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ADVICE/FEEDBACK NEEDED..
We live in a very Pet friendly building, (and want to stay that way) but some of the owners have become a little too pet-friendly, and are housing between seven and ten cats in one bedroom apartments. One owner has four dogs.
We are reworking our old house rules, and we want to limit the number of pets and have other rules. Do any of you have this in your house rules? Suggestions/Experience
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS PLEASE:
1-Limit the number of pets to Three is the way the Board leans. But, we have a least one owner with a very large apartment, with three cats and two dogs, which is very reasonable.
2- Once we limit the number, (3-5) do we have a legal right to force owners to get rid of thier pets.
3- In the future is it possible to actually enforce or monitor the number of pets in an apartment.
4-limit the number of dogs (2) and cats (3)?
HELP!
Perhaps a - 1 pet per every 600 square foot of apartment rule - or something on that order would suit...
Any residents with pets at the time of the ruling is permitted to keep them, but not replace them.
you only have 30 days from the initial date of the infraction of the pet rule before the pet owner gets to claim "pet residence". So, if a person gets a pet, the super must notify you/management ASAP.
~AR
"Limit the number of pets to three is the way the Board leans. But, we have a least one owner with a very large apartment, with three cats and two dogs, which is very reasonable."
Sara, you should consider other things besides apt size in deciding how many pets to allow. People come in contact with other residents (and other dogs) in the bldg when they take their dogs out. There can be "encounters." Dogs bark and howl, and neighbors below can hear their nails when they run through an apt with bare floors. Cat odors filter out into halls. Exotic birds make noise. We had one a few years ago. It squawked very loudly, day and night, and it drove everyone on that floor crazy.
If you enact a pet policy based on apt sq footage, that's up to you. But some people don't like dogs. Some are afraid of them, maybe not because of a dog in the bldg; maybe they had a bad experience once that's stayed with them. Some people don't want their young children near a strange dog in an elevator. It's fine if you have a pet-friendly bldg and want it that way, but I doubt that every single apt owner in your bldg has dogs/cats. You must consider the comfort and feelings of the non-pet residents too.
We have a no-dogs policy and don't intend on repealing it, but we have a few residents who wish they could have a dog. Sara, do you ever get complaints from non-pet people about dogs in your bldg? Any idea if you have, or are, possibly losing buyers because they don't want to be in a bldg with a lot of pets, especially dogs? Just curious.
Unless your pet policy is based on apt sq footage, it must be the same for everyone. What applies to one applies to all. The BCL says all shareholders must be treated fairly and equitably. And what do you means by "pets"? Do you mean just dogs/cats or all pets including birds and fish? Some people have ferrets, gerbils, snakes, or other pets that run, crawl, scamper or slither around! Better state very clearly in your policy what critters it applies to.
A pet policy always makes sense, no matter if you are pet friendly or not. I would say that you should conduct a search through the internet for recommended policies by the Humane Societies of different places before you redact your own. Also, colleges have their own pet policies that deal with exotic animals, i.e., hampsters, ferrets, camaleons, etc. Thus, information is vital.
Below is a specific recommendation from a humane society from Hawaii. It seems excellent to read and follow their recommendations because... who else but humane societies to look after animals and pets.
http://www.hawaiianhumane.org/programs/petshousing/PDFs/pet_policies_buildings.pdf
RE your questions:
(1) You should at least ask a month of the year dedicated for updating pet records: veterinarian records of vaccinations, etc.
(2) New photos submitted and even personal inspections to make sure that the photo submitted corresponds to the pet in question.
(3) Fish tanks should be specified by size, not by number of fish. You will find through the internet equivalent weights per tank size. This is important for structural considerations.
(4) Did you know that certain diseases such as cat leukemia stays in the apartment two years after a cat has died? Therefore, a new owner of an apartment with a cat may inherit the disease from the prior owner. Thus, although not your business, may play in some instances considerations if you were to get vet records.
Good luck, but let me know where is your building as perhaps I will keep it out of my range. Although I like animals, I don't think a concentration of them in an apartment does any good for a building (just personal opinion).
AdC
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the exisitng pet owners are grandfathered in unless there are smell and sanitary issues that may violate healh codes in which case write them a letter FAST.
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