Bunny-lease

[Lili]

Hey everyone, 

So after a lot of searching and rejected applications  I’ve managing to find an apartment that is happy to have sally  

Having her come with me was 100% a deal breaker on moving and I really really didn’t want to hide her but I was starting to consider that option…

Anyway I’ve seen a couple of threads on here about renting with bunnies and I was just wondering how those agreements are written/worded. I’m a little concerned that the agent has underestimated the size of Sally and her ‘cage’ and I want something in writing just in case. 

The wording I used on my application form was that she is a ‘fully de-sexed, vaccinated, micro-chipped and toilet trained rabbit who is kept contained’ 

Do you guys think that a puppy-pen will meet the requirements of a ‘cage’ if that’s the term they choose to use is the lease? Alternatively she has a hutch, but given it’s large size I’m not sure if it’s what most people think of a standard rabbit ‘cage’  (It is technically marketed as a chicken coop )   

I’m not even certain that they’re going to put it in writing anywhere on the lease, does my copy of my rental application give me any protection? 

If anyone has an experience with this I’d love to hear from you. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I found one online here
http://www.cplea.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SamplePetAgreement.pdf

I would make SURE you video the apartment when you take possession/do your walk through (this goes for non-pet owners too-you want your deposit back) and video when you do your walk through when you leave. Protect yourself no matter how nice they seem.

Ensure your agreement states you get your deposit back when you meet the conditions (i.e. turn in keys etc)

Do NOT agree to unscheduled checks by your landlord-don’t agree to waive any right that you have given local laws.

Don’t offer things-just because you want to prove you are a good owner, you don’t need to offer up that you’ll always have your rabbit in his cage! If they don’t ask, don’t put it in writing. You may want your bunny to be free roam, and you are setting yourself up for trouble if you promise never to do that.
Protect yourself and give as little in the way of promises as you need to

Make sure everything is clear as clear can be, and your rights are protected. No matter how nice they seem, trust me it’s a different ball game when you leave a place -I’ve only rented twice and I got my deposit back in full both times!

[Lili]

Thanks for the advice.

A video is a great idea, I normally do photos but it can be a little tricky when you need to take sooooo many and keep track of which wall scratch photo is which.

Getting deposits back sure is a challenge, good work getting your’s back twice. I’ve learnt the hard way that a lot of niceness seems to disappear the second the lease is signed and rent money’s been handed over, last agent was a nightmare. Thankfully he was also incredibly lazy so nothing got fixed but also no inspections either.

Yeah I’ve been looking for ages and originally I thought that explaining how I’m a responsible owner, that Sally get’s excellent vet care and is very clean ect would be the best way to go but apparently not. No agents nor landlords seem to have any interest in the welfare of pets on their property, people were more concerned that I was a bit crazy for ‘bothering’ to have a rabbit desexed or microchipped…..

One agent excitedly showed me a ‘spot’ that she could apparently stay in, it was a hole in an external wall, literally a smaller than sally-sized hole.

Thanks for the link, it gives me a good idea of what to look for in the lease when I go into pick up the keys.

[Azerane]

I think my pet agreement is shorter than that and really only has one page (like the first one in that sample). It is so much easier having the pet be accepted, fortunately last time we moved we kept the same agent for our rental because she had another property available at the time we had to move out.

[ScooterandAnnette]

Depending on your jurisdiction, there can be reasonable allowances for wear and tear. When we were in rental house in Edmonton (which KokaneeandKaluha may remember as she was in it), we had our bunnies explicitly written into the lease when we got them. (We just said “rabbit”. No qualifier words about altering, vaccinated, etc.) There was some tear-up of the carpets, but that was considered reasonable wear for the 3 years we were there with the buns. Of course, the landlord attempted to reverse that afterwards to get us to pay for renovations, but he had already signed off on the check-out list and we made it clear then that we’d sue him and win….

That having been said, taking photos and video of the place before you move in will save a lot of hassle later.

And do look up and keep a copy of the leasing rules for your state/province (plus any local government rules) along with your copy of the lease in a safe location e.g., safebox or safe deposit box. Update with each lease renewal as things can and do change.

[drwil]

I agree with Kokaneeandkahlua there should not be spot checks. In most places once you rent a place the owner cannot come in uninvited except for emergencies such as broken water pipes and the like.

Usually “cage” pets such as birds, rabbits, sugar gliders and the like are considered less risk than larger animals. Pet stores have animal repellent you can spray on the baseboards and anything else a bunny would chew so you can start training the bunny not to chew.

If bunny has to stay in the cage a lot you can get a large chicken enclosure. Our inside rabbit has a 2 meter by 2 meter space. Linoleum underneath. Got it at hayneedle.com.

Good luck!

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