Gothamist: Tenant Sues to Enforce Building's No-Dog Rule

dk

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:58:46 -0500

if it says 'no dogs or pets of any kind' in black and white, any person living in that building should adhere to that rule. these are renters. if they want to live in a place where they can have a dog, they should find a pet friendly building or buy a house. my building is a walk-up, no pets building. many of the apartments in my building are rent stabalized. many of the people who live in the apartments with the dogs are people who live in rent stabilized apartments. see the trend here? i wouldn't mind seeing these people kicked out. it's bad enough i'm supplementing their rent, but to have them break all the rules is a real slap in the face. i had a party one night that got a little out of control and loud (and led to the roof.) i wasn't technically breaking any rules of my lease (we're allowed on the roof in my building), but the building management still saw it fit to write me a letter asking me to keep my guests off the roof from now on. maybe i should write them a letter requesting the other tenants keep their animals out of the common areas from now on? what do you guys think ;-)

stewart

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:18:56 -0500

I HATE when people take craps in the stairwell. Does that happen in your building too?

edumication

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:10:54 -0500

Columbia Alumni --- You're absolutely right that I make grammatical mistakes. I, like Jen, write for a public audience and make plenty of mistakes. But, unlike her, I proofread my work before it is published, and therefore take pride in respecting my work and my audience. I think her editorial decisions are good and her story introductions are engaging. The shoddy grammar, however, is an insult to both writer and reader. As to the fact that she went to Columbia, what should I take from that? Is Columbia proud to produce alumni who publish substandard work? Surely, if you read Gothamist frequently, you know that she consistently makes grammatical mistakes, which, in many cases, confuses the meaning of the story. But, perhaps, as a fellow alumni, you have learned similar habits and can navigate her meaning better. You have certainly learned the logical fallacy of tu quoque.

Elderta

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 14:05:44 -0500

Congrats, Samantha T, sweet revenge indeed. I lived in a building where my neighbor's dog barked all the time next door to me. It was annoying, but I still say that no pets clauses are harmful. So many animals need homes as badly as humans do. Sigh.

Samantha T

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:44:48 -0500

"My building doesn't allow pets, but the guy in the apartment above me has a dog. He got a note from his shrink stating that he needs the dog for emotional support." I don't see why he doesn't have to move out, then. I'm sure there are people who live in your building who found the fact that it was a no-pets building very attractive. There's lots of reasons why people don't want to live in buildings with dogs - among them the fact that dogs often bark their asses off. My neighbor's dog barks non-frigging-stop when she's not at home. I like her, so I'm not going to make a huge deal about it, but I do find it extremely inconsiderate. How could she think that the sound isn't disturbing to the people right next door? There's no way she doesn't know about it, either. I'm having a baby in June. Sweet revenge ;).

jack oneil

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 12:45:46 -0500

I think she just wants the rules enforced. What's next? Taking a crap in the stairwell? Sure its against the rules, but if I've been doing it every day for a month there is a NYC law that says if I appear homeless, I can crap where I want.

Toby

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:48:56 -0500

Another stupid lawsuit. Fear of dogs? Come on. I was bitten in the face by a dog when I was a kid and I am not afraid of dogs. She needs to get her head examined. If it is so much of an issue why doesn't she move? Wait. I know, she sees an easy payday.

stewart

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:44:34 -0500

So does John Kerry. ditto for him

SkoolDaze

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:41:16 -0500

The President has a degree from Yale. He's still an asshole.

lazlo hollyfeld

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:10:07 -0500

I didn't know that if you obtained a degree from Columbia no one can ever give you constructive criticism again. That explains why my brother-in-law (Columbia PhD) is so touchy; he's not an assh*le, I just didn't know the rules. I guess people from Columbia should only work for and with other people from Columbia then. I'll remember that when I'm looking at resumes.

nisey79

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:52:33 -0500

My building doesn't allow pets, but the guy in the apartment above me has a dog. He got a note from his shrink stating that he needs the dog for emotional support.

Vanessa

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:42:44 -0500

I enjoy Jen's articles and respect her time and hard work, but I have to agree that her spelling and grammar mistakes are quite frequent and careless. "We'll wait to see if Farley get the management company, Mutual Redevelopment Houses, to enforce the rule."

Columbia Alumni

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:29:59 -0500

Jen Chung likely went to a better college than you. http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/nov05/updates4.php However, she's also human. I'm pretty sure you also made some grammatical mistakes in your lifetime, "edumication."

Benjamin

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 01:59:43 -0500

This woman seems to be hamming it up for here case. A rule is a rule, so there is no need to bring in your fear of dogs.....people are still going to hate you even knowing this.

Elderta

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:38:22 -0500

Sorry. I understand her plight but there are way too many homeless animals who actually suffer from no pet clauses. I think it's a stupid rule. I hope she gets better with her phobia.

sarah silverman

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:26:48 -0500

yeah but i'll bet she's good at math

s

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:11:26 -0500

Sounds like a job for Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, my hero.

bklynd

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:47:06 -0500

This whole thing is SO New York. Different sets of rules for different folks.

edumication

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:40:07 -0500

Sometimes I wonder if Jen Chung went to college. Proofreading takes two seconds, is that too much for some self-respect? Sixty-four year old Farley has a fear of dogs (cynophobia) points out that the rules at Penn South does have a ban on dogs and her lease says "no animals of any kind" (!!) are not allowed.

bernie goetz

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:04:56 -0500

this whole city is going to the dogs.

Mr. Nosuch

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:02:34 -0500

It's possible that the tenants have riders for the pet. Our building's standard lease says "no pets" but they quite readily add a rider to it to allow for it. So my neighbor might think "Hey, MY lease says NO PETS" and he's right, but MY lease says it is ok. Frankly, I think the woman should spend more money on a therapist and less on a lawyer. If she fixed her phobia she'd be a happier person in general, instead of trying to change the world so she doesn't have to deal with her neurosis.

janelle

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:57:18 -0500

if i moved to a building because there would not be pets, i would expect the building management to enforce their own rule, not turn a blind eye.

stewart

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:40:18 -0500

what a bunch of BS; what's the issue here? it says no pets, it means no pets it would be bad enough if you snuck in a cat but a dog is pretty blatant given that you have to go through common areas to walk it some people think rules just don't apply to them for the record I have a dog but I waited until I lived in a pet-friendly building before I got him and wouldn't move to a building where pets are not permitted

jojo

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:28:59 -0500

Huh? so you have rules that say "no pets" but you have laws that don't enforce them. Way to go contradictory bureacracy guys.

S.D.

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:27:25 -0500

Some apt buildings in Queens have "Grandfather" clauses for people with pets before a certain date. Wonder if that's true there?