Prescription pets, it's getting out of hand now.

originally posted by: Grimpachi
I can understand the animosity for being scammed, however through life I have rented places and paid the outrageous pet fees. I call them fees because you never get them back even if the place says it is a deposit. So in my opinion many places (maybe not yours) this is a case of the scammers getting scammed back.

Well considering the investment in property and damage animals can do to it ... I'd say that there is some justification for charging money on pets as extras. You are under no obligation to have a pet.

a reply to: WeRpeons

It's not just students...

You claim outrageous rents, and perhaps they are, perhaps they are not.

I manage a small community and I can tell you that our expenses and the mortgage eats up practically all the rental income.

Don't believe me? Call a commercial real estate company and pass yourself off as a potential buyer of a multifamily apartment complex. Check out what an apartment complex sells for. And then understand that every day complexes go bankrupt due to mismanagment, dumb owners and any of a hundred other reasons.

Just because you own an apartment complex does not mean it is profitable..... When buying a complex one must use "caveat emptor"... buyer beware. There is a reason an apartment complex is up for sale. Damn sure isn't that it is producing gold for the owner and he is just tired of getting filthy rich lol

I know, I know.... this doesnt fit in with the view that landlords are ugly, trollish, ignorant rich bahstahds making money hand over fist. There are perceptions and there is truth.

Some landlords will buy a property and let it go to hell draining every dollar they possibly can and then will sell the property. Some landlords will buy a distressed property and put some money into it and hope (HOPE!) they can turn it around into a profit maker.

Add in crap residents (the manager's responsibility to weed out as many as possible) and you wind up with stupid expenses to turn an apartment which will eventually turn into increases in rent.

I wont even discuss taxes and insurance.....

I am very careful about renting to students... very very careful. They are a pain in the butt, normally.

a reply to: baddmove

I'm sorry, baddmove...I'm still laughing at the phrase 'service cat'...lol...

I serve MY cat, not the other way around.
Yes, she is company...but she is also the boss. Even affection is on her terms.

But...in a strange way...she does improve my mood. She is someone to nurture and care for...a reason for me to be strong (because she depends on me for almost everything).
Maybe college kids away from home for the first time need someone to keep them strong? (or am I in la-la land? and completely unqualified to boot!)

It's an interesting thread.
Where I live, the Landlord & Tenants Act states that a "no pets clause" is invalid and not legally enforced...if it's written into a lease agreement.

In my building, management asks for a 2-pet/household limit. Everyone abides by this.
I want to sneak another cat in, but I didn't say that.

jacygirl

a reply to: ketsuko


Damn skippy ... try having to replace a floor because it has been peed on for a couple of years. There is no way the pet deposit and the security deposit combined can cover that. As far as collecting after someone leaves the community? Far, far from being a sure thing.

lol I heard about one family that took off the cabinet doors, tacked in some mesh and kept chickens.... try recovering that expense.

There are many levels of animals who assist people. There are "Emotional Support"
animals, "Therapy" animals & "Service Animals". The emotional support & therapy
animals DO NOT have the same rights as a service animal.

I have a Service Border Collie, she does have every right to be with me at
all times, whether a hotel, airplane, & living with me. If you saw me you
would not know I am disabled. My disability is based on more than one
condition. I had a bad reaction to a prescription med that started
major anxiety & panic attacks that were debilitating to the point I even
became agoraphobic. I never had any of that before. I do have a history
in my medical record.
I refuse to try any meds after all I've been through. Because of my service
dog I can now get out, go to the market & take better care of meself.

My dog reads when my anxiety is getting very high & she has a job to do
That is listed on the Federal gov site. She also reminds me to take meds.

So you see she is ALWAYS with me. I am in the process of moving & the
manager was already aware of the laws & I did not have to educate him.

Here's a good website that explains it all in detail.
blog.seattlepi.com...

TextThe Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990, (ADA), defines service animal as: “any animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.” The ADA defines a disability as: “a mental or physical condition which substantially limits a major life activity such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working.”

TextTo be considered a service animal, the animal must be trained to perform tasks directly related to the person’s disability. “Comforting” or “giving love”, although clinically proven to be beneficial for people, is not acknowledged as a trained “task” by the Department of Justice, which enforces the ADA.

It is against the law to ever be charged for a service animal. However the
therapy & emotional support animals do not follow under the same category.

I hope that helps.

Cheers
Ektar

a reply to: bbracken677

That has always been a rule for subsidized housing for example section 8 or landlord approved housing choice grants. If you commit a felony while receiving subsidy even without a conviction you lose said grant immediately and can be evicted on a 72 hour notice.

a reply to: wondering5740

Yep...that is likely gonna change. Read up about "Disparate Impact".

a reply to: Ektar

With regards to rental/housing ... it's not so cut and dried. I have done quite a bit of research on the subject, and you do not even have to have special training for an "emotional support" animal.

A) You cannot ask about the disability/condition.
B) You can ask what function the animal will perform but that is it.
C) You cannot charge a pet deposit...you cannot ask for one once you have been informed it is a service animal, regardless of whether it is emotional support or not.
D) Special training of the animal is not required, merely the designation by the tenant
E) You may ask for a document from a licensed mental health professional which corroborates the need

Other than the above A through E, you are screwed as a landlord/manager regardless of what your rules are.

a reply to: bbracken677

Did you read what I wrote or visit the site? There is a HUGE difference
between Service, therapy & emotional support. They DO NOT have the
same rights...they cannot be in a hotel for free, cannot fly for free &
right there with the owner, & they don't have the same housing rights.

