Ask an Expert: Can my dog stay overnight in a no-pet building?

Yes and no, say our experts.

"No pets means no pets," says Roberta Axelrod, a real estate broker and asset manager at Time Equities who sits on many boards as a sponsor's representative.  "The only animals which are exempt are service animals, which are not considered pets."

That said, there are many co-ops that "will allow a visiting pet so long as arrangements are made prior to the pet's arrival -- i.e. you let management know what is going on," explains co-op and condo attorney Dean Roberts of Norris McLaughlin & Marcus.

Even if the building doesn't explicitly consent to a canine sleepover, you and your daughter may not have much to worry about, says Roberts.

"The majority of cooperative proprietary leases use the language 'will not harbor a pet,'" he explains. "However, the term 'harbor' is never defined and while technically the presence of a dog in the apartment overnight would be a breach of that provision, it is unlikely to be enforced. The more pertinent question is how often you plan to visit your daughter. If it is twice a week, then it is much more of an issue than if it is twice a year."

If your dog is unused to vertical living -- particularly behaving civilly in the close confines of an elevator –b e sure that you and your daughter have apartment or homeowner's insurance.