They have a CAT!

I went out to my rental the other day to do the lawns and when I arrived a saw a cat inside asleep comfortably on the carpet with the curtain half wrapped around itself!
A cat was not part of the agreement whatsoever, I strictly said to the PM no cats, however they had a dog which i said was OK (I hope this isnt discrimination against cats?).
Would you guys just keep this one up your sleeve for when the tenants have a bone to pick with me, or would hop on the front foot now? Maybe a rental increase is justified???
They have been good tenants for 4 months.
Cheers
 
Sorry, in this situation I'm not sure there is much you can do. Pets are a grey area at best. But by saying "you can have a dog, but not a cat" it greys it up even more. Let them know you know about the cat and make sure they sign something saying they will get the carpets, etc treated at the end of lease if they haven't done so already.
 
I don't have any advice but wanted to share that we had a similar problem.

We just changed PMs and after the new one did their appraisal etc they came back to us telling us about this and that and said "the lawn is quite patchy due to the large dog". My reply was "huh what dog?!". I am not sure if the previous Pm's knew about the dog or not (as we have found out just how bad they actually were at managing our property). The annoying part is we most likely would have allowed the dog had they asked as the backyard is quite big and no fancy garden or anything that it could ruin. We are just ticked off that they never actually asked and its clear the dog is still a puppy so was definitely acquired after they moved in. We have asked our new Pm's to have something written down and signed by them about the dog living there. Makes you wonder what else they are hiding!
 
they may of asked and the pm didn't pass it on Cath. That happened when we were renting, we asked permission, got told "yeah sure" by the REA and then the LL turned around at the end of the lease claiming to never have been told. (mind you whether the REA passed the info on or not, the LL did know about the animals, he walked past our place every morning and had a sticky beak - but that's another story). ;)
 
Don't stress! One little cat is no big deal. Just let them know that you know they have it and that you expect them to have the place sprayed for pests at the end of the tenacy.
 
Ahhh! The cat vs dog argument again :D

Wouldn't stress - IF the cat's well looked after (and it sound like it if it was sleeping like you describe!) they do NOT:

Wee or poo on carpet (provided a tray full of litter is provided) - so while you can specifiy deodorising in a lease, it's probably not even necessary for cats.

Destroy gardens (well, not to the same extent as dogs/kids)

May scratch timber work etc (if a scratching post isn't provided) but if you've ever had kids or a big dog running around the house....

The only extra cleaning (depending on the type of cat) is for cat fur on carpets and drapes.

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
The only extra cleaning (depending on the type of cat) is for cat fur on carpets and drapes.
My cat sleeps on top of a suitcase on top of our wardrobe (safe from babies up there).

Sometimes I look at the suitcase. It is almost indistinguishable from the cat itself, it is so hairy :eek:

Otherwise she's great, she caught 4 mice last night and ate them all 100% so not a drop of blood or guts on the carpet.
 
mice last night and ate them all 100% so not a drop of blood or guts on the carpet.

Try feed in the poor thing occasionally!

Do you make your kids hunt and forrage for food as well?

There are ways to save money, but not feeding the poor old moggie .. heavens forbid!

cheers

RightValue :)

To the OP: A cat will do less damage than a child .. make sure in when you next lease out your property you forbid the tenants to get pregnant as well as forbid them to get a cat.
 
Thanks all, its not a real serious matter, its just that I hate cats! Well most of them anyway. My mother has one which is inbred (i think) and its a nut case and has ******** all through the garage to the point where you cant even go in there. I guess I will just eyeball, or should I say nostril the place to make sure it doesnt reek of cat pee otherwise the tenants will be paying for extra cleaning and deodorising...
Cheers
 
...its a nut case and has ******** all through the garage to the point where you cant even go in there.


