what should I do if I have cats in a no-pet building?

I just bought a condo and moved in last week, and I brought my cats in a pet carrier into the building the other night, i didnt think they would take it so seriously, but the security saw i was carrying a cat, and said this is a no pet building.. no pets are allowed inside. and the next day, they sent me a letter asking me to write them a letter to confirm that the pet is removed permanetly from my unit.

I am planning to write them a letter saying that the pet is not in my unit anymore, but i am still gonna keep the cat in my place. I am wondering will they stop bugging me if I provide them that letter, or will they keep investigating about this issue?
and what will happen if they accidentally found out I still have the pet later on?

if someone had the same expeirence, please share with me!
thanx
Emily

They will not leave you alone now.
That is why we did not buy a Condo because of all the bs with the pets.Did you know it was no pets when you bought the condo?
I reaseached and the ones here only allowed two cats so we got a house.
They will watch for your cats and may want to inspect the place to see if they are they.
My brother is allowed 1 cat and a dog and has the rest hidden.
He boards the others at the vet when they have inspections.

Originally Posted by mews2much

They will not leave you alone now.
That is why we did not buy a Condo because of all the bs with the pets.Did you know it was no pets when you bought the condo?
I reaseached and the ones here only allowed two cats so we got a house.
They will watch for your cats and may want to inspect the place to see if they are they.
My brother is allowed 1 cat and a dog and has the rest hidden.
He boards the others at the vet when they have inspections.

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I feel so stuipid to walk in the front door with a pet carrier that day. I didnt realized they would be so serious with this issue. now I am on their black list.
but I will never give up the cats, so i have to hide them when they want to inspect. but they are not allowed in my unit unless they give me 24 hrs notice ahead.

Well, first I would check what your written agreement states. Even though it s no pets allowed, there may be loopholes and find out what happens if they catch you. Will they just demand you get rid of cats, or evict you?The last house I lived in did not allow big scary dogs (and my roomate had two) so every time they wanted to inspect the property she would just take them away til they left. No one ever knew. But a house is way easier to do that kind of thing. Plus youd have to hid all the cats many things.What a messy situation for you! Hope it works out.

gosh I didn't know that there was so many rules when you own a condo. I wouldn't think that they could come in your home and inspect!

Many years ago I was going through a divorce and getting back up on my feet. I got a good job in Colorado Springs and at the time had 4 cats. I lived up in Manitou Springs and was only supposed to have 1 cat in my apt. I always paid my rent early and hoped I didn't get caught. One time the owner was refinancing the buildings and there was a walk thru. I had to hide the cats in carriers in my closet. It worked for the short time they were there.

Cats love to get in windows and they will see them then.

First you need to READ the contract you signed when you got the condo. If it says no pets, then you have to abide by it since you signed it saying you agreed to the rules.

If that's the case, you cannot "hide" your pets - you will be found out and fined or told to move out. That's one of the biggest reasons NOT to get a condo unless you are sure you can have pets.

Is there any buildings in the complex where pets are allowed that you can "trade"?

This goes for apartments or houses you rent - read the fine print concerning animals.

I would be miserable if I had to hid my cats.
They love to sit in the window and watch the world go by.

You must have invested money into the down payment of your condo...
that is major.
I would seek the help of a competent attorney to find out what your legal rights are.

Please, don't leave the security of your cats to chance.

Let's put it this way.

Hiding the cats is no longer an option. They KNOW you've brought a cat into the condo and will be looking for them when they come to inspect. They will also look for anything that signals the cat's still around (food, litter, boxes, beds, toys, smell, etc). All of that can be used to fine you for cleaning or evict you.

If you knew the no-pet clause was in the lease and you've signed it you are bound to that contract. You have the choice to either buy out and move or wait to be evicted (marring your renters reputation). If the lease says nothing about pets you may have a leg to stand on.

Never assume something a landlord says 'isn't serious'. They mean it or it wouldn't be there. And if you had a verbal agreement with them that you could keep the cats you'd need it in writing for it to have any weight.

Originally Posted by Forensic

Let's put it this way.

Hiding the cats is no longer an option. They KNOW you've brought a cat into the condo and will be looking for them when they come to inspect. They will also look for anything that signals the cat's still around (food, litter, boxes, beds, toys, smell, etc). All of that can be used to fine you for cleaning or evict you.

If you knew the no-pet clause was in the lease and you've signed it you are bound to that contract. You have the choice to either buy out and move or wait to be evicted (marring your renters reputation). If the lease says nothing about pets you may have a leg to stand on.

