renter’s guide - BC SPCArenter’s guide • Pet-Friendly Housing Overview • FAQ • Sample Pet Policy • Letter to Landlord from BC SPCA • Sample Pet Resume • Resume Template

renter’s guide

• Pet-FriendlyHousingOverview

• FAQ

• SamplePetPolicy

• LettertoLandlordfromBCSPCA

• SamplePetResume

• ResumeTemplate

• PetGuardianReferenceForm

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INTRODUCTION

TheBCSPCAbelievesthatifmorelandlordswereawareofthesignificantbenefitsofpet-friendlyhousing,theywouldbemoreinclinedtoofferit.TheBCSPCArecognizesboththeneedforpet-friendlyhousing,andforresponsibletenantswhoacknowledgetheprivilegeofhavingpetsintheirhomes.Wehavecreatedatoolkittohelprenterspreparetofindanewhomeanddiscussoptionswithcurrentornewlandlords.

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PET-FRIENDLY HOUSING OVERVIEW

THE PROBLEM

Pet-friendlyhousingisconsiderablylimitedinBritishColumbia.Land-lordsandstratascanchoosewhethertheywillpermitpets.Theycanalsorestrictthesizes,kindsornumberofpets.

WinstonthebeagleandPepinottheminiatureschnauzerwerenotac-ceptedatmosthousesandapartmentsinVancouver.ThesetwodogswereadoptedfromtheSPCAafterhavingbeenabandonedinanapart-mentonmovingday.Servingascompanionsforeachother,theirguard-iansagreedtopay$400morepermonthinordertohaveahomefortheirfamily.

BENEFITS OF PET-FRIENDLY HOUSING

Onemajoradvantagetolandlordsofferingpet-friendlyhousingisincreasedrentalincome.Peoplewithpetswillpaymoreforhousing:unitsthatlimitthetypeorsizeofpetstendtobecheaperthanthosewithoutrestrictionsby$100.Tenantswithpetsalsostaylonger—anaverageof46months,comparedto18monthsforpeoplewithoutpets.1Thissaveslandlordsfromhavingtospendtimeandmoneyfindingnew,reliabletenants.DatafromtheFIREPAWstudyalsoindicatesthereisnodiffer-enceindamagebetweentenantswithandwithoutpets.Anotherdirectbenefitisincreasedsecurity,aspetguardiansaretheeyesandearsoftheneighbour-hoodduringlate-nightandearly-morningdogwalks.Adogoftenstaysbehindtoprotectthehomewhenhisorherguardianisn’tthere.

Notallguardiansofdogsandcatscanaffordtopaymoretokeeptheirfamilymembers.Acrosstheprovince,about20%ofcompanionanimalssurrenderedbytheirguardiansareforalackofavailablepet-friendlyhousing.Thisrepresentsabout1,500petsyearly.

TheBCSPCAfrequentlyreceivescallsfromfrustratedpeopleunabletofindahometorentwiththeirpet.Almost80%ofBCresidentsfavourlegislationthatallowspetguardianstherighttokeepcompanionanimals,accordingtoa2008poll(McIntyre&Mustel).

PetguardiansalsofaceheavycompetitionforhousingduetoB.C.’slowvacancyrate.Limitedrentalstockmeanspetownersarewillingtopaymorethanrenterswhodonothavepets.

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Companionanimalshaveevengreaterbenefitstosocietyatlarge.Theyassistchildrenwithdevelop-mentoflanguageskills,empathy,responsibilityandself-esteem.Studieshavealsoshownthatcom-panionanimalshelpreducefeelingsofloneliness,anxietyandstress.Petresumesandreferencesareusefultoolsforscreeningtenantswithpetsandcanberequestedfromlandlordsconsideringatenantwithapet.

