What to Do When a Tenant Breaks Their Lease and Sneaks in a Pet

Leases are designed to prevent such problems, but if you’re a property owner or manager, you know that tenants don’t always follow the lease. The lease says no pets but the tenant has brough it a pet without permission.

There are two outcomes when this happens – either the pet stays or the pet goes.

If the owner concedes and the pet stays, you would want to add an addendum to the rental contract for the pet. In Hawaii, you can ask for one month’s rent as a pet security deposit. You can also ask for a nominal monthly rent for the pet. If you choose, you can include additional periodic property inspections.

It is important to ensure that the pet is compatible with House Rules in a high rise condo or a townhouse complex.

If the owner doesn’t want a pet you can ask the tenant to relocate the pet. If they cannot rehome the pet, they will have to vacate the rental property.

Please note that this applies only to pets. Service and support animals are excluded from these rules and are protected classes. You can learn about service and support animals in our blog on that topic here.

To learn more about our concierge rental services and discuss the best plan for your rental property, call our office to schedule a private consultation at (808) 593-9826 or email concierge@caronb.com

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