Defining whether a person is a guest of your tenants or an unauthorized tenant living in your rental property can be a very stressful situation without an easy answer. This week a landlord asks veteran landlord and property manager Hank Rossi this question. Hank has some short, quick advice on this one.
Dear Landlord Hank,
I had a unauthorized tenant move in to a building under the cloak of authorized tenants.
I did not notice when he moved in as an unauthorized tenant that he had a dog in a no-pet building.
Upon confronting the issue, the tenants said that I knew about him and his emotional support dog.
After days of crazy combative BS it was clear he was a stowaway. I was bullied and scared of the emotional support dog and the guest’s PTSD so I let him become authorized.
Now his dog and he are damaging the building and he lets his dog out to piss and poop on/near the A/C units and I fear those will be damaged as well. I am bullied and scared. I am not sure how to address this guy. The poor dog is bred to want to run and exercise but he is stuck in a little apt all day…ugh!
I asked for vet records and they are not the best records and training is not present. He did present an emotional support letter from a doctor and I called and verified it. I feel I have been legally hoodwinked. Any knowledge of a loop hole/legal knowledge for this?
-Landlord Cee
Dear Landlord Cee,
Please find an attorney that specializes in landlord/tenant law and seek council.
This is a complicated situation and I can’t begin to advise you.
Sorry.
Sincerely,
Hank Rossi
Here are related posts that may help:
Why You Need Exact Names Of Parties On The Lease
Dear Landlord Hank: Service Animals, Emotional Support Animals, Help!
About the author:
“I started in real estate as a child watching my father take care of our family rentals. We did maintenance, tenant relations, etc , in small town Ohio. As I grew, I was occasionally Dad’s assistant. In the mid-90s I decided to get into the rental business on my own, as a sideline. In 2001, I retired from my profession and only managed my own investments, for the next 10 years. Six years ago, my sister, working as a rental agent/property manager in Sarasota, Florida convinced me to try the Florida lifestyle. I gave it a try and never looked back. A few years ago we started our own real estate brokerage. We focus on property management and leasing. I continue to manage my real estate portfolio here in Florida and Atlanta. ” Visit Hank’s website here.
