Renting to pet owners can be a rewarding part of the landlord experience. Not only is there potential for more money thanks to pet deposits and pet rent, but you’ll also increase the happiness of your renters and increase the chance of a lease renewal. However, not all renters leave your property in the best circumstances, and pet-owning renters are no different. In a worst case scenario, renters may even leave a pet behind when their lease is up.
It doesn’t matter whether your renter left in an amicable way or their lease ended in an eviction, there’s no excuse for leaving behind a pet, and it’s especially awful to leave them for someone else to find. If you find yourself in this awful scenario, here’s how to handle an abandoned pet in your property.
Why Did Your Tenant Leave Their Pet?
Your tenant may have left behind a pet for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they’re moving to a place that doesn’t allow pets, perhaps they were moving long distance and didn’t think they could bring the pet. No reason warrants abandoning an innocent animal, but sometimes it can help to understand the situation before you act irrationally.
What to Do If You Find a Pet
Abandoned pets are handled differently than abandoned property. You can’t wait seven to 10 days for the tenant to pick up the pet the way you would a piece of furniture; you’ll need to deal with the situation immediately and responsibly.
Contact your tenant
Call, text, and email your tenant to let them know you found their pet. Use every method of communication you have with the person to get ahold of them — even social media.
You want to make sure they really did abandon it before you take further action. If they have moved out and are now ignoring your attempts at contacting them, you can proceed with the next steps.
Proceed with caution
Chances are the animal is scared, confused, and maybe even sick. A scared animal is an unpredictable one. Even if you have pets of your own and think you know how to handle them, an abandoned, frightened animal might behave unpredictably, so don’t take any risks.
Enter the unit slowly and use a soothing, reassuring voice to try and keep the pet calm. You want to try and assure the animal that you’re not there to harm it. If it makes any aggressive movements or displays any territorial behavior, back away.
If possible, lure it into a room or a crate with food and water, and then call a rescue group if possible. There’s a greater likelihood the animal will be taken to a no-kill shelter or a foster home after it receives any necessary medical care. If you can’t get ahold of a rescue group, you can always call animal control or your local humane society.
File a report
Whether you want animal control or the humane society to take the animal or whether you want deal with the pet yourself, you still need to report what happened. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have animal cruelty laws. Abandonment usually falls under the definition of animal cruelty and is a punishable offense by fines and/or imprisonment.
Bring the animal to a safe place
If you’re dealing with a big dog or any animal you’re unsure about, wait for animal control to pick it up. If you feel as if you can safely transport the animal, bring it to a shelter of your choice. Research your area to find a no-kill shelter or a rescue agency that can work to find the animal a new home.
Give the agency or shelter your tenant’s name and contact information in case the tenant decides to pick up their pet. You should also contact your tenant to inform them of the pet’s location.
Return to your rental and post a note or some type of signage on or near the entrance of your property stating where the pet is in case the tenant has changed their contact information and returns to the unit for the pet.
If you choose to take the pet to your own home or know someone who wants to adopt it, consider bringing the animal to a veterinarian’s office for a checkup. Again, an abandoned animal could be sick, malnourished, or have another issue that may have resulted from their neglect. You’ll most likely have to pay for any treatment or checkup out of your own pocket.
If you bring the animal home, patience is key. They may be startled, scared, and untrusting of another person. If you already have a pet(s), introduce this new addition slowly. Keep the new pet in a separate room or crate until the other animals can get used to their presence.
Above All Else, Save the Animal
If you’re sure your tenant has abandoned the pet or if they have ignored all attempts at communication, it’s your responsibility to save the pet. Not only as a landlord, but as a compassionate person, especially if you can see that the pet is in bad shape. Ignoring such a dire situation is not an option.
Just make sure you let the tenant know what you’ve done with the pet. If you have extensive expenses related to the care of the pet, and your tenant refuses to reimburse you, you might want to consider suing the tenant in small claims court. It could dissuade them from doing it again.
Pets can be tough. But there’s no excuse for your tenants (or you!) to leave behind an innocent animal. If you find yourself in the role of rescuer, be patient with the animal, be kind, and who knows, you may find yourself with a loving new pet you didn’t expect!
Finally in order to avoid this is the future be sure to screen your tenants. Apartments.com makes it easy to screen tenants, get the information you need, and find a qualified renter fast. Unlike our competitors, who use various third-party resources to collect information, we partner with TransUnion to provide you with screening reports for evictions, credit, and criminal history. Another feature you’ll find only on Apartments.com is support for co-signers, guarantors, and co-applicants. If you need more information to make a decision, you can request supporting documents from potential tenants directly on our platform. Get all the information you need to find the right tenant quickly and easily.
