When my husband and I applied for our apartment complex (which allows animals) we put down on our application that we have a dog. However, whenever we signed the lease, he wasn’t added onto it but we didn’t notice because we were moving last minute and the apartment manager gave us our keys right before the office closed for the weekend. Now, two months later, we are getting evicted because of our dog. If we put it on the application that we had a pet but they didn’t add it to the lease.. could I fight it? I could pay the deposits and everything today but they won’t even listen to me and keep saying we’ve had “piles of complaints” but we NEVER received any notice of complaint...
I live in WA state by the way. And yes, the lease does say you can be evicted for unauthorized pets.
Answers & Comments
You must receive the complaints in writing from the management. Yes you can fight this one. Go to a tenant/landlord attorney. I can tell you almost anything in answers. But an attorney can give you more detailed of the tenant laws.
You signed the lease, there its nothing to fight.
Even if your dog was added to the lease, you apparently have a dog which does NOT behave. If that is the case, on the lease or NOT, your dog has to go. Start looking for a different place, or start looking to rehome your dog.
You have an unauthorized pet - cause for eviction. It is YOUR responsibility to put your dog - everyone on the lease that is going to occupy the premises. Pay more attention to what you are signing. An application is a request to rent. It is not a contract. The lease is the contract to rent.
Kinda a bummer but if you took this to court the judge is going to see the lease where the dog isn't mentioned, going to ask the landlord if the dog was ever mentioned and the landlord will say no, or not to my knowledge, and its pretty much your word against his but his word is backed up with something in writing that he can produce and thus he is going to win.
Perhaps a better way of putting this is that unless you can prove the dog was on the application then you have no shot.
Also many (most?) places that allow pets won't allow all pets and likely won't allow big dogs, so how big is your dog. If the lessor had gotten their act together and realized that you had a big dog (if, in fact, you do) then maybe he wouldn't have leased you the place. Assuming everything you say is true this is maybe half your fault though I get that you were in a hurry and this could've happened to anyone. Nonetheless you need to move ASAP.
Are you being evicted for HAVING a dog or for all the complaints?
Contact your landlord tenant hot line (they're in the phone book, the white pages).
The document you signed is the legal contract and it seems you were aware it was not on there as you said you didn't pay a pet deposit. You state there has been several complaints about your dog as well as not being on your contract, so 'normally' you would get warned, then given notice to leave, so eviction means you ignored all this and the landlord is forced to file with the court to evict you as only the court can evict
When you didn't pay a pet deposit didn't that seem odd ? ?
Start looking for a new apartment.
There's nothing to fight you signed a lease without reading it .