I'm bookmarking this post. I hear that even places that allow dogs often have maximum weight limits for them. I hope that an approved dog that subsequently gets fat would be grandfathered in and allowed to stay!

I get frustrated by the "pet rent" that some places impose...really?!?! My pet needs to pay $20 a month to lay on my couch? I've negotiated this away, stating that if at the end, the landlord feels there is damage caused by pets, they can charge me...I've never been charged.

I agree with you, bryn. A pet deposit up-front seems fair, but I would never even consider paying a pet rent. Ridiculous.

Wow, I rent out a room in my house, and have never heard of pet rent. Absurd concept. Pet deposit? Definitely. As I have a small dog myself, I ask all potential roomies to visit with their dogs, to make sure they will get along. Cats I don't worry about so much, as they can get away if the dog annoys them.

I rented 5 different apartments, while having 2 or 3 large dogs, in 2 different cities--it wasn't easy to find a rental with multiple big dogs in tow, but I just called ad after ad and visited various rental agencies until I found what I needed. It always breaks my heart when I see pets sent to the pound because their owners moved to a place that didn't allow animals. In my experience it just takes some effort and creativity. One thing I had success with was renting a house or part of a house (rather than an apartment) a bit outside of the main areas, a bit off the beaten path.

Wow, that kitty looks JUST LIKE my kitty. It's freaking me out.

"Because pet owners have a harder time finding a place to live, they often make great tenants and stay put longer" -- Often, but not always. And unfortunately it's most likely irresponsible pet owners that have made it harder for the rest of us pet owners to find pet-friendly places!

I pay pet rent in Tucson and it's absolutely ridiculous to me. I don't understand what damage wouldn't be covered by the pet deposit or by charging a move-out fee for any damage done. Surely doggie bags don't cost as much as the HUGE complex is raking in every month charging $15 for 1 pet, $25 for 2!

I've never heard of pet rent! wow, that's just crazy. Those are just greedy landlords then! I adopted a cat who was declawed by his former owner 6-7 years ago. Since then, I have rented couple places, and all were very acceptance to the idea that my cat is declawed, so he wouldn't damage anything. I definitely say "be honest" is the most important thing. If you had to lie about your pet, LL is going to wonder what else you could lie about..

A lot of the large corporate complexes in my area charge pet rent, which they never tell you about until you ask. I avoid these places on principle.

Can I say that I think there is a special place in hell reserved for those kind of people that dump their pets when they move? (I'm not talking the ones that HAVE to move for emergency reasons - just the jerks that think a pet is disposable like a box of tissues)

I paid a one-time fee for a pet deposit, and even though I treated my cats with flea stuff and had never, ever EVER had any instances of fleas in my apartment, they still held back $15 for "flea treatment" after I moved out and left that place spotless... didn't think it worth the effort to fight them on such a small amount and figured they did that automatically (but that was in addition to the non-refundable pet deposit too, so it still irks).

We got charged $15 per month pet rent for our old cat, which was then bumped up to $25 per month when we got a new cat after our old one had to be put down (they said the rates had increased in those two years with the first cat there; way to add insult to injury, huh?). This was in addition to a pet deposit, and the pet rent does not count against any damage the pet does (so if it goes beyond the pet deposit, it comes out of the main deposit). I found this to be true of all the apartments I found that allowed cats at the time when I was looking for a place to live when I moved here.

Miami's Elaine: the weight limits on dogs don't mean the landlord is literally going to weight your dog and make sure it's still under the limit. It's basically the landlord's way of prohibiting large breeds of dogs. The standard is usually only dogs under 25 lbs. are allowed.

I have lived in places that charged a pet deposit/rent and others that haven't. It's the first thing I considered when looking for a place to live. Gratefully we now own our place so my savages can do as they please.

I was looking for a new place and thought I would like to rent in one of those fancy communities (I live in the SF Bay Area). They all charge pet rent. The first time I heard this I looked right at the leasing agent and said "that will be a problem my cat doesn't have a job". Needless to say I didn't move. Pet rent is ridiculous!!!!

In Chicago, I have never heard of pet rent. 99% of the giant all-rental complexes will charge a NON-refundable pet fee, however. I was recently told $500 for my dog and $250 for my cat. So in other words, $750 out the door for nothing.

