Pet Cleanliness or Damage

The following FAQ page will list different forms of acceptable evidence in order to issue a formal leasing violation for pet cleanliness or damage violations.

Common Areas: Roommates are expected to take shared and equal responsibility for keeping the common areas of the dwelling clean, tidy, in good repair, and livable. Roommates are expected to clean up their own messes and expected to clean up after any guests, overnight or otherwise, that they may have. Failure to comply with the foregoing (in Landlord’s discretion) will result in assessment of a cleaning charge to be split equally among the roommates. (Page 3).

Soft Evidence	Description
General complaint	A formal complaint sent to Alcove directly from a roommate or landlord. This may be submitted in a support ticket or by emailing the support team. Can apply to the common areas, shared spaces, or tenants' bedrooms.
Messages	Screenshots of texts or messages indicating that a roommate or group of roommates are responsible for pet messes or have not taken shared cleaning responsibility, sent through texts or instant messaging apps. Must show the date and person responsible.
Landlord inspection	Details from a self-inspection report conducted by the landlord, indicating lease violations.
Hard Evidence	Description
Alcove inspection report	Alcove vendor has found clear evidence of cleaning issues and has documented it in the report. Can be applied to common spaces as well as tenant bedrooms.
Photos and videos	Photos/videos submitted showing violations of common space cleanliness or severe cleanliness of a tenants bedroom due to pet mess or damage.
HOA/ Community Violation	Formal violation report submitted to the support team documenting a violation of the pet cleanliness rules of the community.
Repair Invoice/Order	Invoice submitted by the Landlord for repairs or cleanings required due to pet damage.

FAQ: Pet Mess and Damage Policy Violation

Q: What should I do if I suspect a roommate is not cleaning up after their pet, causing mess or damage to the property?

The tenant should first attempt to address this issue directly with the pet owner.
A tenant should submit a complaint via email or support ticket to Alcove Support, detailing the situation.

Q: What happens after I submit a complaint?

Alcove will respond promptly, categorizing the complaint as falling under the 'soft evidence' category.
Alcove will conduct an investigation to gather further, hard evidence. This may include contacting other roommates for additional information and reaching out to the landlord. Depending on the severity and specifics of the case, we may also schedule an inspection on behalf of the landlord to conduct a walkthrough of the property to collect more evidence.

Q: What does Alcove require as evidence?

- Alcove will request additional hard evidence.
  - Hard Evidence: Alcove inspection confirming the pet mess or damage.
  - Soft Evidence: Pictures of the pet mess or damage.
  - Basic Evidence: Screenshots of text conversations or multiple reports confirming the issue.

Q: What happens once hard evidence is provided?

Alcove may issue a lease violation notice of warning to the lease offender and offer them a chance to correct the violation.
Alcove will make the final determination on next steps based on the evidence.

Q: What if the lease violator doesn't adhere to the warning?

If the lease violator persists, Alcove may issue a notice to quit and may impose fines.
Alcove will make the final determination on next steps based on the evidence

Q: What if the tenant continues to violate the pet mess and damage policy?

If the tenant fails to adhere, Alcove may notify the Landlord and recommend that they file for an eviction.
Should the Landlord proceed, Alcove may issue a Notice to Vacate, giving the tenant 10 days to vacate the property before the eviction is filed.
Alcove will offer our full cooperation with the eviction proceedings and provide all evidence and documentation collected.