SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Renters with pets could be required to pay up to half a month's rent as a deposit for their furry, feathery and scaly friends as of Sept. 1.

As of Sept. 1 territorial legislation will give landlords the option to charge a deposit for pets. The NWT Rental Officer said the act does not specify which types of animals this includes. This Savannah Monitor from the Artistic Hound would be considered fair game. - Alyssa Smith/NNSL photo

Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will allow landlords to charge the deposit as security against any damages to the property the pets might cause during the tenancy.

According to Hal Logsdon, the NWT Rental Officer, the move may encourage landlords who did not previously allow pets to reconsider.

"Certainly, for the landlord it gives them a little more security in the case of damages," he said.

Sarah Hunt, the President of the NWT SPCA said the deposit could be positive if it encourages more landlords to allow pets in their rental properties.

"When it comes to rentals it's not a very pet friendly city," she said.

But without having hard numbers or facts showing a causal relationship between the legislation and adoption rates, Hunt says she'll have to reserve judgement on the change.

"I do question why there would be an additional deposit on top of a damage deposit because my understanding of a damage deposit is that it's for damage," she said.

Hunt says she doesn't understand the need to specify the cause of the damage.

"Whether it's a cat or a dog or a child or an adult that does that damage, it's still damage and it still needs to get fixed," she said.

Hunt said she's unclear as to how the cause of damage would be determined.

"If there's a scratch down the wall how will they know if it was your dog or just you moving furniture?" she said. "How will they know whether to take from the pet deposit or the regular damage deposit?"

Those who were allowed to have pets before Sept. 1 will be grandfathered in and cannot be made to pay a deposit, according to Logsdon.

He explained the Residential Tenancies Act does not specify which pets a landlord could require a deposit for.

"I wouldn't think that too many landlords would ask for a goldfish deposit," he said and added he thinks landlords will mainly apply the deposit to cats and dogs.

"It (the act) just refers to pets," Logsdon said. "There's no specificity on it at all."

Logsdon said landlords can only require one deposit per pet and tenants cannot be charged for keeping service animals like seeing-eye dogs.

The rental officer said it's about time the legislation was updated; the last major changes were made in 1988.

He said the changes which were approved in 2008 will help bring the act up to date.

Other amendments include allowing landlords and tenants to serve each other documents by email, as well as requiring both parties to fill out an inspection form at the beginning and end of a tenancy.

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