Renting a house with a cat?

spinningsheep

Hi, I rent a house privately, and in my tenancy it says no pets, however, when viewing the house I mentioned to my now landlady that I would like a cat and would this be problem, she said of course not. All fine. I am thinking ahead now, and if say my landlady decided to sell the property and thus give me notice to vacate the house, and I had to find another house to rent, what would the situation be on renting with a cat? I am asking this with a view to LANDLORDS here, what would you say if you had a prospective tenant with an excellent reference from previous landlady regarding state of house, lack of damage etc? I am a little bit worried as he honestly is my life, love him to bits, he's like my little boy and I couldn't bear to part with him, as I rescued him when I had him 2 summers ago.

Mini_Bear

It would depend on whether the property was furnished or unfurnished, cats have a habit of scratching furniture. Cats are obv not as messy as dogs but I could understand if the next rental property was a flat above ground floor with no way for the cat to get outside, the landlord may not think the property was suitable for you.
I would be honest with a prospective Landlord, and they may just ask for a slightly bigger deposit to cover the risk.
The fact you only have one cat is better than several so it may be completely fine. Good luck, i guess you could ask a few agents prospectively in the mean time.

ET1976

I would accept a tenant with a cat, especially with a reference from a previous landlord. I've got a pet agreement which the tenants sign in addition to the tenancy agreement containing clauses about getting the carpets cleaned etc.

BitterAndTwisted

Lots of landlords say "no pets" to their letting agents but some, when asked directly if they would agree to a pusscat often agree. The main things they are wary of, apart from any damage from claws is flea infestations which are a b*gger to eradicate and often only become apparent after said flea-bag has left the property.

HOWMUCH

Cats could scratch furniture(kitchen units too), doors, walls, damage curtains, blinds, so I would say no to anyone with cats then theres the flea issues too

PasturesNew

There are a few places you can look for LLs that accept pets. One is on The Sun classifieds website, another is http://www.petfriendlyrentals.co.uk although a lot of these tend to be holiday rentals.

Nixer

We went from owning to rented in 2005 and we thought finding somewhere that would take our cat would be a problem but it wasn't as bad as we thought and in fact only 2 places out of many that we have seen have said no (both farms). We were looking in rural areas though so that may have some bearing.

Our current landlady even said that we could install a cat flap. What's harder though is finding somewhere suitable for the moggy - i.e. not near a main or busy road.

Running_Horse

Nearly all cats will pee on the carpet sooner or later, and due to the background cat smell you may not even know until it has been happening for several days. This will cost you money when you leave and make it really hard to find another place. I love my cat, but wouldn't allow one if I were a landlord protecting my investment. Cats are a long term commitment of 15 years or more, and may not be suitable if moving every couple of years.

redlady_1

Rubbish! I had a cat and used to rent. All you need to do is ask the letting agents to contact the landlords. If there is damage when you move out, you have to pay for it - whether or not the cat destroys anything! I moved out and received my full deposit, with no damage. The only thing you must do (which you have to do anyway) is clean the carpets. I have now bought my house and either side are rented out, to people with dogs and cats! It just depends on the landlord. I agree about the rural areas though. It all depends on the people ( and that is the landlord and tenant)

When I rent my house out I will definitely allow pets. Sometimes they are alot more careful that non pet owners but there will be a clause about cleaning carpets. I think many places make you sign some kind of insurance now ref damage. I really wouldnt worry. Your landlord may not sell for years.

Gazing_On_Sunsets

I let out a house and don't mind cats. My tenants asked before they moved in. I didn't know about the dog, the two rats and assorted gerbily things though! However I have to look at it on balance. They pay regularly, they've lived there fore four years, they have kept the house up pretty good and even paid for a new shower as they counted it as their own wear and tear.

I know when they go it will take some cleaning though. I am not a dog owner and so maybe I am sensitive to the smell, but there is a definite *tinge* of dog in the air.

BitterAndTwisted

Running_Horse wrote: »

Nearly all cats will pee on the carpet sooner or later, and due to the background cat smell you may not even know until it has been happening for several days.

Absolutely untrue! I've had indoors-only cats as pets for over thirty years and not a single one of them has ever soiled anywhere save their litter-tray. I agree that some people have sensitivities or allergies to cat dander and this could be a consideration for landlords when taking on new tenants after a cat-owning tenant has vacated. Some landlords who agree to accept tenants with cats might request a larger deposit to cover any damage or additional cleaning at the end of the tenancy and that seems entirely reasonable to me.