Many of us have come up against landlords who don't allow pets, but what about one who will evict you unless you have one? 84-year-old Judy Guth, who owns a 12-unit North Hollywood apartment complex, will only allow pet owners to lease her apartments.
So what happens if your pet dies during your time in the apartment? Judy will promptly drive you to the shelter to get a new one. Can't face replacing Fluffy? Well, you best be packing your stuff up mightily quickly. Just because you had a pet when you arrive means nothing to Judy. You have to be currently owning a pet to stay there -- and Judy's not one to listen to any excuses.
Even with these strict rules in place, the apartments are almost constantly out for rent and most of the renters, and their fuzzy friends, have been living there for more than a decade. In fact, the reason Guth gives for her pet-owner-only policy is pet owners have "more love in their hearts than other people. And they're never late on the rent." She says, "I can't remember all the people who've moved in and out of here. I remember their pets."
You get the feeling if pets could pay rent, Guth would just do away with the owners, too.
On an apartment opening up for rent, Guth holds a meet-and-greet with the pets prior to interviewing the actual tenants. Dogs that are noisy or aren't vaccinated are no-nos. Tenants are also limited to two dogs and/or three cats. "You can tell a pet's owner from the way they behave," says Hungarian-born Guth. "If they're up to any misbehaviour, you can bet the owners will be ,too."