Yes it is a shame that many people are claiming rights they don't have
because it hurts those of us who need our partner. They are finally making
changes now due to this problem & you will be able to ask. I don't
mind when people ask me because it gives me a chance to educate them.

That "it's against the law to ask" is a way of people taking advantage
around the law. Bloody hell you can buy all kinds of crap on the internet
to make your dog look official.
So this is a new law coming into place. My friend Psychologist & her husband
Psychiatrist just recently told me this 2 wks ago.

Cheers
Ektar

originally posted by: bbracken677
a reply to: Ektar

With regards to rental/housing ... it's not so cut and dried. I have done quite a bit of research on the subject, and you do not even have to have special training for an "emotional support" animal.

A) You cannot ask about the disability/condition.
B) You can ask what function the animal will perform but that is it.
C) You cannot charge a pet deposit...you cannot ask for one once you have been informed it is a service animal, regardless of whether it is emotional support or not.
D) Special training of the animal is not required, merely the designation by the tenant
E) You may ask for a document from a licensed mental health professional which corroborates the need

Other than the above A through E, you are screwed as a landlord/manager regardless of what your rules are.

Thanks for sharing that. It's kind of my point here. These kids are basically just breaking the rules because they are spoiled rich kids away from home and they want to have their pet with them, simple as that. They do not care about damage as mom and dad will pay for it. like I said earlier, there is nothing wrong with these kids, they just want to get their way because we as a company said "no' to them so they are doing the old " we'll show you" AND they are getting away with it too.. it's just going to get worse now that the word is out you can get a "script" for your pet...Outdoor service cat, remember you heard it here first..

a reply to: bbracken677

I do have a letter from my physician. I carry one in my truck
& keep a copy in my house.

I did have to pay a one time non-refundable $200 for me cat,
but nothing for my dog.. They also just finished laying new pergo
for me...much better than carpet. If I have to go do something
quick & for some reason do not take my dog, she's crate trained
& she goes in there until I return. It is rare but we do other things
so she's to traveling in one too.

Cheers
Ektar

a reply to: Ektar

I was taking my research from State resources and Federal housing as well. Not some seattle blog. This is Texas...the laws are a bit different in each state so you check state law first, then you check federal. This is not my first rodeo.

I get what you are saying, and I read that very same thing on one of the fed pages...and then further down it outlined WHAT YOU, AS A LANDLORD, CAN DO AND CANNOT DO.

I think I covered it in my previous post.

You are right, your animal is justified and can accompany you anywhere. Not the case with an emotional support animal.

a reply to: Ektar

I know there are all kinds of laws, but I also know that there are all kinds of regulations in place that were put there to protect people from discrimination. The issue is that because of the way the regs are worded they are very, very easy to abuse and automatically assume the property owner is the bad guy.

Property managers/landlords are NOT required to make a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act for ESAs or Service Animals in these cases:

Buildings with 4 or less units where the landlord occupies one of the units
Single family housing sold or rented without a real estate broker
Hotels and Motels are not considered dwellings under the FHA but are considered places of public accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act
Private Clubs

www.nsarco.com...

Note that a multifamily rental community of say, 50 or a hundred or more units, by definition, DO have to make "reasonable" accomodations. ESA is an emotional support animal.

a reply to: baddmove

Special Training is required of a Service Animal. They have to be
able to perform there job, a real task, not just being petted.
That is an emotional support & is NOT the same.
I hope you read the info & checked out the website I provided
for you. It breaks it all down.

Cheers
Ektar

I have been signing petitions over the past 2 yrs to put a stop
to people taking advantage of the disabled.

a reply to: bbracken677

Yes I'm glad you saw that...my service animal does perform tasks
for me that are listed on the Fed site. I am also disabled.

I tried to find there regular website "Delta Society" as they were
the go to place for people like me & that is where I started.
I'm in VA...I thought all the Fed laws would be the same...?

I can totally understand where you guys are coming from & it
really sucks that people are taking advantage of both of us.

I hope the new law goes into effect soon as we will all benefit.

Cheers
Ektar

a reply to: Ektar

Here is from HUD:

HUD

The FflAct and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) implementing regulations prohibit discrimination because of disability and apply regardless of the presence of Federal Financial assistance. Section 504 and HUD's Section 504 regulations apply a similar prohibition on disability discrimination to all recipients of financial assistance from HUD. The reasonable accommodation provisions of both laws must be considered in situations where persons with disabilities use (or seek to use) assistance animals4in housing where the provider forbids residents from having pets or otherwise imposes restrictions or conditions relating to pets and other animals.
An assistance animal is not a pet. It is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person's disability. Assistance animals perform many disability-related functions, including but not limited to, guiding individuals who are blind or have low vision, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds, providing protection or rescue assistance, pulling a wheelchair, fetching items, alerting persons to impending seizures, or providing emotional support to persons with disabilities who have a disability-related need for such support. For purposes of reasonable accommodation requests, neither the FHAct nor Section 504 requires an assistance animal to be individually trained or certified.5While dogs are the most common type of assistance animal, other animals can also be assistance animals.

a reply to: Ektar


The problem with the Fed, particularly housing, is that they will say and do one thing, and then on another page say something directly opposite.... quite confusing.

If one is smart, one complies with all aspects no matter how conflicting (if that is even possible) to avoid being dragged into court.

One also refers to state laws, particularly when the Fed remarks are confusing.... Chances are the state laws will be stated more clearly. If you are good with the State, then more than likely you are good with the Fed. Normally....lol

a reply to: Ektar

What new law?

It sounds like some smart college students found a loop hole and are exploiting it to me...