanillasugar said:
See, this is why I like being in Ontario. In the Tennant Protection act:

"No pet" provisions void

15. A provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals in or about the residential complex is void. 1997, c. 24, s. 15

So landlords aren't actually ALLOWED to have no-pets clauses in Ontario! (Unless for some reason you're not covered under tennant protection, like me, since I live with an owner of the house :? But he doesn't care anyways!)
Ontario is wonderful... *sigh* :luv
 
#17 ·
vanillasugar said:
See, this is why I like being in Ontario. In the Tennant Protection act:

"No pet" provisions void

15. A provision in a tenancy agreement prohibiting the presence of animals in or about the residential complex is void. 1997, c. 24, s. 15

So landlords aren't actually ALLOWED to have no-pets clauses in Ontario! (Unless for some reason you're not covered under tennant protection, like me, since I live with an owner of the house :? But he doesn't care anyways!)
Thanx for that... we found a really nice house in the summer when we were moving and the guy insisted no pets... but I'll remember this when I move again!
 
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