Pets and Apartments

[fla_freethinker]

I've never rented and will buy pets soon. What are the basic pet requirements for the AVERAGE apartment? Can I have both a cat and a dog? What percentage of apartments can you guess allow pets? Is there an ample supply near the UCF campus, or will I more than likely have one a little further from campus? Is there usually a pet fee. Is it one time

Comments

[marlo_yearight]

most places if they allow pets will allow a small one, usually under 20-30 pounds. There is almost always a one time fee, that sometimes you get back at the end of your lease, and a lot of places also require an extra monthly fee.

[fla_freethinker]

Thanks for your help.

[frogstomper95]

yes, i would say the majority of places allow pets. usually never more than 2. there's also restrictions on weight and breed. pet fees (in my opionion) are outragous (especially for cats which dont cause any damage). the fees usually range from $300-$500. sometimes an additional fee for the second pet. usually its a one time fee up front, but there can also be an additional monthly fee. i even believe some places allow you to split up the fee into the first 6 months or something like that.

i think pet fees are rediculous. they dont charge extra for children, and they cause WAY more damage. i have two cats, but i only tell them about one, because i think its unfair how much they charge and its very unlikely they'll ever find out i have two.

[fla_freethinker]

they don't charge extra for children, and they cause WAY more damage.

This is funny. :)

Oh, thanks for your help.

Do you think I could get away with not telling them about a pet at all? Would they know? Hell, if I have a cat, who else is going to know but me? On another note, I might get a dog and a cat, so I could just them them I have a dog, right?

[deutsch_hokie]

I wouldn't attempt to keep your pet a secret, if for some reason they discover him/her you'll most likely have to give the pet away or even worse get evicted for violating your lease terms. In my mind the pet fee is worth not having the stress of wondering if you'll be found out.

Back in VA when I adopted my dog I was in the process of moving out of my old apartment and into a house, so I opted to not mention the dog would be there for 1 week... needless to say that was a mistake.

[fla_freethinker]

Good call. Yeah, it's probably not worth it, but I always try to look for loopholes in any law. Just my personality :)

[deutsch_hokie]

I moved down here from out of state at the beginning of the year and while looking for an apartment one of my requirements was dog friendly. I had no problem finding places that allowed pets, but most had a weight limit of 35 lbs and no more than 2 pets. I was eventually able to find a place that had no weight limit so my large (80+ lbs) dog can come live with me. The pet fee is $500, $250 of which is refundable.

You shouldn't have any trouble finding a place that allows dogs and/or cats but just make sure you get their pet policy in writing before you sign any lease; especially of you're not getting the animals until after you move in.

Good Luck!

[fla_freethinker]

Best response I've gotten. Just wanted to know how easy it would be to find an apt and you answered that. You wouldn't happen to know about the area surrounding UCF, would you? I see you don't go there, but was wondering if during your research you found some places in that area.

[deutsch_hokie]

since I moved down here for a job I focused my serach for housing near the office. I work in Maitland, so I didn't even try and loook out by UCF for housing. Part of the reason also being that I had no intention of living in or near "college" apartments.

I did all of my searching on Rent.com primarily with a little help from future co-workers as far as areas to avoid. You can easily search for pet friendly places there.

[fla_freethinker]

Thanks again.

[stifledstar]

It seems to me that about 75% of complexes allow pets, but most do have weight/size/breed restrictions. Most places also limit you to a max of 2 pets per apartment (cats or dogs or one of each). Some places have a one time fee (mine was only $200 per pet, but I have seen other places charge up to $500-600 per pet) and others charge a $25/month "pet rent" instead. Most places list their policy/fee info on their websites. It seems like more and more places are just charging a "fee" instead of calling it a "deposit", so you don't get any of the money back.

My apartment complex is about 10 minutes from campus. I don't know how many of the places near campus allow pets (I know lots of the affiliated housing doesn't allow them at all), but I just didn't want to live that close to campus to begin with :P

[fla_freethinker]

Thanks. Wow, 75%, that's pretty cool. Yeah, I don't really want to live too close to campus, either, but I still want to be on the bus route because I won't have a car. Drunken college kids bother me, but hell, I'm going to have to get used to it at UCF.

Damn your cats are cute. :)

[stifledstar]

The Orlando bus system is TERRIBLE. Just as a warning. They don't really run very often and they have very odd routes sometimes and don't even run every day in some areas.

I <3 my kittens. They're the best :)

[fla_freethinker]

Gonna try to use bike/scooter or even motorcycle if I can.