Pets in Apartments

There was a recent news article about a Vancouver City Counsellor who wanted to ensure that pets would be allowed in all apartment buildings. Much to the dismay of pet owners, those with animal companions, or those with family members who walk on all fours and are covered in hair, I do not see this as a reality any time soon.

For a start, the rules and regulations surrounding tenancy in rented accommodations are governed by the BC Rental Tenancy Act (BCRTA), that neither permits nor denies people to include pets in their place of residence, therefore the City of Vancouver needs to appeal to the owners of apartment buildings to change specific policies for individual buildings.

The larger issue is damage caused by animals.

I appreciate that there are responsible pet owners who will walk their pets three times a day, and pay enough attention to them on an ongoing basis so they do not get frustrated or lonely and take out that frustration on their environment, however from a rental application it is impossible to tell the difference between a responsible pet owner and an irresponsible one. Currently, the BCRTA only allows for a maximum damage deposit of 50% of the first month's rent and a pet damage deposit of 50% of the first month's rent. A far cry from the amount paid to replace carpets, fix walls, repaint, and the loss of rental income while all the work is being done.

We have a NO PET policy that has been in place by the owners of the apartment we manage. Earlier this year somebody sneaked an animal into their unit and it was not discovered until they vacated the premises, and we had to replace all of the flooring and repair six of the walls and we were unable to rent the apartment for a week while the work was being done - damage of $5,000.

There are a couple of possible solutions: Assuming maximum cost to replace carpets, drapes and repair wall damage will not exceed $5,000.

1. Have pet owners provide a surety bond of $5,000 per pet that could be accessed when they vacate the building to cover any damage caused by their animal companion. No damage, no problem – full refund. Some damage, it is covered, and any remaining balance is returned. This would have to be a separate agreement, apart from the BCRTA, or have the  BCRTA changed to allow such a bond;

2. Pet Damage Insurance with a limited liability of up to $5,000 per pet. The renters pay the cost of the premium directly to the owners who hold the policy. If/when there is a claim the insurance company pays out the cost of repairs.

Of course, "PET" would have to be clearly defined as domestic cats, and domestic dogs. No snakes, rats, iguanas, tigers, horses, wolves, bears, venomous creatures, exotic animals, etc. Don't laugh, apartment managers throughout the province have been asked about all of these 'pets' at one time or another.