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Sep 26, 2007 4:06 pm US/Central

State To Pay $9,900/Month For Perry's Rent House

AUSTIN (AP) ― Gov. Rick Perry and wife, Anita, will move out of the 150-year-old Governor's Mansion next month and into a three-story, limestone home with five bedrooms, a heated pool and an outdoor cabana.

The state will pony up $9,900-a-month in rent for at least a year while the Governor's Mansion undergoes renovations starting next month. The 6,386 square foot home in a posh west Austin neighborhood has been listed on the market for more than a year, with the most recent asking price $1.85 million.

In addition to a $9,900 security deposit, the Perrys will pay a $1,800 pet deposit so they can bring along their 5-year-old daschund, Lucy, according to the lease agreement.

The home with "luxurious Texas styling" sits on 3.25 acres and has pecan hardwood floors, a gourmet kitchen with marble countertops and another kitchen outside by the pool. It includes a subzero refrigerator, a balcony and a third-story attic converted to a game room. A separate guest house will be used as staff quarters.

All bedrooms in the home are upstairs, a feature Perry liked, said spokesman Robert Black. The upstairs bedrooms give the family "a level of privacy" while hosting guests, he said.

The Perrys will move into the house by the first part of October, Black said.

Rent for the new residence is part of the estimated $10 million in renovation costs. Perry is required by law to live in Austin while governor.

The Governor's Mansion, a designated National Historic Landmark, is set for a facelift starting this fall. In addition to new plumbing, the project will include lead and asbestos abatement and an effort to preserve some of the historic pine wood used around the windows.

The new home is surrounded by a wrought iron fence within a gated community, another feature that appealed to Perry, Black said.

"Security was one of the driving factors," he said. "Being able to use it for the functions one might expect of the first family of Texas and all of the logistics that go with that."

The home is being leased from Murell Campbell through his daughter and son-in-law, Melinda and Guy Grace. Grace has contributed $2,500 a year to Perry's campaign every year since 2005, but Black said Perry has not met Grace.

The county tax office appraised the value of the home at $1.004 million.

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