"My cat is on a lease if they'd just look at it," said one pet owner living in the North Hill Farms apartments in Pontiac who received a startling notice from property management that left many people thinking they had to decide between keeping their beloved animals or find another place to live.
The notice, dated March 30, 2018, is from the new property manager and states that included in a list of things that would result in the termination of their tenancy is having an animal on the property.
Residents Action News talked to said they had never heard that animals were not allowed.
The following is a portion of the notice:
"North Hill Farms has a NO PET POLICY. Effective immediately, no DOGS or any other animals are allowed on the property. If you have a pet, you must remove the pet from your home immediately," is the part of the lease that has upset a number of residents, including some elderly people who did not want to be interviewed but feared being forced to move or give up their beloved companions."
7 Action News made multiple phone calls to the leasing office and Legacy LLC, the property management company.
Jim Gromer, an attorney representing Legacy, responded and said the notice was poorly written and it was meant to address dogs running loose.
Gromer said that anyone who has a pet registered as part of their lease does not have to move, adding that owning the pet will not affect their ability to renew their lease.
Gromer said that pets that are not registered with management will be addressed on a case by case basis.
Service animals including emotional support/companion animals are not affected, and they do they have to be registered with management, said Gromer.
