Title: Dog Law :: Landlords and Dogs > Landlord Liability for Tenants' Dogs :: DogLaw.HugPug.com
Headings: 
Landlord Liability for Tenants' Dogs
Knowing About and Having Power to Remove the Dog
INJURIES OFF THE LANDLORD'S PROPERTY
Harboring a Tenant's Dog
Endnotes

Content: Knowing About and Having Power to Remove the Dog
In many states, someone trying to hold a landlord liable for injuries caused  by a tenant's dog must prove both that the landlord knew that dog was  dangerous and that the landlord had the power, legally, to make the tenant  get rid of the dog or move out. 35 Sometimes, courts put this requirement in  terms of the landlord's general duty to keep the property in a safe condition. 36 As one court put it, a property owner cannot "sit idly by in the face  of the known danger to others." 37
But not all states use this rule. Under some laws, landlords are not  liable even when they know a tenant's dog is likely to hurt someone. A  Montana rancher, for example, knew that a dog belonging to his foreman  (who lived on the rancher's property) had bitten someone. But when the  dog later bit a utility company meter-reader, the rancher wasn't held liable. If, however, the rancher had exercised some control over the animal - was a  "keeper" under the law - he would have been liable. 38
Actual knowledge. To be held liable, a landlord must actually know that  a tenant's dog is a danger to others.