Know the rules before bringing your furry best friend into your new Athens home.

No matter how fluffy, cuddly, scaly or otherwise lovable, pets are a responsibility, and students should review housing policies both on- and off-campus to prevent pet-related repercussions.

“Our policy is pretty straightforward,” said Gerard Kowalski, executive director of University Housing.

Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski

Kowalski said students living on campus can have fish in tanks of 20 gallons or less, but no other pets are allowed, with the exception of students requiring service animals.

Just because students are out of the dorms does not mean they are automatically allowed to have animals in their rental properties.

Haley Cabe of Carriage House Realty said dogs, cats and fish are only allowed in certain Carriage House properties, and exotic pets are not allowed at all.

She said renters paid a nonrefundable $350 pet fee allowing them to have up to three pets.

“This fee is allowing them to have pets in their apartment, but does not cover any excessive damages,” Cabe said.

This excessive damage can result in an automatic forfeiture of the residents’ security deposit.

Scott Hancock, owner of Hancock Properties, said two of his neighborhoods allow for pets, but the third does not.

“The one neighborhood is the newest of the three so we decided to hold out as long as possible,” he said.

Hancock said his properties did not have any breed restrictions at all and charge a monthly pet rental instead of a nonrefundable pet fee.

“We’d rather not make college students come up with a large sum of money,” he said. The pet rent is $15 for a cat or small dog, and $30 for a larger dog or a puppy under one year of age. There are no restrictions on exotic pets, he said.