The most extreme I've had to deal with is doubling my security deposit. That was fine. Other landlords I've noticed only request an extra $500 on top of the security deposit.

It's more difficult to find a building that allows dogs larger than 40lbs than it is to find a landlord willing. In my experience, as long as the building allows a large dog, the landlord is usually okay with it, too.

Create a "pet resume" -- get vaccination history and letters of reference from previous landlords regarding your pro-active and responsibile behavior including keeping pet waste cleaned up regularly, no-problems with neighbor complaints, and leaving the house clean as well as odor & stain free. I'm a "landlord" and this is what I require prospective pet-owning renters.

My litmus-test for renting to pet-owners is whether they think I'm insane when I make the request. If they do, then they don't get to rent from me.

We live in the south Bay Area (CA) and we just moved out of a place that was "Pet Friendly". They charged us a huge deposit and $25 per month, per pet (we have a cat and a large dog.) Sadly this was our only option in the area. Everyone else who claimed to be pet friendly had weight limits, one had a weight limit for dogs set at 12 lbs! My cat weighs more than that! Finding a place to rent with animals is by far the hardest part of renting for us and our pets are so nice.

Our landlord refuses to let us have pets at all and our "apartment manager" has a dog. He's lying to landlord and so far is getting away with it. Sounds like it would be way too much stress worrying about getting caught for me.

I lie. There I said it.

My complex has a leash law (so does the entire county) - unleashed dogs play in front of the manager's office, they say nothing and most of the time even play with the dogs, encouraging the behavior. These unleashed dogs have attacked several leashed dogs in the complex.

My complex provides poop bags - even when residents are reported for not picking up after their dogs, management does nothing.

My complex doesn't allow dogs in the pool area - again, even when residents are reported, management does nothing.

My complex has weight and breed restrictions - there are more dogs on property violating those restrictions than adhering to them.

When management decides to get their act together then I'll volunteer to pay the $100/month pet rent and the $750 non-refundable deposit for my dog who, coincidentally, meets/adheres to all the rules.

@FrankiesGirl Hear, hear! Unless something tragic happens and *you're* out of a home, your pet shouldn't be either. When you adopt a pet, that's a commitment to go the extra mile and be able to have a home that's a home for them too, for their natural life.

Up here in Seattle I've never had a problem finding a place that will let me have my cats. Sure, I've had to cross a few places off the list, but there were still more places than I even wanted to look at. I know it's harder for people with big dogs.

I will never pay pet rent on principle, and while I have no problem putting down a refundable deposit, I really do resent nonrefundable ones. It's like "Okay, Fluffy, I guess you can scratch up that door. I already paid for you to do it." Not that I ever would, because I agree with what people are saying about people who let their pets tear up the apartment being the ones ruining it for the rest of us.

I agree that a Pet Resume is the way to go. As a renter and a landlord, it shows you are a committed - in a good way - pet owner and even a little proud :) Along with vet info and training, I also added how he behaves when I'm away, my pet sitter's number and a photo that also shows him to scale. I refuse to pay extra rent for a pet on top of a deposit and I have offered a larger deposit instead, which seems to work most of the time.

When I moved out of state some people assumed I'd be getting rid of my cats, This is the third state my cats have lived in. When I adopt I adopt for life.

I live in Las Cruces, NM and I pay pet rent of $10/month + $200 initial pet deposit (refundable) + initial $200 pet fee (non-refundable) to have my gorgeous loving yellow lab live with me. Sigh, the things I do for love.

My very relaxed, laid-back cat was a freebie; someone had dropped him off, as a kitten, near my parents' home and I was too much of a sucker to say no. That said, I have always been extremely offended at the idea of paying $20 a month for a fixed, up-to-date-on-shots, and rescued cat.

Screw that. I'll go with being dishonest before being robbed blind.

Pet deposits are somewhat normal. But only up to about $200. Usually not refundable. There should be less deposit in a unit that doesn't have carpet because. Landlords renting out new construction or units where the flooring has all been recently redone are going to be more reluctant to allow pets. Search in an area of town where the units are older, where more of them are owned by individual owners, not by property holding companies. Search in an area where a lot of the other landlords do allow pets - this will create pressure on any landlord who wants to rent.

