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    Free pet addendum to lease agreement

    A pet addendum is a short agreement, signed by the landlord and every tenant, that adds pet permission and pet terms to an existing lease. It must identify the original lease, describe each approved pet, state any pet deposit, pet fee or monthly pet rent, and list the rules the tenant agrees to follow. Fill in the form below to get a ready-to-sign addendum for up to two pets, or download the blank version to complete by hand.

    Last reviewed: · by MakeLease Editorial Team

    Pet Addendum generator

    The lease

    Usually the date everyone signs, or the day the pet moves in.

    List every tenant on the lease, one per line. Each gets a signature line.

    Pet 1

    Pet 2

    Pet charges

    $

    Leave blank if none. In some states this counts toward a cap on total deposits.

    $

    Leave blank if none. Some states restrict non-refundable fees.

    $

    Leave blank if none. Due with each month's rent.

    Pet rules

    Pet rules that apply
    $

    Recommended. Handle disability-related animal requests separately from your pet policy.

    Blank PDF

    Free, no account needed. Showing example details. Replace them with yours.

    Pet Addendum to Lease Agreement

    This Pet Addendum (the “Addendum”) is part of the lease agreement dated June 1, 2026 between Morgan Rivera (“Landlord”) and Jordan Lee and Casey Lee (“Tenant”) for the property at 123 Maple Street, Unit 4, Springfield (the “Property” and the “Lease”). This Addendum takes effect on November 1, 2026. If this Addendum and the Lease conflict on any matter involving pets, this Addendum controls. All other terms of the Lease stay in effect.

    1. Approved pets

    Landlord consents to Tenant keeping only the pet(s) described below at the Property. Consent covers these animals only and does not carry over to any other or replacement animal.

    Pet 1Pet 2
    Type of animalDogCat
    BreedLabrador mixDomestic shorthair
    NameBiscuitPepper
    Age3 years5 years
    Weight55 lbs10 lbs
    Color / markingsYellow, white chestBlack
    License or tag numberSpringfield tag 20419Not required
    Vaccination infoRabies, given March 10, 2026, expires March 10, 2029Rabies, given January 22, 2026, expires January 22, 2027

    2. Pet deposit, fee and rent

    • Refundable pet deposit: $300, paid on or before the effective date. Landlord will hold and return this deposit as the Lease and applicable law require for security deposits, less any lawful deductions for pet-related damage or cleaning.
    • One-time non-refundable pet fee: $150, paid on or before the effective date. This fee is not a security deposit and will not be refunded, to the extent applicable law allows.
    • Monthly pet rent: $35 per month, due with each monthly rent payment under the Lease, starting on the effective date. Pet rent is in addition to the rent stated in the Lease.

    Paying a pet deposit, fee or pet rent does not limit Tenant's responsibility for damage the pet causes, and Landlord may seek any amount beyond the deposit as the Lease and applicable law allow.

    3. Pet rules

    Tenant agrees to the following rules for each approved pet:

    1. Outside the unit, including in hallways, yards, parking areas and other common areas, the pet must be leashed or carried and under Tenant's control at all times.
    2. Tenant will pick up and properly dispose of pet waste right away, inside and outside the unit, and keep litter boxes, cages and tanks clean and odor-free.
    3. Tenant will not allow the pet to disturb neighbors with repeated or prolonged barking, howling, crying or other noise.
    4. Tenant will not leave the pet unattended for extended periods, and will arrange for its care when Tenant is away overnight or longer.
    5. Tenant is responsible for the cost of any damage, cleaning, odor removal or pest treatment caused by the pet beyond normal wear and tear, and for any injury or damage the pet causes to other people, animals or property.
    6. Tenant will keep the pet vaccinated and licensed as required by local law, and will give Landlord proof on request.
    7. Tenant will keep renter's insurance that includes at least $100,000 of liability coverage for the pet for as long as the pet lives at the Property, and will give Landlord proof of coverage on request.
    8. Landlord may enter the unit to inspect for pet-related damage or rule violations, with notice as required by the Lease and applicable law.
    9. If Tenant or the pet breaks this Addendum, Landlord may give Tenant written notice to correct the problem or remove the pet from the Property, in addition to any other remedy the Lease and applicable law allow.
    10. Tenant will not keep any additional or replacement animal at the Property, including on a temporary or pet-sitting basis, without Landlord's prior written consent.
    11. Pets are not allowed in the shared laundry room.

