My "good" tenant has snuck a dog in? What would you do?

[mrfuji70]

Here's the scenario....

I have a two bedroom townhouse that I rent out in the suburbs of a metro area. I have a single, 23 year old tenant who has been living there problem free for the past year. She is very well paid in her job so she takes very good care of the place, and pays the rent on time every month and in some cases before. A couple of months ago, asked if she could have a pet because she was thinking about adopting a Yorkie. I told her that's fine as long as she pays a $250 pet deposit and the dog is under 10lbs I would include such a clause in the new lease (she informed me she would be renewing) . As a perk for renewal, I gave her one month's free rent ($850).

My tenant has a twitter account which is not set to private so I can simply google her name and her posts come up (call me a snoop, this is business). Upon doing so last week I discovered that she has had a dog in the place since last month--she posted all of her dog's activities in my place on her twitter page. We scheduled the lease renewal for this weekend and upon meeting with her, she informed me that she decided she wasn't going to get a dog because she works too much and wouldn't have time to take care of it (even though her twitter account says otherwise). I was more miffed that she lied than that she had the dog inside without my consent or without paying the deposit. I informed her that if she did change her mind, to let me know as I would not care to have her sneak in a dog. She said she wouldn't do that ever.

So now I'm at a crossroads. She's violated the lease terms, but she is really a good tenant overall and I have not had issue with her before. Part of me wants to act a fool about the situation, while the other half says look the other way mainly because it is extremely difficult and costly to find tenants--let alone good ones--in the area as of late. The economy has taken it's toll on the private rental market here. So I ask, what would YOU do?

[the kid]

If she is a good tenant, simply require she pay a pet deposit. All problems solved.

[Hugh Balls]

make up something like, you've seen evidence of a dog there and see what she says.
you definitely want to keep her as a tenant though

[lolly]

Maybe you should look around, in the news, on the block, at Detroit - so many property owners are underwater because tenants have lost jobs and stopped paying rent.

You have a right to inspect the property once a year - maybe you should do this. Of course you have to give her notice, but maybe you would find evidence in the year of the poopy variety.

She's probably trying to get out of paying the deposit.

I don't have any respect for your snooping but I'll hold my opinion on that point.

[R P]

There is nothing wrong with you looking at her tweets. You are running a business and you should use every available resource to protect your business investment.

Since you did not confront her when she signed the new lease, you should do an annual inspection. Look for evidence of the dog, such as food or water bowls, doggy smell in the unit, doggy toys, etc. Also, what you can do is go over when she is not home & ring the door bell. The dog will most likely bark.

At that point , let her know that you know she has a dog and give her a 7 Day Notice to Cure. She either pays the pet deposit or finds another home for the dog in 7 days. You have the right to inspect the unit to be sure the dog is gone. If you suspect that the dog is still there, it will be difficult to prove if you decide to evict her for a lease violation. But you have to stay in charge and if you don't proceed at the end of 7n days, you have just trained your tenant that she can do whatever she wants without consequences.

[Andy]

You must have a hot tenant

[NaturesDoctor]

Sounds like a simple stakeout will solve your problem. One weekend if you work go their early until she comes out with the dog, go up to her like you were driving buy to check your property, then let her know she has violated her lease and she can either pay the pet deposit fee. When you renew the lease raise the rent at least 5 percent, this will let her know you are not a fool. You should also have regular inspections built into your lease to inspect the property at least quarterly.

Funny, in our society how many people are dishonest and do not mind stealing from you. Do you understand a pet could cause you to have to replace all your carpet and can damage your AC. Since when does carpet only cause $250.

[trouble]

She was a good tenant until she lied to you ...

There is nothing wrong with you looking at her tweets ... that is not snooping at all. She could set the account to private.

You need to take charge of your business and property and get to the bottom of this ... if she has a dog, she should pay the required deposit.

[bron357]

Yes, just call by the house and see if the dog is in fact there. Seriously, I know people who make up stuff on Facebook etc so they look cool or whatever. She may have been minding it or indeed decided not to keep it because she is working.
If you call around and knock, if there's a dog 99/100 it will bark when you ring the bell! So go when she is out a work and see first! Then call around after work and tell her, I called by earlier but your weren't home, but I heard your dog barking!!
If she has a dog, say fine, but we need to get it in writing and you need to pay a small bond. Tell her most places don't allow pets but because she's a nice tenant you're ok with it.
A good tenant is definitely worth keeping and a small dog isn't going to destroy the place. Just tell her that if the carpets etc need steam cleaning etc because of dog smells, she'll have to pay for that. I think that's what happens in any regard when a tenant moves out!