Pavley Introduces Bill Protecting Pets in Rental Housing

State Senator Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) introduced a bill to help protect the pets of people who are potential renters: Senate Bill 1229

This bill would prohibit a landlord from advertising or establishing rental policies requiring an animal to be declawed or devocalized.

“There are a number of steps landlords can take to protect their properties from damage by pets. Pressuring pet owners to subject their pets to inhumane and permanently damaging procedures is unnecessary, expensive and just plain wrong,” said Pavley.

SB 1229 would impose a civil penalty of $1,000 per animal for every violation that results in declawing or devocalization.

Eight local governments in California have recently banned the practice of cat declawing (Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, West Hollywood), recognizing the practice as inhumane.

“A search of rental listings throughout California produces a number of properties with landlords and managers requiring that potential owners will be considered only with declawed cats or devocalized dogs," said Pavley. "These practices can have unintended consequences for property managers, physical complications for animals, and emotional and financial consequences for pet owners.”

Declawing is an operation to remove or to prevent the normal function of an animal’s claws or toes. The practice of declawing has been prohibited in other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Malta, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, the United Kingdom and Israel.

Alternatives to declawing or debarking for landlords may include: language in contracts making tenants liable for pet-related damage; require that tenants supply their cats with scratch posts, require an additional refundable security deposit or “pet deposit;” provide scratching posts to tenants with cats, select fabrics that are less likely to appeal to cats for furnished apartments.

SB 1229 is co-sponsored by The Paw Project and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.