unusual situation re: deposit

[Starmom2021]

What is the name of your state? IOWA

Need information specifically for Iowa:
I paid pet deposit to previous landlord. As my pet died recently, should current landlord refund it to me? And, if so, now or only after I move out?

None of my leases addressed this topic, and I was not told it was non-refundable.

If I could have it returned, it'd be helpful toward repaying the person who covered the vet bills.

 

[zddoodah]

I paid pet deposit to previous landlord. As my pet died recently, should current landlord refund it to me? And, if so, now or only after I move out?

Did you inform your landlord that your pet died and ask to have your deposit refunded now? If not, why not? If so, what response did you get?

Subject to how you answer those questions, since your lease doesn't say anything about refunding the deposit upon the death of the pet prior to termination of the tenancy, you likely have no legal entitlement to get the pet deposit back until the tenancy is terminated and you have surrendered possession of the premises.

 

[Starmom2021]

Did you inform your landlord that your pet died and ask to have your deposit refunded now? If not, why not? If so, what response did you get?

Subject to how you answer those questions, since your lease doesn't say anything about refunding the deposit upon the death of the pet prior to termination of the tenancy, you likely have no legal entitlement to get the pet deposit back until the tenancy is terminated and you have surrendered possession of the premises.

As current landlord is all about whatever he can get away with, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask someone else first.
I tried to contact the manager that I paid the deposit to, but she hasn't answered.

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state? IOWA

Need information specifically for Iowa:
I paid pet deposit to previous landlord. As my pet died recently, should current landlord refund it to me? And, if so, now or only after I move out?

None of my leases addressed this topic, and I was not told it was non-refundable.

If I could have it returned, it'd be helpful toward repaying the person who covered the vet bills.

Pet deposits are generally treated the same way as security deposits if the lease does not specifically say the pet deposit is not refundable. The pet deposit money will cover any damage caused by the pet both in the unit or on the premises. Like a security deposit, the money generally will not be refunded until you move out and damage can be assessed.

I am sorry for the loss of your pet.

Here is a link to Iowa rent deposit laws:

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.11.pdf

Oops. Wrong link.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.12.pdf

 

[zddoodah]

As current landlord is all about whatever he can get away with, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask someone else first.
I tried to contact the manager that I paid the deposit to, but she hasn't answered.

Is the "current landlord" different from "the manager that [you] paid the deposit to"? If so, please explain the distinction.

 

[Starmom2021]

Pet deposits are generally treated the same way as security deposits if the lease does not specifically say the pet deposit is not refundable. The pet deposit money will cover any damage caused by the pet both in the unit or on the premises. Like a security deposit, the money generally will not be refunded until you move out and damage can be assessed.

I am sorry for the loss of your pet.

Here is a link to Iowa rent deposit laws:

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.11.pdf

Oops. Wrong link.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/562A.12.pdf

Thank you.

 

[Starmom2021]

Is the "current landlord" different from "the manager that [you] paid the deposit to"? If so, please explain the distinction.

Yes. I've lived here through multiple landlords. By the time current landlord purchased this apartment building, I'd lived here for many years and had had my pet with me for quite a few years. In contrast, the manager I paid the deposit to worked for the previous landlord.

 

[Just Blue]

What is the name of your state? IOWA

Need information specifically for Iowa:
I paid pet deposit to previous landlord. As my pet died recently, should current landlord refund it to me? And, if so, now or only after I move out?

None of my leases addressed this topic, and I was not told it was non-refundable.

If I could have it returned, it'd be helpful toward repaying the person who covered the vet bills.

Are you moving out or do you believe that you should get the deposit just because your pet passed? I too am sorry for your loss.

 

[quincy]

Yes. I've lived here through multiple landlords. By the time current landlord purchased this apartment building, I'd lived here for many years and had had my pet with me for quite a few years. In contrast, the manager I paid the deposit to worked for the previous landlord.

In our leases, we use “pet addendums” for tenants who wish to have pets. We collect a non refundable pet deposit and we also charge a monthly pet fee. The pet fees stop when a pet no longer lives in the rental. The pet deposit covers the extra cleaning that is generally necessary after a pet lives in the rental.

Iowa has a limit on how much can be charged as a deposit. If the pet deposit is included as part of the security deposit, the amount collected as a deposit should not exceed the legal amount allowed.

 

[zddoodah]

As current landlord is all about whatever he can get away with, I thought it'd be a good idea to ask someone else first.
I tried to contact the manager that I paid the deposit to, but she hasn't answered.

Is the "current landlord" different from "the manager that [you] paid the deposit to"? If so, please explain the distinction.

Yes. I've lived here through multiple landlords.

So...you haven't spoken with your current landlord about whether he/she/it will return the pet deposit because of the death of your pet? If that's the case, then that's the starting point.

Again, though, in the absence of anything in your lease saying that the death of the pet entitles you to the return of the deposit you likely have no entitlement to it until the tenancy is terminated and you have surrendered possession of the premises.

 

[quincy]

A security deposit collected on a rental in Iowa, as a note, cannot exceed the cost of 2 months rent. This will be true even if the landlord labels part of the security deposit as a “pet deposit.” The deposit, minus legitimate listed deductions from the deposit, should be refunded at the end of the tenancy.

The only way a pet deposit would be permitted in excess of the two-months-rent limit is if the deposit is separate from the security deposit and agreed to by the tenant (as would be the case with a separate pet addendum to the lease).