@omoriala, Thanks, that's good to know. I'd never heard of pet rent until this post. I can understand security deposits, but pet rent sounds like a big scam. I'm surprised it's legal. My coworker lived in a no-pets place and kept her cat hidden for years. When management found out, they tried to evict my coworker. Honesty from the beginning would have been less stressful, even if it had meant that my coworker couldn't move in there.

@asmallcontempt & @Miami's Elain:
Yeah, I'll never pay "pet rent" again anywhere, or a deposit + fee. It was totally ridiculous, but I was already living in the apt before I got my dog. I fell in love at first site and I was a goner, but never again on the crazy rent & fees.

The best advice I can give to any dog owner looking to rent is to get your dog CGC certified and TDI certified if possible. I've moved 5 times with these beasts, who are all on the "dangerous breeds" lists, and once I pull out their certificates, no one turns me down. CGC certification is easy for any responsible dog owner, just requires basic good manners and training. Dogs with quirks may not be able to pass TDI, but it's great if you can. Most landlords are very impressed by therapy dogs and their little vests with official looking badges sewn on them. Shows that you are serious about responsible ownership and that your dog is well behaved.

My daughter paid pet rent (for her cat) and deposit (refundable) in Rapid City SD. In Bismarck ND she paid $200 NONrefundable deposit, and again, add'l $10 mth pet rent. I made sure the rental company noted the cigarette burns on the carpet when she moved in. Her cat is cleaner than the smoker that left all the burn marks. Pet rent is a scam. Do they charge smokers more? Did they replace the carpet from the guy who lived in there before and left cigarette burns. No. They just pocketed the money. The same with greedy corporate rental companies are doing with pet rent. Maggie is not declawed, loves her cat tower and only scratches on the sisal on it and cardboard boxes. My daughter is a vet tech BTW. Sometimes you just don't have a lot of pet friendly rental choices in the right area, the right price range, etc, and you have to suck it up and play their game, fork over the rent.

In California it is illegal for a pet deposit/fee to be non-refundable or any other deposit no matter what you call it. When we rented in the past with pets we would use a pet resume and introduce the landlord to the dog. Renter's Insurance also helps but some insurance companies have breed restrictions which I think is BS.

When I was looking for a place in the Baltimore area, I could find no place that didn't charge non-refundable deposits along with monthly pet rent. Yes, I think it is insane, but I'm not going to sacrifice my safety by living in a bad area or getting evicted just to prove a point. I have two rotten kitties who wouldn't stay hidden if their lives depended on it. Is pet rent a scam? You betcha, but otherwise we are very happy here and surrounded by animal lovers, so I'll deal with it.

Good for California. If it's nonrefundable, then I think it's a fee, not a deposit, no matter the label. In my area, renters are ripped off right and left. I know I was, although, to be fair, some renters also rip off their landlords.

A landlady once said to me, "We would love to have you. Would you consider not bringing your cat." I replied, "Ma'am, I would live in an apartment that wouldn't accept husbands before I would live in one that didn't accept cats."

I had to pay a non-refundable pet fee of $250 for my cat plus I have a $15 a month pet rent. In the apartment I lived in before pet rent was $20 a month, I think it's pretty standard in Greenville, NC to have pet rent or a huge pet deposit, at least it was everywhere I checked, when I was looking for my new place. Fortunately, if you pay your rent before the first of the month, you get $10 off your rent, and since I get paid on the last working day of each month, that takes care of most of the pet rent at least.

Moving to South Florida, with the condo commandos, it was incredibly difficult to find a pet-friendly residence. A lot of these communities have a no-pets policy written in their HOA rules, so even individually-owned properties can be off limits. It definitely took some time and limited the amount of apartments (and even the neighborhoods) available to me. Luckily, I ended up finding a great landlord and a beautiful apartment in an awesome neighborhood. My landlord visited about two months in and saw that everything was intact and actually looked better. I gained his trust, and 2.5 years later, I'm still here.

I just fully remodeled a place in a very pet friendly area of SLC, UT. Initially I was looking for a renter without a pet because it hurt my heart to think of a not-so-good dog or cat destroying all the work I just put into it. But after having people come look at the place with their kids in-tow, I am considering changing the sign to 'No kids allowed. Pets ok'. Hahaha

Oooh yeah, pet rent is a big thing in my part of Ohio. I'm looking for a new place right now and I've seen $60 per month per pet, which means an additional $120 on every month's rent!

