Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

[msilver]

[post deleted on request by admin]

[AFFA]

Re: Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

I wish to inform you that laws of your state will govern the situation. In this regard generally tenant is liable for any damage caused by tenant or tenants pet and not landlord's pet. You can therefore argue that for the damage done by cat you cannot be held liable because cat belonged to landlord and for the acts of pet owner of that pet is held liable. As your landlady is owner of pet thus she is liable. You can be held liable if any damage had been accrued because of your negligence.

AFF

[gail in georgia]

Re: Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

How is a place "sparkling clean" yet with a carpet soaked with cat urine?

[sandyclaus]

Re: Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

[post deleted on request by admin]

How is a place "sparkling clean" yet with a carpet soaked with cat urine?

You were put in charge of taking care of the cats.

While the cats themselves belong to the owner, YOU and your roommates received a rent reduction in assuming care and control over these cats. The consequences of not doing that is what you are being held responsible for.

If they tore up the carpet when they weren't allowed in a tenant's room, then why did you not do something to prevent or discourage the behavior? At the very least, if you were unable to correct the behavior, you should have notified the LL right away so that they could deal with the issue, and you could have been let off the hook because you had done what you could to mitigate that damage.

As for the damages to the carpeting from the urine and vomit, what steps did you take to clean that up? If you don't clean it up properly the first time, the cats will keep coming back to the spots where they urinated and do it again and again. If the cat box was not being properly maintained, the cats will often go outside the box in protest (they prefer a clean box to use). If the cats weren't sick, then that's the only logical and obvious reason for them continuing to urinate on the carpet outside the box. Again, as it was YOUR responsibility to care for the cats, that includes keeping up with the litter box cleaning duties, and if you didn't, then you would be held responsible for the consequences of not doing so.

The problem you'll have in challenging the deductions for the carpeting due to the cat urine will be proving what the conditions were BEFORE you took possession. Can you prove that the carpeting was already urine-soaked and torn up before you moved in? Did you take photos, or get anything in writing to confirm that? If you can't, then even if there was pre-existing damage, you'll be hard-pressed to show evidence of its existence or end up having to pay for it.

[msilver]

Re: Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

How is a place "sparkling clean" yet with a carpet soaked with cat urine?

[post deleted on request by admin]

[gail in georgia]

Re: Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

If this ends up in court, you present your evidence of the condition of the rental unit at move out.

Gail

[Friend In Court]

Re: Can a landlord force tennants to pay for damage done by the landlord's pets?

Litterboxes are impermeable, made of plastic most often. How the area under the box became 'soaked with urine' is mystifying. One can also set a large liner under a litter box which helps catch litter cats can spread getting in and out of the box.

Cat hair does not cause damage. But negligent care of the cats you may be responsible for.
Cats are oridinarily very clean about their bathroom/litterbox habits. My best guess is that you were negligent caring for them, did not clean their sandbox daily as is necessary, did not provide enough clean litter and that is what caused the damage.

The landlady may well have a complaint against you for the negligent care of her cats and the resultant damage.