My Lanlord wants a 400 dollar pet deposit which is fine with me,however there are no screens on my windows and holes all over in the fence in backyard. My animals are excaping through the holes and my cat is jumping out the windows. I don't think it is fair to pay the deposit until he repairs those issues. Part of paying a pet deposit is so your pets are secure and safe. So my question is do I need to pay it or can I wait until the repairs are done?

The deposit is toward repairs your pets damage. Nothing to do with what is already damaged. Before you give him the deposit you want to make a list of damages with photos for him to sign. I have seen landlords insist pre existing damage was done by the tenant.

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Originally Posted by N0help4u

The deposit is toward repairs your pets damage. Nothing to do with what is already damaged. Before you give him the deposit you want to make a list of damages with photos for him to sign. I have seen landlords insist pre existing damage was done by the tenant.

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Totally agree. Take pictures of everything that is damaged, or you will have headaches later on

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part of paying a pet deposit is so your pets are secure and safe.

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Where did you get that idea? A pet deposit is to cover damages your pets cause to the property. And nothing more.

On the other hand, if there are items that need repair, that should be gone over with the landlord. Maybe repaired before you move in. Or you find somewhere else. The damages you cite are not critical to the habitability of the property. So if the landlord refuses, you may have to find someplace else to live.

No the thing is he knows the repairs need done. We just moved in and the old tenants destroyed the home and they had a pittbull that put holes in the fence and they tore up all the screens. So this was all suppose to be done before we moved in and wasn't. So he is liable to do all the repairs,We have pictures of all the damages that were done prior to us moving in.

The repairs have nothing to do with a pet security deposit. You are going to have to keep after him and take him to court if you have to.

OK, So do you have anything in writing that he was supposed to make those repairs? If you can prove it, then send him a letter stating that these repairs were supposed to be completed prior to our moving in. If they are not completed within the next 30 days, you will have them completed yourself and deduct the cost of the repairs from the rent.

Then follow through if he doesn't complete them.

But, again, this has nothing to do with your pet deposit. It is possible, he will try to evict you for non-payment of rent. But if you show that you got a few estimates and have the receipts for the repairs, you should be able to fight it.