That's a sign of a stressed cat or there is some seriousl territorial issue going on (is it desexed?). Cat's are quite fastiduous about cleanliness. Has it got a clean kitty litter tray to do it's business into? (yes, they are fussy to the extent they won't use a dirty toilet)

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
Some people just do what they want

I went out to my rental the other day to do the lawns and when I arrived a saw a cat inside asleep comfortably on the carpet with the curtain half wrapped around itself!
A cat was not part of the agreement whatsoever, I strictly said to the PM no cats, however they had a dog which i said was OK (I hope this isnt discrimination against cats?).
Would you guys just keep this one up your sleeve for when the tenants have a bone to pick with me, or would hop on the front foot now? Maybe a rental increase is justified???
They have been good tenants for 4 months.
Cheers


Brettus
Have a look at your lease, discuss with PM. Now you have a reason for putting up the rent!


On another note...

Hubby's nephew and wife moved into a rental - strictly no animals, they were told, it is written in their lease. Their cousin is the PM.

Within a month of moving in they had purchased a dog which sleeps inside!:eek:

I can't figure it out, as they are very church abiding people who do voluntary work.:confused:


BTW
Our IP house tenants are allowed an outside dog (it is inside frequently), this house has tiles everywhere except the bedrooms.

Our duplex unit tenants are not allowed animals as the unit is fully carpeted.


Regards
Sheryn
 
There's nothing in the Act that says that a tenant can't have a pet.
The PM can send a Breach of Duty notice to the tenants, however if the matter was to go further and you decided to take the tenants to VCAT - unless you could prove that the cat was a nuisance or causing damage, VCAT would most likely dismiss the case.
My advise to you would be to let this one slide. As long as the cat isn't doing any damage and have the tenants sign a "pet clause" for the cat that states if any damage is done to the property by the cat the tenants will pay to have the damages repaired.
 
Hubby's nephew and wife moved into a rental - strictly no animals, they were told, it is written in their lease. Their cousin is the PM.

Within a month of moving in they had purchased a dog which sleeps inside!:eek:

I can't figure it out, as they are very church abiding people who do voluntary work.:confused:

To many dog owners, the dog is not an "animal" or "pet" - they are apparently "family members" :)

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
There's nothing in the Act that says that a tenant can't have a pet.

This is the thing that a lot of new investors forget. The house might belong to you, but to the tenant, it is their home. A tenant has the right to the quiet enjoyment of their home and this would include the company of a companion animal in many cases.

Admitedly, you have a right to make waves if the property is unsuitable for the animal, or the number of animals is inappropriate, or they are neglected, or are doing damage to a property, etc.

Many times I would rather a couple of pets than a couple of ferral kids.
 
Many times I would rather a couple of pets than a couple of ferral kids.

I completely agree with this as I have both dog, cat and a toddler and I know which i would prefer living in my property!

they may of asked and the pm didn't pass it on Cath. That happened when we were renting, we asked permission, got told "yeah sure" by the REA and then the LL turned around at the end of the lease claiming to never have been told. (mind you whether the REA passed the info on or not, the LL did know about the animals, he walked past our place every morning and had a sticky beak - but that's another story). ;)

I had thought this may have been the case due to other issues with the previous pm so did not make a big deal about it, plus there a number of other things that they have done that I am more concerned about which will probably result in them being kicked out, so really the dog isn't much of an issue. Just annoyed I did not know about it.
 
Make sure you get your PM (or you if you are self managing) to keep an eye on the flyscreens if you have them. We have had two houses now with screens ripped up by cats. At first the damage is hardly noticable and if the tenants keep the curtains closed at inspection they can be easily overlooked, but over time the damage can be quite substantial. The house we are living in now needs every screen replaced because of the previous owners cats. We must get around to that one day. :rolleyes:
 
Thanks all, its not a real serious matter, its just that I hate cats! Well most of them anyway. My mother has one which is inbred (i think) and its a nut case and has ******** all through the garage to the point where you cant even go in there. I guess I will just eyeball, or should I say nostril the place to make sure it doesnt reek of cat pee otherwise the tenants will be paying for extra cleaning and deodorising...
Cheers

So wait...you're generalising all cat owners are the same becase your family member isn't a responsilbe cat owner? Interesting.
I personally would be more dissapointed at the lack of communication between tenants/PM/myself than care about an animal which could be a well loved pet.
 
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