Renter's dog escapes during maintenance visit, killed
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus woman said her emotional support animal got out of her apartment and was killed, and now she is questioning her rights as a tenant.
Melody Ashworth claims her dog was let out by a worker at her apartment complex. It all started with what she said was an unannounced maintenance visit in March; it was the last day she saw her dog.
“It's been really hard because she was prescribed to me, so, like, I don't have any other, you know?” Ashworth said. “She was my coping mechanism. I don't really have any other outlets.”
At University Village, Ashworth said a maintenance worker came to fix something in her bathroom. She said the worker left a couple of hours later and said he would have to come back another day. Ashworth went to work that night without locking up her two dogs because she didn’t think anyone would be back.
“Apparently, while I was gone, he was in and out of my apartment dozens of times,” she said.
According to a police report, a neighbor witnessed the worker coming back and, at one point, leaving the door open. That’s when Ashworth’s dog, Pebbles, apparently escaped. Ashworth found her dog’s body on the side of the street a few hours later.
“She was already long gone by then,” she said.
The police report said the apartment rental company claims another person must have entered the residence and let the dog out while the worker was there. The company is letting Ashworth out of her lease early, but will not provide compensation for Pebbles’ death.
Attorney Kevin Truitt, who specializes in housing rights, said that under Ohio law, landlords must give reasonable notice that they are entering a tenant’s home.
“There's many reasons for that, including that the tenant should be able to plan their day if they know a maintenance man is coming, that allows them to either be home or in the situation like cage their animal or take their animal elsewhere,” Truitt said.
He said it's important for tenants to know their rights.
“So, any harm that a tenant suffers as a result of a landlord not complying with these legal requirements, a court could award monetary compensation to a tenant if they brought legal action,” Truitt said.
Requests for comment from University Village management and its parent company were not returned.
Ashworth said that along with filing a police report, she filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.