Guide to Renting with Herps

[ER12]

Renting with Herps, not Herpes: An Insider's Experience

One topic that I have seen frequently posted on many various reptile forums on the Internet, as well as having been asked many times over the years is the issue of renting with herps, or in other words, how can one successfully locate herp friendly housing? What should be done if you run into issues over your animals with the landlord? It can often be a daunting, and stressful enough task to find rental housing that accepts many of the more traditional pets such as dogs and cats. Matters can and do become more complicated when we are advocating for our collections of scaly friends to those who provide many of us housing and residential leases, but may also have preconceived notions or misconceptions towards the animals we keep and enjoy.

Having rented several times and locations during my college experience and beyond, I would like to take some time to share my insights, experiences, and suggestions for those who may find themselves in similar such situations. Perhaps what I want to most importantly convey, is that all hope may not be lost if one does need to rent and also keeps herps, provided one is willing to give at least some additional effort, responsibility, and persistence into locating herp friendly housing.

Shop Around and Negotiate

If one chooses to keep herps legally and responsibly in rental housing, they will inevitably need to inform owners or management of the animals kept. For example, a locally or family owned establishment (and perhaps others) may allow one to simply keep "caged pets" or "small and harmless pets". I use the term "caged pets" because this is how the subject of keeping herps should be lead into or bought up. Do not assume that every landlord will be familiar with herp husbandry or know that we keep our animals caged or otherwise in secured enclosures. None of this is of course not to say that one should not inquire about or abide by their established pet policies, however (I will touch more on this later). It is also usually beneficial when the prospective landlord is a housing may be slightly more difficult, and may require a prospective herper or other renter to rely less on newspapers and apartment showcase booklets, and more on drive by searches.

If one finds a pet policy held by a rental that disallows pets, or seems otherwise overly restrictive, ask the landlord or property manager why. Keep in mind that many pet policies are put into place as a result of some previous incident or negative experience involving them. By asking why, you will not only be considering your prospective landlord's position (which in turn may prompt them to be more considerate of yours), you will be in a better position to directly address each and every of the landlord's potential concerns regarding your animals being housed on their rental property. Convincing landlords to take a case by case approach as to whether to allow keeping animals may be well be enough to put some landlords at peace of mind, and thus more open to considering your request. If, however, the prospective landlord still refuses your request (or if pet negotiation requirements seem overly unreasonable, or require you to waiver many tenancy rights you would otherwise be entitled to), then it may be best to search elsewhere.

In my experiences, decentralized owner or family operated rental housing (such as multi-family, or other locally owned rental units), which are typically deemed as Class B and C property classes, oftentimes tend to be far more receptive and open to allowing animals. If anything else, many will be at least more willing to overlook the animals we keep for sake of filling much needed vacancies. Many other apartments also state or advertise that pets are allowed, although pet clauses typically vary from one owner or agency to another, or even one location to another owned by the same entity. In addition, some local humane societies and animal shelters may also maintain free directories of pet friendly housing in the area, sometimes with the agency or property's pet clause included for convenience. Although most of these directories, if offered, tend to cover policies only as they pertain to dogs and cats, they may nevertheless serve as a guide or reference to save one at least some time and effort.

By contrast, many of the larger leasing companies, with centralized leasing offices and numerous rental units either per building, or over a moderately to heavily populated geographic area (typically A and some B property classes), tend to more often than not have far more comprehensive and restrictive pet clauses such as mandating weight and possession limits on animals, limits on the numbers and/or sizes of cages/enclosures, or in many cases disallowing herps, or even any animals from being kept in their rentals at all. This is not to state that renting such properties is always should be discouraged in every scenario, as much as it is promoting the idea that those of us who keep herps and seek rental housing have other options and may wish to pursue those if they find that the pet clauses of a given rental company too restrictive.

Likewise, if one is attending college as an undergraduate, residency and enrollment requirements may require you to live on or near campus in campus owned and operated dormitories (dorms) or other forms of campus housing. Typically, most college dorms disallow pets from being kept, with any possible exceptions being limited to only aquariums or terrariums of a specified size and number. Read and understand all housing and residency guidelines if this scenario is applicable to you.

