Legal Question in Real Estate Law in New York

I rent to people who have foster children, they got a rottweiler without my permission. If the dog bites one of these children could I be sued as the property owner?


Asked on 11/22/11, 12:22 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Kevin Connolly Kevin J. Connolly

You're a NY Landlord. You can be sued because the sun rose at 5:32 this morning. There is no alternative to insurance. As far as the dog is concerned, if there is a clause in the lease that says no pets without permission, then you can evict the tenants UNLESS they have had the dog long enough without your having done anything about the dog. It gets complicated in terms of your inability to do anything if the anti-pet clause is not in the lease to being sued for not enforcing a no-pet clause. That would be a bogus lawsuit but you could still run up $25,000+ in legal bills. Liability Insurance is litigation insurance, as the insurance company will defend the case at their expense, usually without your coverage being eroded by the expenses.

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Answered on 11/23/11, 6:35 am


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