What to Do if You Think Your Tenant Has a Dog in Violation of the Lease
My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Tennessee
Dogs are against terms of my tenants lease, but I'm 95% sure my tenant is keeping a dog in the finished upstairs attic of the house anyway and lying to me about it, but I have no solid evidence. Dog is secluded upstairs where I wont hear barking.
1) How do I insist on inspecting the upstairs area where I suspect the dog is?
2) If I find a dog, how should I handle it?
Re: What to Do if You Think Your Tenant Has a Dog in Violation of the Lease
You have no evidence that your tenant has a dog, and your tenant denies having a dog? Then, even if we assume that a court would treat the presence of a pet as a material breach, you do not have any evidence that you could use in court to convince the judge that the dog actually exists.
In general terms, you cannot enter your tenant's premises without permission unless there is an actual emergency, the utilities have been shut off and you need to check for damage or make repairs as a result of the shut-off, or you have a court order. If you are in a county with less than 75,000 residents, you will need to check local ordinances.