No pets allowed
Some condominiums do not allow any pets. None. Not even fish tanks.
The pet prohibition may be in the original declaration or the
declaration may have been changed by the owners after they had a couple
of disagreeable pets or pet owners in the building.
Some people are afraid of dogs and they do not want to be in an
elevator when a dog owner brings their pet into such a small confined
space or meet a dog in the hallway. Others think animals, especially
dogs, are unclean.
In other cases, owners got fed up with irresponsible owners who allowed
their dogs to bark at all hours or urinate and defecate in the
hallways, staircases and outside right in front of the lobby.
Check before
buying
If you own a pet or if you want to, check with the condo's manager and
read corporation's declaration and rules before putting
in an
offer. You may find that this is not the condo corporation for you.
Even if you do not own a pet, you may babysit a relative's dog or cats
when they go away. If you move into a no-pet condo, that may no longer
be possible.
It is also a mistake to think that you can buy the condo and then you
will get the owners to change the declaration so you can get a dog.
That is possible but not very likely.
Grandfathering
Never take it for granted that you have the right to own a pet in a
condo. If you see an owner with a dog, that does not necessarily mean
you can have
one. Some condos may have allowed dogs and then changed the rules
so dogs are no longer permitted.
What you saw was a dog that was "grandfathered". That dog can continue
to live there until it dies but it cannot then be replaced.
The
invisible cat
Some owners decide that they will defy the No Pets clause in the
declaration and smuggle a kitten into their unit. After all cats are
"invisible" pets that make next to no noise and never leave the units.
This can work depending on the attitude of your neighbours, condo
employees and the board members. If your secret is discovered, you may
be ordered to get rid of the cat.
Declaration
is not enforced
You may be in a condo where there the declaration against owning pets
has been ignored for many a year and so many owners have pets.
This does not necessarily mean that the declaration and the rules
cannot be enforced. A different board may be elected and they may
decide to enforce a number of rules that have been ignored in the
past—indeed that may have been elected just to do that.
If the new board says your pet has to go, most likely it will have to
go.
I am sure pet rocks
are allowed
everywhere
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