When you've signed a lease with a "No-Pets" clause, you often still have options. If you enjoy having pets, don't automatically rule one out. Many "No-Pet" clauses are for damage prevention and noise reduction only. You may be able to have a pet in a "No-Pet" condo provided it meets certain requirements.
Instructions
1. Read your lease and condo association rules carefully for management's definition of the term "Pet." Often, leases contain terminology indicating animals of a certain size or species such as dogs and cats.
2. Clarify whether goldfish bowls are part of the policy. Under most circumstances, fish are acceptable as pets even under strict "No-Pet" rules.
3. Find out if pets living in glass tanks are accepted. Turtles, arachnids and snakes, for instance, are incapable of leaving their homes or making loud noises. These types of pets are often acceptable in "No-Pet" condos.
4. Ask management if "pocket pets" are part of the policy. Small pets in confined environments such as hamsters, gerbils and degus are sometimes exempt from "No-Pet" policies.
5. Offer to pay a substantial pet deposit against damages to the condo. A small deposit won't cut it, but a sizable offer (a month's rent, for example) might sway the powers that be over to your line of thinking.
6. Choose an alternative pet if you have no other options. Virtual pets are available online and for handheld game systems. You can visit the AdoptMe site to adopt a cartoon pet online or check out Neopets to create your own (see Resources below).
Tags: part policy