New York State Law Allows Tenants to Be EVICTED for Pets

New York State really does a great job of rolling out very clear and definitive laws when it comes to the responsibilities of tenants and landlords. There is a very specific section about when pets can be deemed as a problem and evicted by a landlord in New York State.

In New York State, you are allowed to have a pet inside of your home. As long as it is a legally bought pet, you are allowed to have it in your apartment if your lease states that you are.

But, if you get a pet without asking your landlord, that could be automatic grounds for an eviction process. "Landlords may be able to evict tenants who violate a lease provision prohibiting pets", according to the New York State law.

There is a gray area, loophole, that both the tenant and landlord must know, though:

If you are a landlord and you know that your tenant has a pet that is not permitted, you must act within a certain amount of time.

Once a landlord knows that a pet is there after 3 months, it becomes "openly" known that a pet is there, whether or not it is in the contract, and cannot be cause to suddenly act after the 3 months. Therefore, if your landlord knows about it, they cannot come to you a year later and try to evict you because of it.

BUT--if there is damage or the animal is becoming annoying to others, EVEN IF THE LANDLORD KNOWS, you can be evicted. "However, this protection does not apply to public housing or where the animal causes damage, is a nuisance, or substantially interferes with other tenants."

It is important to read up on the law in New York State if you are a tenant or a landlord, but it is also important to note your local laws of the village and town in order to make sure there are no other additional rules that must be upheld.