Service Animals and Companion Animals
A service animal is different from a companion or assistance animal. The service animal serves a specific purpose, like a guide dog for people with visual impairments. A companion animal or an assistance animal is one that could be a cat, dog, or any sort of animal. It provides emotional support for a person. These are different from pets, and they cannot be treated as pets.Refusing Pets vs. Companion Animals
A pet is simply a pet. While pets do provide emotional support, the tenant doesn’t need it for medical or emotional purposes. You can refuse to allow a tenant to have a pet. But if someone says they have a companion animal, you cannot discriminate. If your tenant or potential tenant has a companion animal, there are a few things you can do.Protecting Your Property
First, ask for certification. This might be something from a doctor or a document that says the tenant needs a companion animal. Once you have that documentation, you cannot charge pet rent or ask for a pet deposit. You cannot do certain other things, and keeping yourself within the law can get a little complicated. You have to remember that you will have your normal security deposit, and if the animal does create some damage that exceeds the money you have in your security deposit, you can go after the tenant for additional money to cover that damage.
Do some research on a companion animal and what your requirements are as a landlord. If you need help protecting yourself or complying with the laws, we can help you. Contact us at Richey Property Management if you’d like additional advice from a northern Virginia property manager.