OWNER’S RIGHTS: PET DEPOSITS AND EVICTION

Alandlordmayrequireapetdamagedepositofuptohalfofonemonth’srenteitherwhentheten-anthasoneormorepetsatthestartofatenancy,orlaterwhenthetenantacquiresapetandthelandlord’srequiredagreementisobtained.Somepetinsurancecompanieshavethird-partypropertydamagecoverage.Petdamagedepositsaregenerallytreatedthesameassecuritydepositsandareusedtorepairanydamageleftbyapetattheendoftenancy.Alandlordmayrequireanadditionalpetpolicyasanaddendumtotherentalagreement.Thispack-agecontainsapetpolicythatcanbeusedtopromoteresponsibleguardianshipandpreventpotentialconflictsduringthetenancy.If,duringatenancy,alandlorddiscoversthatatenantisinviolationoftherentalagreement,awrit-tenwarningknownasa“breachletter”isissued.Theletterstatesthatthetenantmustcomplywiththerentalagreementbyaspecificdate,andthatfailuretodosowillresultineviction.Theprocessofterminatingatenancycannotbeginuntilthelandlordhasissuedthebreachletter.Forregulationssurroundingpets,visittheResidentialTenancyBranchwebsite:www.rto.gov.bc.ca

1FIREPAW,http://www.firepaw.org/CompanionAnimalRentersPetFriendly.pdf

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FAQ

Q. WHO MAKES THE DECISION TO ALLOW PETS IN RENTAL HOUSING?

A.Permissiontokeepapetisgrantedatthelandlord’sdiscretionandissubjecttothetenant’sstrictadherencetoallaspectsofthepetpolicy.Atenantwhowishestokeepapetwillfirstneedtoobtaintheirlandlord’sapproval.

Q. HOW CAN I GET A LANDLORD TO SAY “YES” TO ME AND MY PET?

A.Sometoolstogiveyouabetterchanceofsecuringpet-friendlyhousinginclude:preparingapetresumewithreferences,obediencetrainingcertificates,veterinarymedicalinsurance,andphotos.Manylandlordswillasktomeetyourpettohaveassuranceofyourabilitytobeagoodcaregiver.Somecompaniesprovidecoveragefordamagecausedbypets,andaletterdemonstrat-ingtolandlordsthatatenantisaresponsiblepetguardian(trysearchingfor“veterinarymedicalinsuranceforrenters”online).Approachingapotentiallandlordaboutpetscanbedifficult,butwiththerightsetoftoolsandthestoryofyourchallengesinfindingpet-friendlyhousing,land-lordswillbemorelikelytobecompassionatetoyourcircumstances.

Q. CAN A LANDLORD ASK FOR A PET DAMAGE DEPOSIT?

A.Yes,alandlordmayrequireapetdepositwhenthetenanthasapetatthestartoftenancy,orlaterwhenthetenantacquiresapet.

Q. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A PET DAMAGE DEPOSIT?

A.Petdepositsareusedtorepairanydamageleftbyapetattheendofatenancy.Alandlordisnotallowedtoautomaticallykeepallorpartofthedepositattheendofthetenancy.Ensurethatyoudoathoroughwalk-throughtoassesswhethertherehasbeenanydamagecausedbyprevioustenants’pets.

Q. HOW MUCH CAN A LANDLORD CHARGE FOR A PET DAMAGE DEPOSIT?

A.Landlordscanchargeaone-timedepositofuptohalfofonemonth’srent,regardlessofthenumberofpetsatenanthas.Thisdepositisinadditiontothenormalsecuritydeposit.

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FAQ

Q. IS THE PET DEPOSIT RULE RETROACTIVE?

A.TheResidentialTenancyActwasamendedin2004toallowlandlordstochargeapetdepositfee;therulewasnotretroactiveanddoesnotapplytotenantswithpetspriortotheamendment.

Q. WHAT IF THE TENANCY AGREEMENT IS SILENT ON PETS?

A.Ifatenancyagreementdoesnotaddresspets,thelandlordcannotrequireapetdeposit.

Q. HOW OFTEN DURING TENANCY CAN A LANDLORD INSPECT A PET-FRIENDLY UNIT?

A.Oncepermonth,inordertoassesstheconditionoftheunit.Youcouldevenofferaproba-tionaryperiod,whereyourlandlordchecksmorefrequentlyforthefirstmonthorso.

