Four things should be written into the contract rather than agreed in a conversation, and one of them is a legal limit that some landlords still try to move.
The guarantee is capped, animal or not
Since 1 August 2024, under the law of 23 July 2024 amending the law of 21 September 2006, the rental guarantee cannot exceed two months' rent, calculated on the base rent excluding charges.
That cap is not adjustable because a tenant has a pet. Where a landlord proposes a higher figure on a new lease, raise it before signing rather than afterwards. Leases signed before that date remain subject to the previous three-month maximum.
Calculating the ceiling on rent plus charges rather than on the base rent is a common and material error, and it is worth checking the arithmetic yourself.
Written permission, not a verbal yes
Get the animal named in the lease: species, and for a dog the breed and the electronic identification number. A clause saying the tenant may keep a pet is weaker than one saying which pet.
The reason is that your landlord owns one lot inside a copropriété and cannot grant rights the building has not granted. Ask separately for the règlement de copropriété and any règlement d'ordre intérieur, since most leases bind the tenant to respect them and they govern animals, common parts and balconies.
Where the building rules restrict animals and the landlord has agreed anyway, that is a conflict you want identified before signature rather than when the syndic writes.
The entry inventory, which matters more with an animal
The état des lieux d'entrée is the comparator against which your guarantee is judged at the end, and with a pet the surfaces under scrutiny are predictable.
Record every existing mark on floors, skirtings, door frames, doors and any fitted joinery, in words as well as photographs. "Scratch, 8 cm, left of door frame, hallway" is evidence; "some marks" is not. Parquet deserves particular attention, since refinishing is among the largest single deductions landlords claim in this market.
Do it with the property empty, before furniture arrives. Once boxes are against the walls, half the surfaces cannot be inspected and the document stops functioning as a comparison.
How the guarantee comes back
The 2024 reform set a defined procedure with deadlines. Where the exit inventory matches the entry inventory and all rent has been paid, half the guarantee is due within one month of the handover of keys. The remaining half follows within one month of the annual charges being approved by the general assembly or of the charges statements being received.
Where damage is recorded, the landlord may retain the disputed portion, but the undisputed portion must still be returned within the deadline. Withholding the entire deposit over a partial dispute is one of the most frequent landlord errors in this market.
Any deduction has to rest on objectively verifiable evidence. A figure typed into a spreadsheet, with no invoice or third-party assessment behind it, generally carries no probative value.
Wear against damage, applied to animals
Normal wear and tear is not chargeable and Luxembourg publishes no depreciation table for interiors, so the line is argued case by case.
Reading as wear: paint faded over three or four years, carpet flattened along a circulation route, minor marks at low level that were already noted at entry.
Reading as damage: scratched or stained parquet panels, chewed door frames or skirtings, damaged fitted joinery, and persistent odour where it can be evidenced.
The way to keep the argument short is to make the entry document long, which is entirely within your control and costs an extra hour on the day.
The obligations that exist regardless of the lease
For a dog, Luxembourg law under the amended law of 9 May 2008 requires electronic identification by an authorised vet at the latest four months after birth, rabies vaccination from twelve weeks, compulsory third-party liability insurance covering damage caused by the animal, and declaration to the commune within four months of birth or adoption, with one month to declare a change of address or owner.
The commune issues a récépissé and levies an annual dog tax, which is communal and varies, with a minimum around €10 and communes applying figures such as €30 or €40. Certain breeds classified as potentially dangerous carry additional obligations, including training requirements.
Keep the insurance certificate with the lease. It is the document a landlord or syndic is most likely to ask for after an incident, and it is the one most often not to hand.
The four clauses to read before signing
- The guarantee amount, checked against two months of base rent.
- The pet clause, naming the animal rather than the category.
- The repairs allocation, since annual boiler servicing and small maintenance are commonly the tenant's in Luxembourg leases and the allocation should be explicit.
- The insurance requirement, which almost every lease imposes and which is frequently requested at the signature meeting itself.
Certain clauses are void whatever the document says, including a guarantee above the legal maximum. Meeting one is a reasonable trigger for having the whole contract read by a lawyer.
Three questions we are asked
Can a landlord charge an extra pet deposit? Not by exceeding the two-month cap on a lease signed since 1 August 2024. Anything presented as an additional deposit on top should be questioned before signing.
What if the animal arrives after the lease starts? Ask in writing and have the permission recorded as an addendum. Introducing an animal against a lease clause or a building rule is a serious breach of contractual obligations, which is one of the limited grounds on which a landlord may terminate an open-ended lease.
Who do I complain to about a neighbour's animal? The syndic, in writing, with dates and times. The syndic acts on records rather than impressions.
Three questions we are asked
Can a landlord ask for a professional clean at the end? Where the lease requires it, yes, and keep the invoice. Where it does not, a professional clean is frequently still cheaper than the deduction a landlord would apply for one.
What if the building rules change during my tenancy? Decisions taken by the general assembly bind every owner and reach you through the landlord. Ask your landlord for the minutes, which is a reasonable request since those decisions affect your use of the building.
Should I disclose the animal when applying? Yes, and early. A file that conceals it and is discovered later is a considerably worse position than one declined at the outset, and it risks a clause breach.
Six weeks before you leave
Read the entry inventory against the apartment as it stands, with the photographs open beside you, and make a list of the differences you can still resolve yourself. With an animal that list is predictable: marks on skirtings and door frames, scratches near doors, and any damage to fitted joinery.
Most of it is cheap handled in advance and expensive handled by a landlord's contractor. Filling and touching in, replacing a damaged strip of skirting, or re-siliconing a joint each cost a fraction of the deduction they would otherwise attract against a guarantee capped at two months' rent.
Editorial note: Dog law in Luxembourg is set by the amended law of 9 May 2008. The annual dog tax, its amount and the declaration procedure are communal and therefore vary. Rules on animals inside a building are set by each copropriété. Verify with guichet.lu, your commune, your vet and your lease or règlement de copropriété before relying on any of the above.