No pets in the lease?

So I'm at a bit of a fork in the road here... I have seen a few threads talking about lease/reptile issues, and wanted to get some inputs. I have a lease I have to sign and get back to to company I am planning on renting from. After I read through the lease I saw the "no dogs, cats, ferrets, or pets of any kind" in some of the fine print.

I would be more open with the landlord about the situation, but I put the $300 deposit down before getting a copy of the lease. I was assured by the person showing me the apartment and the person that gave me the copy of the lease that snakes "are usually not a problem unless they will get out," (this has happened before with a tenant) and that "it's animals that will cause damage to the apartment." Now it would be hard to prove they said that in the case that the landlord is not willing to change the lease.

So what to do now... I got everything yesterday and it's due back the 27th. Do I take it back now and demand some written agreement on snakes being alllowed? Do I wait til I have everything filled out and sign the lease once a written agreement has been established? Do I go through with renting ignoring the no pets clause? (my RTB's future 4'x2'x2' enclosure is not going to be something I can hide from the landlord)

This is what I would do. I would tell the landlord I have a snake. If he is okay with it, then when you sign the Lease Agreement, make sure you change the "no pets clause" to put an exception for your snake and have the landlord initial it. Make sure you keep your copy of the amended and signed Lease Agreement. Then you should be good to go.

Hiding it from your landlord could cause you to get fined and/or loose your security deposit (they have legal recourse to do that even if your snake doesn't do any damage of any kind - they could just do it because they want to keep your money). And, a verbal okay is not good enough because the signed Lease Agreement is what they would go by when they go after your money.

Just my opinion, of course. I had this experience with a dog I babysat for a weekend in my "no pets allowed" apartment. I ended up paying a hefty fine for it and it wasn't even my dog.

Don't mention the snake. Ask if they would have a problem with a large aquarium.
-Steven

Maybe not. Large aquariums are frowned upon because they can spring a leak and cause flooding within the apartment and to any apartment below them :)

get a rack, then put it somewhere like I did, ina big closet it works out perfect. I have my heater in there with it and my thermostat on top of the rack, if my landlord idd come over I would simply pull the heater out and take the termostat down and boom its a shoe rack.

be honest with them. No good will come of it by hiding the snake in a back room. You will live nervously for as long as you are there.

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Originally Posted by grammie

be honest with them. No good will come of it by hiding the snake in a back room. You will live nervously for as long as you are there.

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not to mention that maintenance people will be coming in and out of the apartment, usually without a pre scheduled appointment. I'd be upfront and ask the landlord to add a clause, or even suggest a pet deposit that you can pay over the course that you live there. My friend has to pay $500 per pet for her pet deposit, but can pay it out monthly over the span of her lease, and that is not renewable from year to year.

I guess Im just fortunate noone ever comes here, my landlord is a big company and doesnt step foot inside and I have had not one maint. person since Ive been here.

Ultimately, unless you get the landlord to alter the 'no pets' statement, they can evict you anytime they feel like it. It's a ready-made excuse for them, regardless of what they told you verbally. It's a fairly simple change, have your landlord put a line through the no pets sentence and write 'snake OK' in the side margin and initial it. Then be sure you have a copy of that lease somewhere safe. As long as you go in to meet the landlord and be confident, you shouldn't have any issues. Be firm and don't go for the whole 'we can work that out later' after you sign the lease shtick. It is well worth the peace of mind.

My .02

~Kat

I would say talk to the landlord about it before you go any farther. If he does allow you to have pets, be it herps or any other kind, make sure you get it in writing.

When my roommates and I were signing the lease for our current apartment we were told by the management company that we could have a cat. It was a verbal agreement and nothing was ever put in writing.

Before we moved in they put in new hardwood floors.

About a week after me moved in my fiance and I went to the local ASPCA in Boston and picked out a kitten. We had the paper work all filled out and were ready to take him home but they just needed to call the management company to get their final approval.

Because of the new floors the management guy said no to the kitten "because it would scratch them up." We were a little pissed, but it did teach us a lesson.