Hey everybody, Ive got a situation where I need some of that Straight Dope advice. Me and my wife are set to move into an apartment next week and already know how much everything is going to cost up front ( first month’s rent, security deposit etc…) Well the thing is we got this info prior to our getting a cat which we adopted a few weeks ago. The apartment allows cats but charges an extra $200.00 security deposit and then an additional $25 a month to be allowed to have one. All in all I dont think thats asking too much but right now we have alot of expenses and not a lot of money to pay them with ( another 2 victims of the not so prosperous U.S. economy that weve got going right now ) so anyway what I wanted to ask was whether or not you dopers and dopettes think wed be able to get away with sneaking in the kitten and not having to pay that additional fee up front and then in the months ahead. We plan on keeping him as an indoor cat and so he wouldnt be out roaming around, and SUPPOSEDLY no one from the leasing office or maintenance ever enters the apartment with out written permission given to them by the renters first. So what do all you dopers and dopettes think, should I try and pull one over on them and then just play stupid about it if I get caught and make like I didnt remember that cats would cost an additional fee? And if I do get busted, would we just get warned and told to pay up the deposit and monthly fee, or would that be grounds for eviction or what? I know I know its dishonest to know that I should be paying extra to have the cat and then not paying it but these are rough times we’re living in right now. So if anyone has been through a similar situation or has any advice on what me and my wife should do, we would appreciate it greatly!
Your apartment rules sound strikingly similar to an apartment my girlfriend and I leased for a while ($200 or so + $25 a month for a cat, etc.) We also had a rule that no one will enter the apartment without our permission first, but that went out the window with all the plumbing and utility emergencies we had, where they had to come in to fix something immediately whether we were home or not. So, you never know when something might happen and you’ll get busted.
The money for the security deposit and extra rent is supposed to go toward extra cleaning for the apartment when you move out. Since lots of people are allergic to cats/dogs/anything, they have to have everything specially cleaned to remove dander and other allergens before they can rent out the apartment again.
I understand you’re in a bind, and I would probably recommend that you might try to negotiate with the renter about the initial extra security deposit, maybe asking if you cant spread it over a couple of months. Of course doing this exposes that you have a cat, so if they say no you’ll have to pay the $200.00 + $25/month anyway. It also may not work since it defeats the purpose of the security deposit (so the landlord has something if you abandon or don’t pay your monthly rent, in addition to repairs if you trash the apt.)
Probably, if you tried to sneak the kitten in and he was at some point discovered, you’d get a polite letter informing you of the rules and your new monthly rate and security deposit. I don’t think they could ask for the monthly part retroactively since they likely wouldn’t know exactly when you got the cat. It depends, of course, on your landlord whether you’d get a polite letter or a marathon cuss-fest on your front steps.
I guess you didn’t know how much the deposit would be when you got the cat? (Makes sense; those who don’t have pets usually gloss over that part of the lease or addendum, anyway.)
Your best course of action is probably to let the landlord know as soon as possible that you have a cat there. If things break down and you’re not there, they’ll go into the apartment. They might not even have to see a cat to determine you have one, cats being what they are. They’ll probably then contact you and tell you that you have until X time to pay the deposit and monthly fee, or else. Landlords can get uppity, and they would likely view this as a breach of your lease.
So if you let them know the story, maybe they’ll be a lot more lenient. You could say that you didn’t realize how much it would cost, and could you give them the $200 deposit in a few weeks? Maybe they wouldn’t mind that at all.
Because it would be a breach of your lease. The ‘golden rule’ applies – do you want your landlord to honor the lease? Then honor the lease yourself.
I think they may well let you slide on the deposit if you approach them correctly. If not, you’re going to have to get the deposit together, or stash the cat somewhere until you do.
Well, yeah. That’s really what I just said. I wasn’t implying that they shouldn’t view it as a breach of the lease. I’m saying that some landlords might not view it as egregious an offense as others. And, as I said, letting them know the story would be more likely to help, not hurt.
Well that settles it, instead of just one angel on my shoulder I had 3 , 
that little devil dude on the other side never stood a chance against to you guys! Thank you for the advice it was thorough and helpful definitely and my wife and I decided that you all were absolutey right, were going to do the right thing and honor the agreement we made, well the agreement we’re GOING to make anyway, and be upfront about having the cat. How can we realisticlly expect our landlords to be honest and honorable if we arent to them, “do onto others as you would have them do onto you” to coin a very important phrase. Well Thanks again for your advice fellow straight dopers, I really appreciate it!!