A property manager has revealed the moment she discovered a tenant was secretly keeping a cat in a rental property and issued a warning every tenant must read.
Skye Taylor of Taylored Property Management in Adelaide made the discovery during a routine inspection earlier this month, after taking over the property from another agent.
During the check, he knew immediately that the tenant had a cat when the unmistakable smell of cat urine filled the air.
“It was very disappointing to see that the apartment smelled of cat urine. And when I asked the tenant, I asked him: do you have a cat here?
The tenant denied knowing anything about the presence of a cat in the house.
When Ms Taylor pressed further, the tenant claimed that a friend had brought a cat to the property.
Mrs. Taylor, without flinching, responded bluntly, “Girls.” I can smell it.
He added that the tenant was clearly aware of his misconduct in keeping the cat in the house.
“They know they did the wrong thing, but it was so blatantly obvious that I can only assume they thought I was as trash as the former agent and didn’t notice or report them.” ‘
Property manager and business owner Skye Taylor (pictured) detailed her encounter with a sneaky tenant hiding a cat during a routine inspection.
He said it was “extremely disappointing” that the tenant decided to hide the fact he had a pet, especially given new legislation in South Australia allowing tenants to keep animals.
‘I told him that you have the right to request permission to have a pet.
“But having a pet on the property without permission is grounds for receiving a violation notice,” he said.
Ms Taylor said she now needs to “have a chat to the landlord” and check whether she wants to continue with the notice.
“It’s extremely disappointing that people are hiding it,” he said.
‘You may not be able to smell it because you live with it.
But I walk in and I can smell it.
“As for the tenants, they know they did the wrong thing.”
He offered a strong warning to tenants trying to deceive their landlords.
“Tenants, please don’t think your property manager is stupid,” he said.
Many Australians agreed that it is “impossible to get rid of cat urine, especially if it has seeped into carpets (file photo of a cat and a litter box)
Australians were divided on the issue, with some arguing that the tenant was to blame for not disclosing that her cat lived at the property.
‘It’s not that they have a cat, it’s that they tried to trick you. Nothing bothers me more!’ one wrote.
‘Cat pee, or any animal pee, in a house is unmistakable. “Cat pee is the worst because it crystallizes under the rug,” one of them said.
However, others said the woman had no choice but to lie about having a cat as she probably would not have been approved to rent the property if she had revealed it.
“Maybe people are hiding it because there’s a rental crisis and property managers like you just approve of people without pets,” one wrote.
‘Girls, have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps tenants are anxious and terrified of being kicked out of their homes?’ added another.
Leasing laws allowing pets in properties differ in each Australian state and territory.
Many Australians believed the tenant would have been afraid of losing her home and that the estate agent should have been more compassionate (file photo of a cat and a litter box)
In South Australia, tenants can no longer have their request to have a pet in a property refused “unless the refusal is based on a reason listed in the Residential Tenancies Act 1995”.
But it also notes that it is grounds for termination if a tenant has an unapproved pet on the premises.
In New South Wales, pets are allowed, but the permission lies solely with the owner, but if owners are approved, they are not allowed to charge a higher deposit.
In Queensland, recent changes to the laws mean landlords can only refuse a tenant’s request to have a pet if there are “identified reasonable grounds”, such as by-laws, according to rent better.
But in Western Australia owners can request a pet deposit, but it should not exceed $260 and owners are not required to justify refusing pets.