Reply #9: As a former landlord,

[Zavulon]

I simply refused to allow pets. Pets drive up your insurance rates, so if I were to allow them I would probably charge you the deposit AND the fee, reserving the right to keep the deposit and certainly keeping the fee.

If after your stay you were a good tenant whose pets didn't leave turds all over the place (I'm not just talking about the carpet, I mean the courtyard as well) or bother others, I would probably return the deposit but would definitely keep the fee.

Either way, if I were to allow pets (I wouldn't, but for argument's sake...), it would cost you more no matter how well-behaved they were. Sorry.