That's actually been the best incentive to stay where we are. Because one of our cats was adopted from starving to death in front of our building, all of our pet fees for both cats have been waived.

Move to Austin. There are pet friendly towns and Austin is one of them. Here in Austin a high percentage of people own dogs so most housing ads say pets ok. Usually there's a limit of two animals and a weight limit for dogs and a clause that says "no aggressive breeds."

I wish I could only live in pet-friendly cities... Minneapolis is GREAT for pets. It's so easy to find a place, and I never even heard of pet rent there. In Erie, PA it's nearly impossible to find a decent pet-friendly place, and there are stray and abandoned cats everywhere. It's heartbreaking. I just had to work a little harder to find a pet-friendly apartment, because my cats are coming with me, no matter what!

Totally agree with FrankiesGirl. I just can't understand the mindset of someone who would give up a pet rather than find a pet friendly home. It's always the first question I ask and if they won't take my two cats the rest of the questions are irrelevant.

When I was looking for a new apartment a few months ago about half the places I looked charged a pet rent; usually around $20-50. Although I think that's ridiculous, if everything else was right I would have done it and just considered it part of the cost of living. The place I ended up in doesn't charge pet rent but they did require a $350 non-refundable deposit and an additional $200 per animal refundable deposit.

My boss said I should have said I only had one cat (and he's a landlord himself!) but I think that's just stupid. Management will have to be in there occasionally for maintenance, the cats will sit in the window and it's more than likely that it would be found out. The last thing I want to deal with is having to pay some kind of penalty on top of the deposit once they're discovered. Sure the deposit is an astronomical sum but it's just part of the privilege of being my kitties' human and living where I want to live.

Pittsburgh is very sadly behind the times when it comes to pet-friendly apartments...but I'm speaking from experience of looking in certain neighborhoods, not on the whole. In our last place, if we wanted a cat it was a $500 non-refundable deposit PLUS $50 a month. A CAT! We actually sped up the homebuying process just so we could get a dog, since we weren't able to find a decent place that allowed them (note to landlords--not all tenants are slobs who don't take care of their animals).

Our experience in Tampa, Florida, though, was different--our apt. complex allowed our 90-lb chocolate Lab and we only had to pay a pet deposit--which was refunded after we moved out, minus a standard carpet cleaning fee.

I'm not saying that all pet-owning tenants are perfect, but most animals aren't as destructive or noisy as, say, children. :) *ducks*

About 10 years ago, in the Philadelphia area, a roommate and I searched for months to find a rental for us and our 5 cats. After 50+ rejections [yes, 50 - we had a 'party' to commiserate that 50th rejection] we found a landlord who was OK with multiple cats. We lived in his properties for 7+ years and it was fantastic.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes it seems like it will never happen but someone, somewhere is bound to be an animal lover like you are! And don't lie about having pets - or the number of pets - you'll be found out.

We were really up front with potential landlords about the fact that we have a cat and are in the process of adopting a dog. I'm not going to lie- the "we want to adopt a rescued dog that weighs over 50 lbs" did hurt our chances at several places in Philly. When we finally found a place willing to consider us + our pets we wrote our cat and future dog (by breed type and average weight) into the lease very specifically to ensure there wasn't any misunderstanding down the road..

I offered a potential landlord the opportunity to see my CURRENT place so they could see I kept a clean and tidy place despite having 4 cats. They never took me up on it, but she said the very fact I OFFERED convinced her to rent to me.

OMG! Give up my cat? I'd live in my car first. Yes, I love my cat THAT much.
And NO, I'm NOT crazy. =)

I'VE LIVED IN THE SAME APT THAT HAS ALLOWED ME TO HAVE A CAT FREE OF FEES. NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME I AM GOING TO HAVE TO PAY A PET DEPOSIT AND $20 A MONTH TO KEEP MY CAT...AREN'T I GRANDFATHERED IN BEINGS I'VE HAD THE SAME CAT FOR THE FIVE YEARS I'VE LIVED HERE?