Home Delivery

Animal Lovers vs. Landlords

Denise Flaim | Animal House

April 30, 2002

Article tools

E-mail

Share
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Facebook
- Fark
- Google
- Newsvine
- Reddit
- Yahoo

SOME TRADITIONALLY incompatible pairings - such as oil and vinegar, or cats and dogs - can actually integrate quite nicely, whether you're talking about a vinaigrette or a household.

So perhaps there is hope for another maligned duo: animals and apartments.

Any home hunter in an urban or suburban community knows that rental properties aren't typically animal friendly. Often, it's for understandable reasons, says Holly Hazard, executive director of the Doris Day Animal League, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., that lobbies on behalf of animal issues.

"People need to be sensitive to the reasons why the blanket prohibitions are in place," she says. Usually the blame lies with previous owners who left a soiled apartment or whose chronic squawker disturbed the peace. "A manager goes through that enough times with a transient situation, and enough's enough."

Denise Flaim Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

That said, there are some federal protections for animal lovers. The DDAL has a free publication titled "Best Friends for Life," created with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, that does a nice job of outlining them. (For a copy, call 202-546-1761 or e-mail info@ddal.org.)

Those who live in public housing have the strongest safeguards. Under the Urban-Rural Recovery Act, those living in federally assisted housing for the disabled or elderly are allowed to keep companion animals. Additionally, The Public Housing Reform Act extends that right to anyone living in public housing. (Keep in mind, however, that this does not apply to Section 8.)

But the booklet's real usefulness is in helping interpret the Fair Housing Amendments Act, which precludes landlords from discriminating against the disabled. Under the law, renters can argue for a "reasonable accommodation" to have an animal to help deal with a not-so-obvious disability. Such "emotional support" or "assistive" animals, the booklet suggests, can be of as much therapeutic value as a seeing-eye dog.

"We tend to think of a disability as something physical," Hazard explains. "But what is allowed under the law is more subtle than what people might think. This is not skirting the issue or attempting to use the law in a way it was not intended to be used. Having been abused and having the warmth and unconditional love of an animal can assist you in your recovery."

Unfortunately, the Fair Housing Amendments Act has exceptions, including buildings with four or fewer units, if one is occupied by the owner.

Even if the law leaves you a dollar short and a Dalmatian shy, the DDAL guide offers sensible solutions for persuading a landlord to make an exception for your animal, including offering to put up a large deposit or bond, or showcasing your animal's plus points in a resume with references.

Above all, says Hazard, don't sneak your critter in and hope to change the rules later, because you're just setting yourself up for heartbreak. Instead, "let management know you're not moving in because of that policy.

"Be reasonable," she adds. "I can't emphasize that enough. Don't go into an efficiency apartment and try to talk someone into letting you have four mastiffs."

As a side note, in anticipation of some irate e-mails, this column isn't meant as an endorsement of DDAL's overall agenda. Many reputable hobby breeders resent recent litigation by the DDAL that forces the USDA to enforce a policy that requires anyone who sells dogs to the public - even those that home-raise a litter once every two years - to be open to federal inspection.

Although Hazard bemoans the "misinformation out there" that makes it sound like her organization is out to "get" breeders, she does concede that purebred dogs, no matter who breeds them on what scale, pose an "ethical problem" when there are so many mixes that languish and die in shelters. Some people have a problem with that position. I know I do.

That said, the "Best Friends for Life" booklet is informative and free for the asking. Whether you then want to send these folks a donation is for you to decide.