If I have been renting the house I live infor over 5 1/2 years andI paid an extra amount to own a dog, can my landlord now make me get rif of my dog?
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If I have been renting the house I live infor over 5 1/2 years andI paid an extra amount to own a dog, can my landlord now make me get rif of my dog?
My lease says I can have a dog. However, now my landlady says I must get rid of my dog because her insurance company won’t insure the house because I have what they say is a Pitbull. Actually a Chow Chow mixed with Pit. Can she make me get rid of my dog or move?
Asked on January 18, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Alabama
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Whether or not your landlord can legally have you get rid of your pet after having lived at the unit for more than 5 years depends upon what the written lease agreement states assuming you have one. Read the lease agreement carefully in that it contains the obligations owed to you by the landlord and vice versa in the absence of conflicting state law.
If the lease makes no restrictions on pets being allowed in the rental with respect to insurance issues, then you should be entitled contractually to have the pet remain so long as the pet does not engage in bad behavior.
The concern to be aware of is that if your lease is a month-to-month lease or will soon end, you landlord can terminate it. One way to resolve the situation is for you to get liability insurance for your dog naming the landlord under the policy as an additional insured. This possible solution might solve the problem for you and the landlord concerning the pet issue that you have written about.
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