Everyone saying no

Kynthia

Have you tried
http://www.letswithpets.org.uk/

and
http://www.petfriendlyrentals.co.uk/

jimjames

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Fleas are a big one, loads of people have had infestations this year - many of whom are using Frontline regularly.

We allowed tenants with a cat in our house. Once they went and new tenants came in they found the house was infested with fleas as well as finding damage to sofa from claws. I know not every tenant is the same but it caused a lot of extra hassle that I could do without so it would need something special to persuade me otherwise.

Some of the ideas here are great and could work but try thinking from the LL perspective to see how you could encourage them you will look after the place.

DiscoCat54

This might sound a little silly but I've been assured it works.. A pet CV! Just a piece of A4 paper with a cute photo of the dog at the top. Likes/dislikes, any training attended, tricks it can do... Also include at the bottom a couple of references. Use nice photos and keep it light hearted, who could resist?

Fire_Fox

jimjames wrote: »

We allowed tenants with a cat in our house. Once they went and new tenants came in they found the house was infested with fleas as well as finding damage to sofa from claws. I know not every tenant is the same but it caused a lot of extra hassle that I could do without so it would need something special to persuade me otherwise.

Some of the ideas here are great and could work but try thinking from the LL perspective to see how you could encourage them you will look after the place.

If I was a landlord again I wouldn't personally permit a puppy (toilet accidents, chewing, vomit) but would be happy with an indoor only adult cat.

One solution for fleas is have the tenant pay extra for a professional treatment at the end of the tenancy or just know that you will do this yourself between tenants. Some products need to be left down a while and some need repeating so you'd want to research ahead of time. Sofa damage should be covered by the inventory and deposit anyway unless it is truly wrecked.

Better_Days

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Fleas are a big one, loads of people have had infestations this year - many of whom are using Frontline regularly.

Without wishing to make everyone reading this thread scratch - not all flea treatments are the same.

I have done quite a bit of research as I am very susceptible to flea bites, and insect bites generally whereas DH very rarely gets bitten.

I have changed to Frontline Combo (as opposed to Frontline). This is more expensive and does require a prescription, but as well as killing the fleas that hop onto the pet it also inhibits the development of the eggs. As the vast majority of the fleas/eggs will be in the pets environment this is very important and saves spraying with the likes of Indorex, which although effective, are not very pleasant.

This is guide is a good start for those who would like further info http://www.animeddirect.co.uk/home/flea_guide

tbs624

GP2012 wrote: »

Fire fox - thanks not many private ad's in the paper are suitable at the moment and the 1 that was said no - I have offered extra deposit . Could I get away with only claiming I have two? Would be worried the neighbours would say something - everyone has been asking the breed and size! Grrrr

Lying to the LL hardly gets your relationship off to a good start does it? A LL who, after consideration, takes you on with "two" dogs may justifiably feel like you are taking the proverbial when s/he realises that there are in fact 3 of them.

Try putting your own "wanted ad" up locally and try contacting the local LL association for contact info for potentially pet-friendly LLs.

Are you moving from other rented property or have you sold your home? If the 1st then can you get a reference for the pets?

Is there any other reason, apart from the pets issue, ( ie such as rent/mortgage arrears/other CCJs) why you would not be seen as an ideal tenant?

bluebell_woods

In my experience it is not necessarily that dogs will be unclean or ruin furnishings. It's the potential for lots of barking. For example, a woman in my road has been trying to sell her home. She's had two offers, but then the potential purchasers have realised that her next door neighbour has a dog that barks all the time, so they've pulled out of the purchase. A good landlord will be thinking not only about the upkeep of the property but about keeping good relations with neighbours. So it may be useful to get evidence that your dogs don't bark too much, especially when you're out. PS I'm a dog and cat lover so please don't take this the wrong way! Good luck and hope you find something.

maninthestreet

OP - how have you managed in the past, or is this the first time you have had to find a rental property?

vroombroom

We've had this problem - we have outdoor rabbits and two dogs (terrier and collie x) so you have my sympathy.

We had a lot of problems with the agency we got our house through in August. They were telling us the landlord wasn't happy with the dogs (after taking our £200 admin fee) and its only by chance the landlord was a friend of a friend, he had mentioned he hadn't spoken to the agency for a while, friend knew we were looking in the area where his house was and they put two and two together.

The agency actually hadn't spoken to the landlord but he was more than happy with our dogs. We've signed an extra agreement to replace anything that is broken or damaged.

If I were you I would say you have two, then adopt a new one down the line. Offer to pay more deposit, say you'll pay for new carpets/professional cleaners etc if need be.

Good luck!

isisini

We have been renting for the past couple of years with a cat. We found the place on Gumtree, and it was advertised as (cat) friendly.

For urban landlords I think the benefit of having a tenant with pets is that they're likely to be settled (as nobody with pets wants to move every year), who will put down roots, and who won't fight rental increases too much. I'm sure our landlord sees the pet friendly thing as a real selling point to tenants. Also, once they've had one pet living there, they may as well have another, as another cat owner is going to be more sympathetic to things like scratched doors.

Our landlord hasn't taken any extra deposit from us but I would expect him to take money off if there was any damage done.

I would look for somewhere unfurnished, to minimise the damage you could do to the landlord's things, and maybe try and find somewhere where the incumbent tenant has a dog or two - could you contact your local Dog's Trust branch and see if they know any friendly landlords?