J.C. from outside of Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Master Deed By-laws state only one pet per condo. House Rules state one pet per condo and then states no renters can have pets. Paragraph two speaks of renters having no pets. Paragraph three speaks of lessees needing to provide 2 references. Our lessee has one pet. POA wants to fine us because they say the House Rules say no pets for renters. I believe someone signing a lease for longer than 30 days is considered a lessee, not a renter. How do I fight this without an attorney? Thank you.
Mister Condo replies:
J.C., I am sorry you find yourself at odds with your association over the pet rental rules. The terms “renters” and “lessees” are generally interchangeable so it would appear that your documents are in conflict with themselves. This is actually not that uncommon as many associations simply use a boilerplate as a basis for their documents. If there were no verbiage about the pet restrictions on renters, I would say you are in the clear. However, even though it appears to be in conflict with an earlier statement on the subject, the fact that there is a restriction on pets for renters elsewhere in the document, I would say you will not be successful in challenging the association’s position. You can challenge the association by filing suit, seeking arbitration, or whatever other method of dispute settlement is available to you. However, if you do not wish to hire an attorney, you will do so on your own. The association on the other hand would likely use the services of an attorney to defend themselves. In my non-lelgal opinion, the association will prevail. Good luck!