The most important takeaway point is to shop around, do research into the agency or property, and compare options and benefits. At least some will not be nearly as "pet friendly" as they may advertise.

Read All Terms and Leases

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of reading and fully understanding all lease terms and agreements prior to signing on to one. This is of course just as applicable to animal clauses, especially if one is as serious and dedicated to keeping their animals as I know many are. Knowing and understanding the lease and rental terms or agreements, and having copies of them all in writing for your records, can and often does go a long way in preventing any conflicts, confusion, or misunderstandings later on. It is also important to note that if any exceptions or addendums are made during any point in time, to have copies of those in writing as well. Knowing and understanding all clauses, including pet clauses, should also be made a rental housing criteria for the serious herper as well. Find out up front what their pet policies entail before moving forward with any lease agreement. If herps are explicitly or implicitly prohibited in the lease, or if such clauses are otherwise not to your liking, it is, in my opinion, best to not spend any more time or energy pursuing that particular lease and to seek other rental housing if it is available.

Negotiation with landlords oftentimes is a reality that may need to be made in at least some cases involving herps. As much as I enjoy and advocate for the responsible keeping of such animals, convincing a prospective landlord to allow tenants to keep venomous reptiles, crocodilians, or large constrictors may be a difficult sell in many rental housing situations. Some forms of rental housing may also be reluctant to allow tenants to keep rodents or feeder insects for fear of infestations. One could emphasize however, that frozen thawed rodents stored in a freezer are unlikely to ever escape and infest their rental housing. Fortunately, the vast majority of animals we keep and propagate are relatively small and benign to humans, and should be a focal point in negotiating with landlords as should your due diligence in keeping these animals (see below).

In short, it will never be an unwise idea to have anything and everything in writing, whenever possible.

Be Responsible

The final point I would like to convey is to be a responsible herp keeper regardless of whether you choose or need to utilize rental housing or not. Emphasize this multiple times to a prospective landlord and practice it to the letter. Again, emphasize the term "caged pets" or "terrarium/aquarium pets". Some owners or agencies may require an additional pet deposit and/or monthly fees to keep animals. Although this is typically applied mostly to cats and dogs, I have heard of such fees applicable for aquariums in which aquatic to semi aquatic herps may be kept in to cover any possible water damages. These deposits and fees in general will vary by location or owner if they do exist.

It is important to practice responsible keeping and due diligence in maintaining all animals under your charge. This should include providing proper housing for all of your animals that is absolutely escape proof, properly feeding your animals according to the dietary requirements and habits of the species you keep, and perhaps most importantly of all, be as discreet as possible by not recklessly exposing others to your animals. As we have seen time and time again in the legislative arena, it only takes one escape, one mishap, or one case of irresponsible ownership to, in more cases than not, initiate legislation designed to ban or severely restrict ownership of herps and many other exotic animals.

While it may also be tempting to violate clauses we view to be unjust or illogical, don't. It is simply not a good idea, and keeping an animal in violation of your lease agreement, or attempting to sneak them in undetected could result in the confiscation of your animals, the latest case of negative publicity for the hobby on the 9 '0 clock news, your reprehension by the landlord or management, or even eviction in some cases. Furthermore, eviction can further affect your ability to find future rental housing, and it can negatively impact your credit ratings. In short, don't get evicted. Our hobby of keeping reptiles and amphibians will not stand to gain any legitimacy in the public eye if we are perceived as "underworld smugglers and rule breakers".

To conclude, while renting with herps can be a more complex than average endeavor, the purpose of me writing this is to convey that it is possible in most circumstances for herpers to find herp friendly housing if they are willing to expend a bit more effort and persistence into doing so. One does not need to sell or give up their hobby, or their animals should they be faced (either voluntarily or out of necessity) with the possibility of having to rent instead of own their housing. In doing so, it is important to be honest, up front, and responsible, as, in my opinion, this is far more preferable in the long run than having to hide your animals each and every time maintenance comes by or when inspections have to be done.

In short, be smart about renting with herps, and please don't be the reason for any further policy changes.

[apple2]

Great info. This should clear up a lot of the confusion over this topic on the forums. I vote for sticky!

[Valentine Pirate]

Sticky! Haven't had to deal with the situation yet myself but this is a very level headed source of advice and information.