‘Sneaky tenant’ Sophie received a noise complaint after neighbours heard ‘strange sounds’ from her apartment. Then she got evicted
A tenant who secretly lived with four “huge” dogs has been evicted from her apartment after her neighbors complained about “strange noises” coming from her apartment.
Sophie received an email from her landlord Amy after her neighbors noticed strange “barking and whining” noises coming from her rental home.
“As you know, under the lease agreement, pets are not allowed in the building under any circumstances. Do you have dogs in the building?” the landlord said in the email.
However, the tenant denied having dogs in her house.
“I can assure you that this is all a misunderstanding. We have also heard some strange noises, but we assumed it was a problem with the pipes. Maybe this could be mistaken for barking?” Sophie replied.
The landlord responded by asking if she could come over to inspect the property because she could not ignore the ‘constant’ complaints from the neighbors about the barking.
Sophie responded by asking if they could reschedule the appointment for the next day, as she would not be there due to work to grant access to the landlord.
The couple arranged another date for the inspection. However, on the day of the inspection, the tenant emailed Amy to say that “something urgent” had happened and she would not be home.
A tenant who secretly lived with four dogs in her apartment has been evicted after her landlord discovered where the ‘strange noises’ were coming from (stock image)
Sophie was given two months’ notice to move out after her landlord discovered she was secretly living in her apartment with four huge dogs
However, Amy arrived at the accommodation having missed Sophie’s email.
“Unfortunately I did not see this and I arrived at the property 15 minutes ago. I can clearly hear the sounds of multiple dogs barking and whining. On my way to the apartment I also saw some dog feces in the hallway,” Amy said in the email.
“This is exactly why we don’t let tenants keep pets. It’s a violation of your lease and needs to be resolved now.”
But Sophie insisted there were no dogs in her unit.
“I promised there would be no dogs on the property and even if there were I would have the decency to clean up the poop,” she replied.
“I believe the “animal mess” you are referring to is from RATS that gather in the garbage area. I would suggest you keep your building cleaner before you threaten me. Best wishes, Sophie.”
But Amy was convinced that Sophie was hiding the animals on her property.
“This is unacceptable. I will contact pest control if I am not given immediate access. This is your final warning. I will be back tonight. Make sure you are inside,” the landlord said.
Sophie kept making excuses and said, “Unfortunately I’m going to be away all day due to a personal emergency and I can’t let you in. What about pest control? The only pests they’ll find are the rats in the hallway because I don’t have dogs.”
After a heated email exchange, Amy told Sophie she would have to leave the property once she found out the truth.
“Sophie, I’m really sorry to say this. I’ve been sitting outside the property all afternoon and I just saw you go in and come out with four huge dogs. This is your two-month notice,” the landlord said.
“I don’t think there’ll be much of your deposit left at the end of all this.”
The email exchange was shared on social media via video by British property consultant Jack Rooke.
“Wow, this landlord has way more patience than I ever would have,” Jack said.
In NSW, landlords are allowed to refuse to allow a tenant to keep a pet without giving a reason, unless it is an assistance dog.
In other states and territories, rules have recently changed to make it easier for tenants to keep pets in rental properties.