Is it the property manager's responsibility to address tenants on this?

[outdoors727]

I live in an apartment in Upstate, NY. There is alot of greenery around the apartment. Lots of patches of green grass. There are areas where people sit outside on the grass and there are tons of areas that are just green grass areas since this is in the country. I am talking right on the apartment complex property.

Dogs need to toilet themselves outside, right? No problem! I noticed that some people toilet their dogs on the "lawn" areas where people sit in chairs and at picnic tables. They do clean up after the dogs if it fecal matter.

I asked the property manager if she would send out a memo asking people to please try to use the areas of the property that aren't used by tenants for toileting their dogs. My main reason for doing this is because walking or sitting on the grass that is also used by dogs isn't such a cool thing.

There are no specific rules about where dogs are to be toileted here.

The property manager is very reluctant to do send out such a memo and I am not sure why. I did ask her and she said "I can't "make" them do that. People here don't listen to me". I am not sure if she can "make" anyone do anything, but common rules at apartment complexes usually exist.

Is it the property manager's responsibility to address tenants with dogs toileting their dogs in certain locations on the property? There is nothing in the lease about it.

 

[Ohiogal]

I live in an apartment in Upstate, NY. There is alot of greenery around the apartment. Lots of patches of green grass. There are areas where people sit outside on the grass and there are tons of areas that are just green grass areas since this is in the country. I am talking right on the apartment complex property.

Dogs need to toilet themselves outside, right? No problem! I noticed that some people toilet their dogs on the "lawn" areas where people sit in chairs and at picnic tables. They do clean up after the dogs if it fecal matter.

I asked the property manager if she would send out a memo asking people to please try to use the areas of the property that aren't used by tenants for toileting their dogs. My main reason for doing this is because walking or sitting on the grass that is also used by dogs isn't such a cool thing.

There are no specific rules about where dogs are to be toileted here.

The property manager is very reluctant to do send out such a memo and I am not sure why. I did ask her and she said "I can't "make" them do that. People here don't listen to me". I am not sure if she can "make" anyone do anything, but common rules at apartment complexes usually exist.

Is it the property manager's responsibility to address tenants with dogs toileting their dogs in certain locations on the property? There is nothing in the lease about it.

You should not live in an apartment complex with dogs.

 

[adjusterjack]

The property manager is very reluctant to do send out such a memo and I am not sure why.

Lazy. Complacent. Apathetic.

There is nothing in the lease about it.

Read it again. Is there anything alluding to "rules" in general?.

If there is, she would have the authority to make a "rule" and enforce it with proper notice of breach to a doer followed by eviction if not remedied.

If the lease is silent about rules, then her duties are addressed by statute. The only part of the NY landlord-tenant statute that comes close is this:

New York Real Property Law § 235-B (2022) - Warranty of Habitability. :: 2022 New York Laws :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia

But that's not specific about what constitutes a health or safety issue.

Looks like you are stuck with the status quo.

 

[quincy]

It is a good thing you don’t live where Canadian geese gather. They create quite a mess - and they don’t have humans cleaning up after them.

Generally speaking, if pet owners clean up after their pets, there should not be a problem with dogs urinating and defecating on the grassy areas where people gather. Having an area specifically set aside for dogs, unless it is a very large area, can create its own set of problems - increased smell, spread of diseases, an increased laziness among pet owners to clean up after their pets (they blame messes on other dogs). And it is also true that dogs will go when they are ready to go, wherever they are - it is not always easy to make them obey toileting rules.

Property owners/landlords DO have the choice, of course, to control pet waste by fining tenants who don’t follow community rules. If enough tenants complain, there could be a change in pet policy. At the very least, pet waste bags and containers can be placed throughout the property to encourage clean ups.

 

[zddoodah]

Simple: no.

If you don't want to sit on grass where a dog may have peed, then put down a blanket or sit in a chair.

 

[quincy]

Simple: no.

If you don't want to sit on grass where a dog may have peed, then put down a blanket or sit in a chair.

A landlord has a responsibility to address tenants’ concerns, especially when the concerns center on the health and safety of these tenants.

A letter from the landlord to all tenants, reminding them of the need to clean up after their pets and reminding them to be considerate of others when walking their dogs, is not too much to ask of a landlord. Setting aside an area specifically for dog toileting is certainly something a landlord can consider but, as I said earlier, that can come with its own set of problems - and unless there is a legitimate demonstrated health or safety reason for doing so, a landlord cannot be forced to create such an area.

 

[LdiJ]

I live in an apartment in Upstate, NY. There is alot of greenery around the apartment. Lots of patches of green grass. There are areas where people sit outside on the grass and there are tons of areas that are just green grass areas since this is in the country. I am talking right on the apartment complex property.

Dogs need to toilet themselves outside, right? No problem! I noticed that some people toilet their dogs on the "lawn" areas where people sit in chairs and at picnic tables. They do clean up after the dogs if it fecal matter.

I asked the property manager if she would send out a memo asking people to please try to use the areas of the property that aren't used by tenants for toileting their dogs. My main reason for doing this is because walking or sitting on the grass that is also used by dogs isn't such a cool thing.

There are no specific rules about where dogs are to be toileted here.

The property manager is very reluctant to do send out such a memo and I am not sure why. I did ask her and she said "I can't "make" them do that. People here don't listen to me". I am not sure if she can "make" anyone do anything, but common rules at apartment complexes usually exist.

Is it the property manager's responsibility to address tenants with dogs toileting their dogs in certain locations on the property? There is nothing in the lease about it.

Generally apartment complexes have rules about cleaning up after your dogs. They generally do not have rules about keeping the dogs off the lawns entirely for toileting. I sincerely doubt that you will get anywhere with that demand. Particularly since wild animals don't clean up after themselves at all, and they carry more diseases than pets.

 

[stealth2]

Generally speaking, if pet owners clean up after their pets, there should not be a problem with dogs urinating and defecating on the grassy areas where people gather.

I've always been of the general thought that, where there are grassy areas, some animal has likely done its business there. Even where there are designated dog areas, other areas will have been used by some animal or other - squirrels, mice, raccoons, etc...- for toileting. It's impossible to escape.

Should the landlord address the expectation of dog owners to clean up their pet's mess? Sure. But that will not change the behavior of other animals. Blanket on the ground or chair if it's a concern.