Never assume something a landlord says 'isn't serious'. They mean it or it wouldn't be there. And if you had a verbal agreement with them that you could keep the cats you'd need it in writing for it to have any weight.

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Forensic - She bought the condo - she's not leasing so a whole different set of rules may apply.

I agree with the poster that suggests you see a lawyer and have him go over your sales agreement with you to see if you have any options.

I personally have never known a condo corporation that was allowed to say you could not have pets. If you buy a place, unless you are destroying things and not keeping appearances up, I cannot see how they can possibly dictate no pets.

I was under the impression that condos are like buying with all the bad news of renting, but hopefully I'm wrong.

I dont rent. I actually bought the condo, how can they evict me? they are just the management office of the building.
I bought a second hand condo, so when I signed the agreement for purchase, there is no indication of the no-pet rule, but to be honest, I did know that building was not pet friendly. i thought cats and small animals are ok though.

Originally Posted by Forensic

I was under the impression that condos are like buying with all the bad news of renting, but hopefully I'm wrong.

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Not in my experience, but then I live in Canada and things may be different here. My best friend just bought a condo in a very posh area (condo price around $625,000) and she has a lovely cat. She had no difficulties at all.

My mom lives in a no-pet building, but some people do pay a fine to the condo association and are allowed to keep their pets. Also, in Wisconsin, "psychiatric" service animals are protected under the same laws as other service animials (ie: a seeing eye dog). My Mom has thought about getting her Nero Psych Dr. to say it is necessary for her well being to have a cat.

Originally Posted by emilyasweetie

I dont rent. I actually bought the condo, how can they evict me? they are just the management office of the building.
I bought a second hand condo, so when I signed the agreement for purchase, there is no indication of the no-pet rule, but to be honest, I did know that building was not pet friendly. i thought cats and small animals are ok though.

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I'm no lawyer, but I should think if there is nothing in your sales agreement saying you cannot have pets, I cannot see where they would have a leg to stand on in a court of law, but for heaven's sake don't let them know you knew it was not pet friendly.

In the excitement of signing the papers you might have missed the no pet rule....
on the other hand, maybe they did.

We cannot help you with this serious legal issue.
See a lawyer asap.
You need to know your options.

Originally Posted by xocats

In law ignorance is usually no excuse...
see a lawyer asap.

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Ignorance may not be an excuse but if there is nothing in writing, that could hardly be considered "ignorance". If there was something in the sales agreement in writing that said no pets, then that's a whole different story.

Read your bylaws and rules & regulations, which, honestly, you and your attorney should read before you made your final offer (at least in Illinois, you can obtain copies - it's extremely important that potential owners know what the 'rules' are - I cannot stress this enough - many of the conflicts that may arise are because new owners simply did not review the documents before they proceeded with their purchase).

The management company is acting on behalf of the association as a whole - if your by-laws restrict pets, first you'll get a warning, then a fine, then more and more fines, usually in an increasing amount, in all likelihood. You should have a opportunity to make your case to the board of managers (a group elected by your fellow owners) - but it's very dependent on what is actually in your rules & regulations and bylaws. Again, read your documents - they should give you an idea of how the Association will proceed. And, don't blow off fines - in my state, the association can obtain a lien on your unit until all fines are paid. Guess what, hard to convey title with liens on your unit.

I'm in a pet friendly condo association - we allow two pets per unit - no size or breed restrictions at this point. Currently, all five of the board members are pet owners - I'm one. We'll only get into breed restrictions if the insurance company mandates - so far, our owners have been 'good' pet parents and we've had no incidents of aggressive dogs, etc., which would incur higher insurance premiums - yes, your association buys insurance for all the common elements, etc).

For what it's worth, the association about 1/2 mile from us is not pet friendly - they allow no pets at all. Different strokes for different folks - what's an attraction for a potential buyer in one association may be a deal-breaker for another.

Good luck - butI really suggest you do spend some time regarding your by-laws and rules, and perhaps contact your attorney if something looks ambiguous.

My daughter just put in a bid for a short sale condo...
neighbors in the community have pets but after what happened to you, I am going to warn her to be sure and read all of the paper work before she signs it.

I hope that this works out for you and your cats.

I dont get it, why this can be such a serious issue, as long as I dont let the cats out of my condo, how could they find out about it? how can they inspect me having cats? they cant get in to my place unless I agree ...even they find out about the catz later on, they cant evict me, fine me or sue me or anything, can they?

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Not in my experience, but then I live in Canada and things may be different here. My best friend just bought a condo in a very posh area (condo price around $625,000) and she has a lovely cat. She had no difficulties at all.

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I live in canada as well, was her condo pet friendly?