Do we have to pay a pet deposit that was required after we signed the rental agreement?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Do we have to pay a pet deposit that was required after we signed the rental agreement?
My friend and I recently moved in to an apartment. We mentioned on both of our applications that we would have cats with us and we specifically asked the landlady if there would be a pet deposit. She said there wouldn’t be and there was no pet fee on the agreement/lease form that we signed. It was two or three weeks later when we found an envelope attached to our door with a form for a pet deposit. Do we have to pay it?
Asked on October 10, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Oregon
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The lease is a contract between landlord and tenant. Since the pet deposit was not required when you signed the lease, you do not have to pay it at this time. However, when the lease is up, the landlord can change the terms of the lease upon proper notice to you and you would be bound by the new terms such as a pet deposit when renewing the lease. If your lease is month-to-month, the landlord could change the terms and require a pet deposit provided that you are given thirty days written notice of this change of terms.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.