Q. CAN LANDLORDS RESTRICT THE SIZE, KIND OR NUMBER OF PETS?

A.Yes,thisshouldbeoutlinedinthepetpolicyandwillvarybylandlord.

Q. WHERE CAN I FIND A LIST OF PET-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION IN B.C.?

A.Manyhousingsearchenginespermityoutosearchforplacesthatarepetfriendly.Considerthatevenwhereonlinealandlordadvertisesnopets,theymaybeopentoitifyouprovideare-sumeandreferencesforyourpet.

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RENTAL UNIT PET POLICY

1.Thetenantmayhavethefollowingdescribedpet(s)inthetenant’srentalunit,subjecttothetermsandconditionswithinthisAgreementandinaccordancewithclause18ofthetenancyagreement.Shouldthetenantnolongerownthesepet(s),thisAgreementautomaticallyends.Intheeventthatthetenantacquiresanotherpet,anewAgreementwillbeenteredinto.

DescriptionofPet(s)-species,breed(s)ifknown,name,color(s),age,permanentID#:

This Agreement forms part of the current Tenancy Agreement between the landlord and the tenant. Failure

by the tenant to comply with any of the following terms and conditions will be considered a breach of a ma-

terial term of that Tenancy Agreement and may result in the Landlord requiring the tenant to permanently

remove the pet(s) from the residential property and/or issuing a Notice to End a Residential Tenancy.

2. Alldogs,catsandrabbitsmustbespayedorneutered.Acopyofadocumentcertifyingthatthesepet(s)areneuteredorspayedmustbeprovidedtotheLandlord.Ifthereisanageormedicalreasonthepet(s)can-notbeneuteredorspayed,pleaseprovideexplanationinwritingbyaveterinarian.Failuretodosowithin14daysfollowingthedatebelowwillnullifythisAgreementandthetenantwillnotbepermittedtokeepthesepet(s),pursuanttoclause18oftheTenancyAgreement.

3. Allpet(s)mustbelicensedorregisteredannuallyinaccordancewithanyexistingmunicipalbylaw.

4.Alldogs,catsandrabbitsmusthavepermanentidentificationintheformofatattooormicrochip.

5.Pet(s)mustbeonaleashandundercontrolorinasecurecageatalltimeswhenoutsideofthetenant’srentalunitandinbuildingcommonareas.

6. Thetenantwillpickupthepets’wasteimmediatelyfromanyareaontheresidentialproperty,includinganyareaconsideredpartofthetenant’srentalunit.

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8.Thetenantwillmaintainaregularf leacontrolandvaccinationprogramappropriatetothetypeofpet.Shouldf leainfestationfromthesepet(s)occurintherentalunitorontheresidentialproperty,thelandlordmayrequirethetenanttohavethecarpetsshampooedandtherentalunitde-f leaedatanytime.Failurebythetenanttoactpromptlyonthelandlord’srequestwillbeabreachofthisAgreement.Shouldf leainfesta-tionattributabletothetenant’spet(s)occursubsequenttothetenancy,thelandlordmayseekcompensationfromthetenantforthesubsequentf learemovaltreatment.

9.Thetenantwillactinaccordancewiththemunicipalnoisebylaw.Ifthetenant’spetisdisturbingthequietenjoymentofothers,thetenantwillremediatetheproblemthroughworkwithapettrainer,behaviour-ist,daycare,orsitter/walker.

10. Thetenantmustensurethatallpet(s)arekeptwell-groomed,inparticularthatthenailsofdogsandcatsarekepttrimmedtopotentiallimitnoiseanddamagerelatedtopacingandscratching.

11. Thepet(s)mustnotbeleftintherentalunitifthetenantwillbeabsentfromtherentalunitforanextendedperiodoftime.Ifthepet(s)areleftinthecareofanalternatecaregiverintheunit,thenameandtelephonenumberforthecaregivermustbeprovidedtothelandlordorpropertymanager.

12.Prohibitedorrestrictedexoticanimals,asdefinedbytheB.C.WildlifeActControlledAlienSpe-ciesRegulationarenotpermittedaspets.

