Pet Owner Victory

A New York apartment dweller facing eviction found a novel way to avoid an eviction. Gertrude Davis and her beloved Yorkshire Terrier Duchess faced eviction on charges that the dog had been snuck into her apartment, and kept secretly. Gertrude successfully countered those claims with pictures of her pampered pooch in various public areas of her apartment building. The icing on the cake was Duchess’ birthday party pictures. For her one year birthday Gertrude, Duchess, and several neighbors and their dogs celebrated in style. The party was documented for posterity by photograph.

 

How did Gertrude pull off this eviction avoidance?

1.      She did not hide her dog.

2.      She documented her dog with pictures that were able to be used as evidence in court.

 

These both helped her prove that her landlord had been aware of her pet for several months and had done nothing.

Avoiding Eviction for a Pet

Pet owners may be able to avoid eviction from a no-pet premises for the following reasons:

·         The landlord is aware of the pet for a significant amount of time and does not immediately enforce the no-pet policy

·         The landlord tries to change the lease agreement to include a no-pet clause

·         The landlord tells the tenant that their pet is allowed despite the lease

·         The pet is needed by the tenant for security or health reasons

 

Interested in more information about avoiding evictions? Renee Patterson’s book How to Stop Foreclosure Evictions may have just the information you need!