    4. Assistance animals

    This Addendum does not apply to an assistance animal that a person with a disability requests as a reasonable accommodation. Landlord will consider any such request separately under applicable fair housing law, and the terms of any approved accommodation will be set out separately in writing.

    5. Signatures

    By signing below, Landlord and each Tenant agree to this Addendum. Each party should keep a signed copy with the Lease.

    Landlord signature (Morgan Rivera)
    Date
    Tenant signature (Jordan Lee)
    Date
    Tenant signature (Casey Lee)
    Date

    Made free at make.lease/forms/pet-addendum

    What to include in a pet addendum

    • The lease it belongs to. The date of the original lease, the landlord and tenant names, and the property address, so there is no doubt which agreement the addendum changes.
    • A description of each approved pet. Type, breed, name, age, weight, color and any license or vaccination details. A specific description stops one approved dog from quietly becoming two different dogs.
    • Every pet charge, stated separately. Label each amount as a refundable deposit, a one-time non-refundable fee or monthly pet rent. Mixing them up causes disputes at move-out.
    • The rules. Leashes in common areas, waste cleanup, noise, not leaving the pet alone for long stretches, responsibility for damage, licensing and vaccinations, and whether renter's insurance with pet liability coverage is required.
    • What happens if the rules are broken. A written notice to fix the problem or remove the pet, plus the remedies the lease already gives you.
    • A limit on new animals. No additional or replacement pets, including pet-sitting, without your written consent.
    • An assistance-animal carve-out. A line saying the addendum does not cover animals requested as a disability accommodation (see below).
    • Signatures from the landlord and all tenants, with dates. The form adds one signature line per tenant you list.

    How much notice is required?

    There is no federal notice period for a pet addendum, because it is not a notice. It is an agreement, and it only works once both sides sign it. The timing rule that matters is simple: have the landlord and every tenant sign before the pet moves in, and collect any deposit or fee at signing.

    If you want to add a pet charge or new pet rules to a lease that is already running, and the tenant does not agree, that is a change to the lease rather than an addendum. Whether you can make that change mid-lease, and how much notice you must give, depends on the lease and on state (and sometimes city) law. Check your state's landlord-tenant law first. Entry for a pet inspection follows the same entry notice rules as any other entry, which also vary by state.

    Pet deposit vs. pet fee vs. pet rent

    These three charges work differently, and the addendum should say which one you are charging. The form prints only the charges you fill in.

    ChargeWhen paidRefundable?What it is for
    Pet depositOnce, at signingYes, less documented pet damageSecurity for pet damage at move-out. Handle it like a security deposit.
    Pet feeOnce, at signingNo (where allowed)A flat charge for allowing the pet, such as extra cleaning at turnover.
    Pet rentMonthly, with rentNoOngoing wear from the pet over the tenancy.

    Worked example: one dog on a 12-month lease

    Say you charge a $300 refundable pet deposit, a $150 one-time pet fee and $35 a month in pet rent. Over a full year the tenant pays $300 + $150 + ($35 × 12 = $420) = $870. Of that, only the $300 deposit is potentially refundable. If the dog scratches a door and the repair costs $120, you return $180 with an itemized statement. The $150 fee and $420 of pet rent are not part of that accounting.

    Check your state before you set amounts. Some states limit the total security deposit you can hold, and a pet deposit may count toward that limit. Others restrict or regulate non-refundable fees, or require deposits to be returned on a deadline with an itemized list of deductions. See the security deposit laws by state and your state's landlord-tenant law.

    Service animals and support animals are not handled with a pet addendum

    When a tenant or applicant asks to keep an animal because of a disability, that is a request for a reasonable accommodation, not a pet request. The Fair Housing Act makes it discrimination to refuse "reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services" when they may be necessary to give a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling (42 U.S.C. § 3604(f)(3)(B)). HUD's regulation gives the classic example: refusing to let a blind applicant live with a seeing eye dog because the building has a no-pets policy is a violation (24 CFR § 100.204(b)).

    For a long time, the go-to reference was HUD's FHEO-2020-01 notice, "Assessing a Person's Request to Have an Animal as a Reasonable Accommodation Under the Fair Housing Act" (January 28, 2020). It said that both service animals and support animals are not pets and that pet fees should not be charged for them. That guidance is no longer in effect. HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity withdrew it, along with the 2013 assistance-animal notice, effective September 17, 2025, removed both from HUD.gov, and said they "should not be relied upon" (Federal Register notice FR Doc. 2026-06624, published April 6, 2026).