7. Pursuanttoclause18oftheTenancyAgreement,thetenantisresponsibleforanyandalldamagescausedbythepet(s).Thisincludes,butisnotlimitedto,damagetothewalls,f loors,carpets,linoleum,bathtub,drapes/blinds,patioorbalcony.

Tenant Signature Date

Property Manager Signature Date

Note. This Pet Policy is intended as a general guide to assist landlords and tenants develop and implement rules regarding pets

in rental housing. Although this policy will accommodate the needs and concerns of most parties, we encourage you to expand

or modify it to fit your individual circumstances

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Dear property owner, EachyearattheBCSPCA,over1,500 pets are surrendered due to a lack of available pet-friendly housing.Theseaccountfor~20%ofallanimalssurrenderedbyownerstotheBCSPCA.Thesenumbersdonotaccountforthethousandsofpets,oftencats,thatareabandonedintothestreetsorleftintheapartmentbytheirpreviousownerswhowereunabletofindmoreaffordablepetfriendlyhousing. Onemajoradvantagetolandlordsofferingpet-friendlyhousingisincreasedrentalincome.A2003studyof103propertyownersand120tenantsonthesubjectofPet-FriendlyHousing(FIREPAW,publishedinAnthrozoos)generateddatathatdemonstratesafewkeyfindings.Peoplewithpetswillpaymoreforhousing:unitsthatlimitthetypeorsizeofpetstendtobecheaperthanthosewithoutrestrictionsby$100.Tenantswithpetsalsostaylonger—anaverageof46months,comparedto18monthsforpeoplewithoutpets.Thissaveslandlordsfromhavingtospendtimeandmoneyfindingnew,reliabletenants.DatafromtheFIREPAWstudyalsoindicatesthereisnodifferenceindamagebetweentenantswithandwithoutpets.Anotherdirectbenefitisincreasedsecurity,aspetguardiansaretheeyesandearsoftheneighbour-hoodduringlate-nightandearly-morningdogwalks.Adogoftenstaysbehindtoprotectthehomewhenhisorherguardianisn’tthere. Petsalsohaveprovenphysiological,psychological,andsocialbenefitstohumans.AreviewofthebenefitsproducedbyPawsSFin2007showsthatdogownershipslowsheartrates,decreasesriskforcardiovasculardisease,anddecreasesbloodpressure.Studiesalsofoundincreaseddopamineandendorphinsanddecreasedcortisol(astresshormone)followingtimespentwithadog.Chil-drenwhoareintroducedtopetsatanearlyagehavefewerallergies,asthma,andwheezingandlessfrequentillnesses. Subjectsrecoveringfromgrievingwhohadpetsreportedlowermedicationuseandlessdepression.Femalepet-ownerswhohavesufferedphysicalabusereportedpetsasanimportantsourceofemo-tionalsupport.Thesebenefitsaffectpeopleofallagesandfromallwalksoflife,demonstratedbytherealitythatoverfiftypercentofthepopulationhaspets.Discriminatingagainstapossibletenantbasedontheir

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positiverelationshipwiththeirpetcreatesadditionalstressforallinvolved.Conversely,whenhous-ingandcommunityenvironmentsaresupportiveofanimalownership,ithasbeenfoundthatthehuman-animalrelationshipisstrengthened(O’Haire,2009).Willyouconsiderhelpingendthepet-housingcrisisbyprovidinghousingtoaresponsiblepetguardian?Withapetpolicyinplace,boththelandlordandthetenantcanreapthebenefitsofpetguardianship.

WE RECOMMEND A PET POLICY:

• Permitthesameamountofpetsasregulatedbythemunicipality.• Encouragepetguardianstospayorneutertheirpets,asevidencehasshownthatthiscanreduce

conflictandaggression.• Mandateannuallicensingwiththemunicipality.• Mandatepermanentidentificationforcats,dogs,andrabbits.• Requireonleashinallcommonareas.• Mandateallwasteincommonareasbeimmediatelyremovedandtheareacleaned.• Ensurealldamageisrepairedbythetenant.• Mandatevaccinationandf leacontrolprogramappropriatetothetypeofpet.• Ensureallnoiseissuesareremediatedbypetguardiansprovidingtheirpetswithregularexercise

andtheuseofdogwalkersordaycaresfordogswhoexperienceanxietybeingleftaloneduringtheday.

