Q: Can a landlord add a roommate with a pet without telling me?
I signed an individual lease over a month ago on a 1x1 in a shared 3x3 student housing apartment in Florida. The landlord sent me a text saying that I had a new roommate after she had already moved in. My lease had not started yet so I am not yet moved in. She signed the lease after I did and moved in before me. She has a cat. They did not ask me if pets were okay on the roommate matching form that they had me fill out or over the phone/text before she moved in. I have a severe cat allergy that would cause me to go to the hospital if I had to live there. Do I have any options or does my landlord have full control over my lease? I want the original apartment without a cat. Is there any liability that my landlord has regarding the pet and the pet owner?
A:
Unless the written lease you signed forbids pets--or just forbids cats--you cannot force the other tenant out.
The law is unclear as to whether you will be able to get out of the lease--especially since you did not move in yet.
Advice: Don't move in because that will give the landlord additional arguments.
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