    What HUD says now (May 22, 2026)

    • HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity issued enforcement guidance that "permanently" rescinds the 2020 notice (HUD FHEO memorandum, May 22, 2026).
    • HUD will find reasonable cause on an animal-accommodation complaint involving waiver of a pet policy only where the animal is individually trained to do work or perform tasks directly related to the person's disability.
    • Requests to waive pet policies for trained assistance animals are "presumptively reasonable." Requests for untrained emotional support animals are not, and HUD no longer expects housing providers to extend the same accommodation to them automatically.
    • The memo does not cover how HUD handles complaints under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or the ADA, which matters if you take federal housing assistance. HUD also says it plans future rulemaking on animal-related accommodations.
    • The Fair Housing Act itself has not changed. A tenant can still file a private lawsuit in federal or state court within two years, whatever HUD decides to do with a complaint (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).

    What that means for your pet addendum

    • Trained service and assistance animals: treat the request as an accommodation, not a pet. Don't make the tenant sign this addendum for that animal, and don't apply your pet deposit, pet fee, pet rent or breed and weight limits to it, since those are part of the pet policy being waived.
    • Emotional support animals: federal enforcement policy has narrowed, but requests still have to be considered case by case, state and local fair housing rules may treat them differently, and private lawsuits remain possible. Don't simply hand over the pet addendum. Review the request, respond in writing, and get local legal advice if you plan to deny it or attach conditions.
    • Keep the carve-out clause on. The form includes "This addendum does not apply to assistance animals requested as a reasonable accommodation," ticked by default, so the document can't be read as your answer to an accommodation request.

    Practical tips before you sign

    • Meet the pet. Confirm the type, size and temperament match what is written down. Note the weight as of signing.
    • Ask for paperwork. A current license tag and vaccination record are easy to attach to the addendum.
    • Check your own insurance and any HOA rules. Some policies and associations restrict certain animals. Make the addendum match what you are actually allowed to approve.
    • Document condition. If you take a pet deposit, record the unit's condition at move-in so you can show what changed. The move-in/move-out checklist helps.
    • Writing a new lease instead? Put the pet terms in the lease itself with the lease agreement generator, or browse the other free landlord forms.

    Pet Addendum by state

    Each state page shows that state's cited rules for this document and opens the form preset for the state. States missing from the list don't have enough statewide rules in our dataset yet; use the form above and check your state's statute.

    Delivery tips

    • Have everyone sign the same version. Print one copy per party, or sign one and copy it. Every tenant on the lease should sign, not only the pet owner.
    • Attach it to the lease. Staple or file the signed addendum with the original lease so anyone reading the lease sees the pet terms.
    • Record the payments. Give a receipt for any pet deposit or fee, and show pet rent as its own line on rent receipts or your ledger.
    • Keep the supporting records. Vaccination records, license numbers and photos of the pet belong in the same file.

    Frequently asked questions

    Does a pet addendum replace the lease?

    No. It adds pet terms to the lease you already have. It names the original lease by date, parties and address, says which pets are approved, and leaves every other lease term in place. If the two conflict on a pet issue, the addendum controls.

    Who has to sign the pet addendum?

    The landlord and every tenant on the lease, not just the pet owner. All tenants are bound by the lease, so all of them should agree to the pet terms. Give each party a signed copy and keep yours with the lease.

    Can I charge a pet deposit, a pet fee and pet rent at the same time?

    Many landlords use one or two of these, and the form lets you fill in any combination. Whether you can charge all three, and how much, depends on your state. Some states cap total deposits (a pet deposit may count toward that cap) or restrict non-refundable fees, so check your state's rules before you set the amounts.

    What if the tenant gets another pet later?

    Have them ask first. The form includes a rule that no additional or replacement animal is allowed without your written consent. If you approve a new pet, sign a new addendum (or an updated one) that describes it.

    Should I use a pet addendum for a service animal or emotional support animal?

    No. A request to keep an animal because of a disability is a reasonable accommodation request under the Fair Housing Act, not a pet request. Handle it separately from your pet policy. The form includes a clause, on by default, saying the addendum does not apply to assistance animals requested as an accommodation.

    Sources

    Sources last checked 2026-10-26.

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