• Mandateregulargroomingandnailtrimmingtolimitthesoundofscratchingonthef loors.• Ensuretheinformationofacaregiverisavailabletothepropertyownershouldtheguardianbe

awayforanextendedperiodoftime.• ProhibitexoticanimalsinlinewithB.C.’sControlledAlienSpeciesRegulation.

Apetpolicyisavailableatwww.spca.bc.ca/petfriendlyhousing.AnimalsinBritishColumbia’ssheltersarerelyingonyoutomakethehousingstockavailablesothattheycanhavealong-lastingplacetocallhome.Pleasedonothesitatetocontactusdirectlywithanyquestionsorconcerns,ortoaccessourre-sourcestomakehousingpetsapositiveexperienceforallinvolved.Thankyoufordoingyourparttorealizethepositivebenefitsofpetsandensuretheirplaceinyourcommunity!Kindregards,

[email protected]

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sample pet resume of fluffyTENANT INFORMATION

TenantName:

Address:

Telephone:

AboutTenant:

TenantReferences:

ANIMAL INFORMATION

About:

Education/Training:

Experience:

Health:

Grooming:

Interest:

SpecialAchievements:

LibbyMalone

1243PawsSt,Burnaby,B.CV3E28H

604-345-9395

Fluffyisasevenyearold,60poundChowChow/Germanshepherdmixthatgetsalongwellwithotherdogs.

GoodDogTraining:604-555-4524HealthyPetVet:778-555-6549

Mr.FormerLandlord:778-555-6549

Fluffyisa60-pound,seven-year-oldspayedfemaleChowChow/Germanshep-herdmixwhogetsalongwellwithotherdogsandpeople.Sheisquiet,house-trained,andobedient.Fluffyisrespectfulofcats.

Fluffyknowsbothhandsignalsandverbalcommands.Shecomeswhensheiscalled,walkswellonaleashandhasgraduatedfrombeginnerandintermedi-ateobedienceclasses.

Fluffyisacalm,well-adjusteddogwhoisusedtobeingaloneinasmallapartmentwhenherguardiansareawayatwork.Sheonlybarkswhenshehearssomeoneatthedoororonoccasionswhentherearefireworksinthevicinity,suchasonHalloween.

Fluffytakesallergymedicationdaily,andfleapreventionmedication.Otherwise,sheisinoptimumhealthandgoesforregularannualcheckupswiththeveterinariantoensuresheisuptodateonallhervaccinations,includingrabiesandkennelcough.

Fluffy’sbreedrequiresthatsheisbrushedregularlytopreventexcess,uncontrollablesheddingaroundthehouse.Furthatisremovedisalwaysneatlydisposedofinthegarbage.

Fluffyenjoysthreewalksadayduringtheweek,andevenmoreonweekendswhenherguardianscantakeherhikingortothebeach.

Fluffygivesbloodtohelpotheranimalsinneedandisacompanionvisitoratalocalseniors’home.Fluffy’sdoglicenseisuptodate.

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RESUME OF

TENANT INFORMATION

TenantName:

Address:

Telephone:

AboutTenant:

TenantReferences:

ANIMAL INFORMATION

About:

Education/Training:

Experience:

Health:

Grooming:

Interest:

SpecialAchievements:

IMAGEHERE

Veterinarian:TrainerorDaycare:

FormerLandlordorRoommate:

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Pet Reference FormINFORMATION

Tenant(s)

RefereeName Relationship

ContactNumberoremailaddress(forreferencecontactuseonly)

Pet name(s) and species:

How long have you known the pet or pet’s guardian?

In what capacity have you known the pet or pet’s guardian? (Landlord, etc.)

Has the pet cause any damage that you were aware of? Yes No

If so, how did the pet’s guardian respond?

Would you recommend the pet for tenancy? Why or why not?

Do you have any other comments?

Signature Date