Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 12:03
I've been in the same apartment for four years and have long been considering getting a small dog. When I asked my landlord about it, he told me that he'd have no problem with me having a dog given my history with him but that if he allowed me a pet, he would have to allow all units in the building to have pets too (my unit is one of three in a small townhouse). He said that Massachusetts law requires the entire building to be pet-friendly, not just one unit. Now I'm looking at a new apartment that forbids pets in the lease but one of the three units has a dog (presumably with permission)... I'm wondering if I can bring this up when negotiating permission for a pet. Is my current landlord correct?
Discrimination regarding pets
I am not aware of any law or other restriction that would prevent a landlord from allowing pets in one unit while prohibiting them in another. It is a matter of contract law. If the lease or tenancy at will agreement says you cannot have a pet, then you cannot have a pet, even if someone else in the building does. Although he claimed to be citing MA law, your landlord may simply have been talking about human nature: If he decides to let only one tenant have a pet, he will have endless complaints from other tenants who think they would like a pet also. On the other hand, while a pet deposit is illegal in Massachusetts, many landlords might consider a negotiated compromise: Pay an addition X$ per month in rent, and you can have a pet.