Re: Accepting tenants with pets - Landlord Forum thread 351373

Re: Accepting tenants with pets by Anonymous on March 27, 2017 @15:53

You can have a no pets rule, but therapy animals are not considered pets under fair housing. That means if the tenant is disabled and has need of a therapy animal, you must accommodate. Having allergies is not a protected class and is not a legal defense to deny someone that needs a therapy animal.

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Re: Accepting tenants therapy animals by Kathleen on March 27, 2017 @20:09	[ Reply ]

Do you have a clearly written policy you follow? For me, I have a NO PET rule. Service dogs are not pets. They are trained and come with a service animal card. It's a murkey bit of the law, so it behooves the landlord to have a strong rental policy. I need a verified 675 on each adults credit report Proof of income must be 3.5x the rent Utilities must be able to be turned in tenants name. The utility company will furnish a note I do a background check, which the applicant pays for. I look at evictions and multiple small debts. I also call all references including all former landlords. If an applicant doesn't have a good background, I don't rent to them, no matter how charming or needy or cute nor what a heartrending story they can offer.