Q. Our condo documents clearly state that renters are not allowed to have pets. Florida statute obviously makes allowance for service animals, so those animals must be allowed. I thought the Florida Statutes state that residents (tenants with a 7 month lease or longer) have the same rights as owners. Now wouldn’t that allow the long term renter to have a pet because the documents allow owners to have pets?
A. The recorded documents, either the declaration or the bylaws, may provide for different standards between unit owners and tenants (renters). If a provision states that tenants may not have pets, then that provision is enforceable.
Note, however, the board cannot implement rules that differentiate between renters and owners with regard to use rights. In the situation described by this question, renters would not be allowed to have pets except for authorized service animals.