Rental with 2 pet limit

[anjhest]

I got caught lying about having cats when management entered my apartment WITHOUT TELLING ME! I was totally p*****d off that they entered my home with notice or permission, but technically I was in the wrong for having cats so I couldn't do much. Fortunately, the only cat they saw was Taxi, who was a kitten at the time. Minka & Leo hid under the bed (that's just what they do). So I was able to say, "Well, we just got a kitten. Can we pay a pet deposit now?" and they let us do that.

Another time I got caught because two of my cats were sitting in the window and the landlord saw them.

I think you can try to lie, but you'll eventually get caught. Even if a place says they only allow 2 pets, maybe you can negotiate with them by making the pet deposit non-refundable or something. They want to fill their apartments and have renters, so don't be shy about asking for what you want. You may not get it on the first try, so move on to the next place. I'll bet you can find someone who will work with you.

Good luck!

 

[stonedtwilight]

It's funny because in our lease it states no pets but when I asked my landlord if I could have a cat since the previous owner did I talked him down from 'has to be de-clawed' to 'we'll use claw caps and you can keep our damage deposit if there's something wrong'. Really he was a massive push over. But it really all depends on your landlord and what they'll let you get away with.

 

[laureen227]

in the apartment i had last, before i bought the house, i had 2 cats for a single deposit per special agreement. i just explained when i was renting the place that i was planning on getting a pair of kittens, but that i really couldn't afford 2 deposits. they wrote it into the lease.

 

[shashagirl]

I guess it really does depend on the landlord. Like I said, I use to live in an apartment and I NEVER saw the management or owner. It was a no pet place, but everyone had pets. My neighbor had a St. Bernard, and I had a Golden Retriever ,and they even got together to play in the grass area. My husband always had cats in his place and would put them in a kennel in the closet when the landlord would come over. I don't think he cared because he was a good tenant. The worst the cats ever did was scratch up the couch.

 

[sakura]

We posted an ad on craigslist seeking pet-friendly housing and had quite a few owners contact us. I figured it was easier to let them come to us rather than the other way around. At the time, we had a dog (a labrador puppy) and 2 cats. Some places wouldn't let big dogs live there, or they would only let 2 pets max, or whatever. It was tough, but not impossible. Our pet deposit for each pet was very reasonable also ($200 each, compared to $300 each at most other places in town). We have since acquired a 3rd cat and haven't mentioned it yet...