Pets in rented property

isisini

Hey OP,

It took a little while, but in our last rental we managed to find a LL who would let us have a cat - he even put a cat flap in. I think he decided that it was quite a selling point to be pet friendly and meant he tended to get a more settled set of tenants. Certainly the tenants who rented it afterwards (we bought a place) had a cat too.

Useful to follow some guidelines when renting with a pet though - make sure you get it in writing that you have permission in case of any problems when you leave.

This site might help you: http://www.letswithpets.org.uk/

[Deleted User]

I hope the OP will not be put off by the pet-haters on this thread. It's not easy renting with pets, but it is possible, and there are even a few website springing up specific to advertise pet-friendly rentals, e.g:
https://www.letswithpets.org.uk
https://www.petfriendlyrentals.co.uk
Unfortunately they're not that well known yet and so there isn't a huge choice, but hopefully they will grow over time.

I personally wouldn't advise hiding pets although I know some people who have done it successfully. I lived in one flat quite a few years ago where pets weren't allowed, but I unexpectedly had to take on two family cats because my mum was terminally ill and couldn't look after them anymore. I was hiding them when the landlady came round, but then she came round one day without notice when I was out and she saw them. Although she had breached the contract by coming round, I couldn't really complain as I had breached the contract by having pets. She told me I had to get rid of the cats or move out, so I moved out.

Luckily since then I've had better experiences as I've had landlords (both through agencies and privately) who are animal lovers and don't mind the cats. In my current place, we simply have an agreement that I will repair any damage they do before I move out, which is no problem. I would expect to do that with any other kind of damage (beyond reasonable wear and tear) so it's really no different when it comes to pets.

slopemaster

isisini wrote: »

Hey OP,
in our last rental we managed to find a LL who would let us have a cat - .... I think he decided that it was quite a selling point to be pet friendly and meant he tended to get a more settled set of tenants.

Yup, I'm a landlord and that's my theory too.
I do ask for a bigger deposit though (2 months instead of one) to be sure of having enough to cover possible damage or flea infestation.

[Deleted User]

That's an excellent point. I've stayed in my current rental for more than 4 years now, largely because moving when you have pets its such a pain. The landlady has appreciated having that continuity.