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  1. #1
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    No snakes allowed in new lease

    I'm new to this forum.... I just need to vent a little and get some advice.

    Friday, I looked at a new house for rent, and today we signed the lease. On Friday, I spoke to the landlord in what I thought was a very thorough conversation about what the lease would say and whatnot. He specifically told me no dogs/cats. I made sure to ask all questions you generally would when meeting a new landlord. I've never EVER had a problem with a landlord not allowing a pet snake. When we arrived for our meeting, we signed everything, and then the landlord states "no dogs/cats or other animals" just as we finished signing everything. Sure enough, I look at the lease I just signed and that's what it says. I feel so dumb that I did not read it thoroughly enough before signing, but I thought we had a very good and thorough overview before signing. I know this situation is totally my fault for not being more attentive to the lease agreement.

    I have a pet snake named Charlie, and he is my world. I do not ever want to get rid of him, but now I may have to. I am very tempted to keep him and hide him - which I don't think would be hard - but I don't want to risk getting my roommates evicted if the landlord somehow finds out about it.

    Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I feel so sad right now.

  2. #2
    Sometimes It Hurts... PitOnTheProwl's Avatar
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    Should have READ the lease.
    Not your house and not your property but it is your choice where to live.
    The smart person would break the contract and keep looking.
    It was probably some moron before you that tried hiding reptiles that got "other animals" put in there AND made the rest of us look bad too.
    So think about while you have an option.

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  4. #3
    Registered User Foxton's Avatar
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    What pets you were planning to keep there should have been something you brought up.

    Personally I'd call up or go talk to your new landlord and say you were too in shock by how forgetful you had been and ask for an exception. Maybe take a few pictures of the current setup to show how little space/clean it would be. If they are adamant for no snakes then find somewhere else to live, and find out if there is a termination fee.

    Hiding something is never a good idea.

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  6. #4
    BPnet Royalty ballpythonluvr's Avatar
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    Re: No snakes allowed in new lease

    Please don't try and "hide" your snake at all. If you want to keep your snake badly enough, then look for a new place to live that will ALLOW you to have the snake. This hobby already has so much going against it, please don't bring more trouble to it and make the rest of us look bad. Snakes are already highly misunderstood creatures as so as it is.
    Last edited by ballpythonluvr; 04-14-2015 at 06:49 AM.

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  8. #5
    Registered User Paragonimus westerma's Avatar
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    I actually was in a similar situation when I was in undergrad.

    My 2nd year I moved into an apartment that basically allowed everything that wasn't either a large dog [which you had to pay extra for] or a ferret [which the landlord completely disallowed, no exceptions]. I bought a baby argentinian tegu that year. The next year all 7 of my housemates that I was very close friends with decided to move to a different spot. I moved with them, since I loved living with them, but the new place had a very vague rule of "pets are allowed, just don't let it become a zoo".

    ...well, the tegu grew up and became a 4ft, chick and rat eating beast who had a love for escaping from his cage, sleeping under my bed, and pooping on the floor. I did a diligent job of cleaning up after him [I don't think the landlord ever realized the poop problem] but a 4ft lizard apparently crossed the vague "not a zoo" threshold and I had to get rid of him. It was probably just about the worst day of my life, since I grew extremely attached to the lizard. He was a fat lazy puppy and I still miss him.


    Granted, a tegu is *impossible* to conceal from anyone. My landlord never realized that I had rubber boas, but that's because they lived in a small enclosure with no electrical equipment. I had to face the music with the lizard though, and I agree with the above posters, trying to hide an animal may backfire horrendously.

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  10. #6
    BPnet Veteran Darkbird's Avatar
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    Be glad you caught it now. You can likely break the lease without penalty at this point unless the person you were going to lease from isn't nice. And if they hear they will lose you over it they may be willing to make an exception. If they do however, make sure to get everything in writing so they can't change their mind later. I do agree with the others though, trying to hide it is the worst option, because even if you manage to hide it indefinitely, you'll always have that worry. Not to mention it could easily be grounds for eviction if they wanted.
    Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?

    Never argue with idiots. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with their experience.
    Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

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  12. #7
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    Obviously you did not have a very good and thorough overview before you signed the lease. It sounds like you never mentioned your snake to the landlord when he made the "no dogs or cats" statement; you simply assumed your snake would be ok, and now you're stuck.

    At this point you have three options:
    - Ask the LL to amend the lease to allow the snake and offer to pay an additional pet or cleaning deposit. Most landlords don't want animals due to additional wear and tear on the unit, and even fish tanks can be a problem because if they break then you can have significant water damage, depending on how big the tank was.
    - Rehome your snake locally for the duration of the lease with someone who will let you come over to visit, help with any needed work, etc. Also you need to cover the cost of his food and care.
    - Break the lease, but bear in mind you'll legally be on the hook for the monthly nut until the landlord finds another tenant for the unit.

    BTW this is why you need to read and comprehend every scrap of paper you sign as part of a contract, whether it's a lease, a job offer letter, an auto loan, or a mortgage. Those little details buried in the fine print can be very, very costly if you don't understand what you're signing.
    Last edited by bcr229; 04-14-2015 at 09:56 AM.

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  14. #8
    Don't Push My Buttons JLC's Avatar
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    You want a good place to live. And your land lord wants good tenants in their property. If you approach them right away in a professional and business-like manner and say, "When you said 'no dogs or cats' allowed, I assumed my small pet would be ok, and it wasn't until after we signed that we found out there were no exclusions for any animals. Would it be ok if we kept ONE small animal in a secure enclosure? It doesn't make any noise and won't cause any damage. We'll be willing to pay a pet deposit if necessary."

    Keep the details vague. With any luck, the LL will assume you're talking about a hamster or something and not ask more questions. If they do ask, then be forthcoming. "It's a SMALL snake... If we can't keep it, we may need to back out of the lease and look for a different home."

    Chances are, the LL doesn't want to go through that hassle any more than you do, and will make an exception for you.
    -- Judy

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  16. #9
    Registered User Tsanford's Avatar
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    All the good advice has been posted, please update with the outcome

  17. #10
    Registered User 8_Ball's Avatar
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    Re: No snakes allowed in new lease

    In the many apartments I looked at including my current one prohibited all reptiles and exotic pets. I told them I have a small ball python that won't grow bigger then three feet and showed the land lord pictures and 3 out of 4 places said they would make an exception. Does not hurt to ask!

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