Weddingbee boards

This is an update on my previous post about trying to convince our landlord to let us have a dog. I have edited the letter, restructured it and added some things based on everyone's advice - thank you! This is the final version we are pretty close to sending to our landlord. I'd like thoughts on what impression this leaves - is it firm enough? Too firm? What message are we sending?

Dear ___________,

We have lived in our ___ townhome (#) for two years and love being ___ residents. From the amenities to the management to our neighbors, we truly have had a great experience and hope to stay in our home for the foreseeable future.

While we strongly desire to renew our lease with ____, we also strongly desire to adopt an adult, housebroken dog. Thus far, our two desires have been incompatible. We are approaching you directly about this, as we know that there is no precedent for pets at _______. We hope that you will be open to our request and work with us so we can continue to live in the home we love.

In the past, we’ve had conversations about getting a dog with ____, who was very understanding as always. He acknowledged that our rental agreement does allow for pets if we add a pet addendum and pay a pet deposit. However, he indicated that if we were to adopt a dog, less responsible residents would also want to have pets and “open a can of worms,” so he was unwilling to take the steps to permit us to have a dog. While we understand this concern, we also feel that we are exceptionally prepared to be very responsible and courteous pet owners. Therefore, we hope that we will be allowed to have a pet per the terms provided in our lease.

We have attached a draft of a potential Pet Addendum to our rental agreement. We’ve created this simply to outline the multiple financial and personal commitments we are more than willing to make in order to bring a dog into our home and continue living in _____. In addition to the example Pet Addendum, we’d like to provide you with more details on our intentions to be responsible pet owners and considerate residents.

• We would gladly pay a considerable pet deposit as well as additional monthly rent. We are very open regarding the figures of these payments as well as the terms. We would also be willing to arrange and pay for liability insurance for the dog if necessary.
• In addition to compensating ____ in order to adopt a dog, we plan to adopt an adult, fully housebroken and obedience-trained dog that will pose little risk of damage to the property or disturbance to our neighbors. We would welcome the opportunity to provide management with references at the dog rescue attesting to the dog’s temperament and level of training.
• Our residence is more than adequately equipped for a pet. The large townhome we rent has an entire floor without carpet or other materials that could be easily damaged. While we would adopt an already housebroken and trained dog, we would restrict our dog to the first, uncarpeted floor using a child safety gate to even further reduce that risk. Additionally, unlike most other residents, we have direct outdoor access. This would allow us to transport the dog for walks off ____ property with little potential disturbance to other residents.
• We are able to care for the dog during the day, as ___ will soon work in the _____ offices in _____. Because he will be able to feed and walk the dog throughout the workday, as well as immediately attend to any emergencies or issues should they arise, the risk of damage to the property or disturbance to other residents is even further minimized.

We would love the opportunity to discuss our request with you. Please call ________ to set up a time. We are very grateful for your time and consideration.

Our best,

US

Pet Addendum

Residents desire to keep a pet on the premises and the Rental Agreement requires a Pet Addendum and Pet Deposit in order for residents to have a pet. The Rental Agreement is hereby amended to grant such permission to the residents under the following terms and conditions:

1. The residents will pay additional rent in the amount of $___ per month.
2. The residents will pay a Pet Deposit in the amount of $___, which shall be held as security for the faithful performance of this Pet Agreement.
3. The residents will provide credible references and/or documentation attesting to the pet’s temperament and suitability for a townhome environment.
4. The pet will be allowed out of the residents’ dwelling only under the complete control of a responsible human companion and on a hand-held leash.
5. The pet will never be allowed to use outdoor space belonging to the Owner/Agent for feeding, exercise or elimination of waste.
6. The residents will prevent the pet from engaging in behaviors or creating excessive noise that disturbs neighbors, including, but not limited to, barking, jumping and running.
7. The residents will provide the pet with adequate veterinary care, including regular treatment for pests. The residents agree to pay the full expense of any extermination required due to pet pests.
8. The pet will only be allowed in the first level of the dwelling where potential damage is very limited. The residents will maintain a physical barrier to the second level of the dwelling. The pet will be kept in a crate when the residents are not in the dwelling.
9. The residents will diligently maintain the spaces in which the pet is allowed. Any damage to the exterior or interior of the premises, grounds, flooring, walls, trim, finish, tiles, carpeting, or any stains, etc., caused by the pet will be the full financial responsibility of the residents and the residents agree to pay all costs involved in the restoration to its original condition. If because of any such stains, etc., said damage is such that it cannot be removed, then resident hereby agrees to pay the full expense of replacement.

Thanks everyone for your feedback! :)

@oracle: That's what we are afraid of. In my first draft, I tried to emphasize that our particular unit should be exempt because it has concrete floors and outdoor access, but then someone mentioned that letting one tenant do something and not others violates the Fair Housing Act. So I decided to not emphasize the actual unit and focus on the fact that this is provided for in our lease. Not completely sure if that was the right choice but I feel like at the end of the day, whatever I say about other tenants/units doesn't have any influence, so I should focus on what could have influence, which is how awesome pet owners we would be.

@SoontobeMrsA: Thank you!

@kitzy: That's what I am worried about :( A coworker gave me great advice that I should try to emphasize how this would benefit them. Obviously there is the financial side of it - we would pay them whatever they ask, pretty much. But what else...? I do think we are great tenants that spread the word about how much we like our complex, but unfortunately I don't think they need our word of mouth that badly.

Our meeting is today at 6 - I am so nervous. I feel like it is really a long shot, because when all is said and done, we don't have a great answer to the "what about everyone else?" question. But I know we have done everything we can to prove our own merits. It just sucks because we can't realistically move so if our landlord says no, there's no dog for the foreseeable future :( Wish us luck!

@Snowy414: We know that is a reality. Honestly, there's not much in it for them, so he has to basically agree to it because we are great tenants and wants us to stay and be happy. We ARE great tenants, and we are willing to pay extra monthly and in a deposit, so they would be making more money off of us, but not much in the whole scheme of things. Again, we know it's a long shot, but we just wanted to give it our best try.

Hope it works out for you!

@PitBulLover: It went well! He didn't say yes or no, but he did listen to us really intently and talked with us more than we thought he would. He said he would take it back to his team and talk with them about it. My husband said to not get my hopes up - he thinks they will probably still say no - but I am feeling hopefully because he at least heard us out and gave us the impression that our request is being considered.

@caitlanc: Thanks! I am hopeful :)