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Pet addendum template

The pages a resident signs with their lease when you approve a pet. It describes each pet, leaves the pet deposit, pet fee and pet rent as blanks for your state's rules, sets the house rules for the animal, and makes the resident responsible for what it damages.

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The first page of the Pet Addendum
Or skip the paper

Every step of this addendum, done for you.

Cross out the paper. Here is what RentCaddie does instead, from your own pet agreement to the signed lease.

  1. 1On paper: Print the pet addendum

    In RentCaddie: Upload your own pet agreement as a PDF once. It is saved with your lease templates, under Addendums.

  2. 2On paper: Staple it to the lease

    In RentCaddie: Attach it to a lease type and its pages are added to every lease written from it, before anyone signs.

  3. 3On paper: Leave it out for residents with no pet

    In RentCaddie: Take it off one resident's lease, or add it for one, without changing the lease everyone else signs.

  4. 4On paper: Get every page signed

    In RentCaddie: Your resident signs online. The signing screen names the pet agreement and takes them straight to its page.

  5. 5On paper: Collect the pet deposit

    In RentCaddie: The pet deposit on their lease is charged with their move-in money and kept as a deposit you hold, not as income.

  6. 6On paper: Remember who has which pet

    In RentCaddie: Applicants answer your pets question on the application, and what they said stays on their applicant record.

A resident reviewing their lease on a phone in RentCaddie, with the extra agreements they are signing listed at the top.
Every agreement you add is signed with the lease.
  • Set each lease type to pets allowed or not allowed, and the Pets clause in the lease they sign changes to match.
  • The pet deposit is copied onto each lease when it is written, so changing it later never changes a lease already signed.
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What is on the form

  • The lease it belongs to: property, unit or room, every resident and the start date
  • A table for each approved pet: kind, breed, name, age, weight, color and license or tag
  • Vaccination, license and photo boxes, plus the veterinarian and an emergency contact
  • Pet deposit, one-time pet fee and monthly pet rent, all left blank, per pet or per home
  • Rules for the pet: leashes, waste, noise, being left alone, pests and areas it stays out of
  • Responsibility for damage, odor, pests and injury, and what happens when a rule is broken
  • A plain statement that assistance animals are not pets and carry no pet charges
  • Signature lines for each resident and the landlord or manager

What a pet addendum is for

A lease usually says either "no pets" or "pets only with written approval". The pet addendum is that written approval. It names the exact animal you approved, so a second dog or a friend's cat is clearly not covered, and it puts the money and the rules for that animal in writing, signed, before it moves in.

Attach one to the lease of every resident who has an approved pet, and keep a photo of each animal with it. When a different animal turns up, or the pet causes damage at move-out, the addendum is what you point to.

  • Describe each pet well enough that someone else could recognize it
  • Fill in only the charges your state allows
  • Write down where the pet may not go in a shared home
  • Have every resident on the lease sign it, not only the owner of the pet

Pet deposit, pet fee and pet rent

These are three different things. A pet deposit is refundable money held against damage, and it is usually handled like the Security Deposit at move-out. A pet fee is a one-time charge that is not returned. Pet rent is a monthly amount added to the rent. Many landlords use one or two of them, not all three.

State and city law decides which you may charge and how much. Some states cap the total of all deposits, pet deposit included. Some do not allow non-refundable fees at all. That is why every amount on the form is a blank, and why the form says the pet deposit does not limit what the resident owes when damage costs more.

Assistance animals are not pets

Under fair housing rules, a service animal or an emotional support animal that a person needs because of a disability is not a pet. You may not charge a pet deposit, pet fee or pet rent for one, and a no-pets rule or a breed or weight limit does not automatically apply. The resident is still responsible for damage the animal actually causes.

A request for an assistance animal is a request for a reasonable accommodation, and it is handled on its own, not with this addendum. What you may ask about the person's disability is limited by law. Treat every request the same way and get local guidance when you are unsure.

Check your own state's requirements

Deposit limits, whether a pet deposit counts toward them, non-refundable fees, dangerous dog rules and local licensing all vary by state and city. This is a general-purpose form, not legal advice. Check your state's requirements before you fill in the amounts, and have an attorney review it if you plan to rely on it in a dispute.

Common questions

Can I charge both a pet deposit and pet rent?
In many places, yes, but not everywhere. Some states cap the total deposit you may hold, with the pet deposit counted inside that cap, and some restrict non-refundable pet fees. Check your state's rules first, then decide which of the three charges to use.
Can I refuse a pet because of its breed or size?
For a pet, usually yes, as long as you apply the same rule to everyone and your insurance and local law allow it. For an assistance animal, a breed or size rule does not apply automatically, and a refusal has to rest on that particular animal, not its breed.
Can the pet deposit pay for damage the pet caused?
Yes. That is what it is for. If the pet damage costs more than the pet deposit, many leases let you take the rest from the Security Deposit or bill the resident for it. Itemize every deduction and send it within your state's deadline after move-out.
What if a resident gets a pet without asking?
Give written notice that the animal is not approved, and point to the lease. You can then approve it with a signed addendum, or require it to be removed in the time the lease and your state allow. Charge any fine only if the lease sets one and your state permits it.

This form is a general-purpose starting point, not legal advice and not written for any particular state. Landlord and tenant law varies by state and often by city. Check your own state's requirements, and have an attorney review anything you plan to rely on in a dispute.

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