Tenants with a dog.

tumbledowngirl

DaftyDuck wrote: »

A couple of years back, for some years, I rented out a bungalow and specifically advertised it as "pets very welcome". I was inundated with pet owners wanting the property, and that gave me a wide choice of tenant each time. In addition, on a couple of occasions, one good tenant advised me of a friend/colleague who would like the property next up, as it were. Dog owners tend to talk to each other, and the recommendations were valuable. No doubt to the disgust of some of the more "professional" LL about, as well as a contract there was an informal agreement that some of the cheap furniture was fine to trash (there was always a "dog's sofa" in the conservatory), so long as it was replaced with something suitable for the next dog... um.. tenant... It was, without fail, replaced satisfactorily. I never had a problem with any of those tenants.

Yes, there was more damage than in most lets. Table legs had teeth marks on. But, the table still had legs. There were a few carpets, and these lasted less time than they might, but I didn't scream, as I expected it. The garden could be a mess, but was always cleaned up on vacating (and was often property gardened, and appreciated for what it was). It was detached, so barking problems were not likely to be too problematic. Oh, and I supplied copious mops, buckets, and scrubbing brushes from the outset.

Sure, if I had wanted to change from letting it out to pet owners like myself to letting it to polite, civilised, posh people with shiny shoes, I'd have had to refurbish it throughout. However, there are a large number of pet owners out there, many LL treat them like lepers, and some pet owners can actually read, yet don't read the Daily Mail, aren't averse to the odd bath, and can actually be quite... civilised Frankly, I've found pet smell easier to clean up than smokers' stench.

Given there was an exit at the back straight onto fields, I was never stuck for tenants who cared for their pets, who were quite willing to pay a more-than-reasonable rent for a property that was ideal for their requirements. They were usually far less fussed about many minor problems that cropped up during their stay (that were nonetheless fixed), and really, really glad to find pet-friendly accommodation.

Practical points: it's worth meeting the dog (s), as a single well-behaved pooch is not the same as five scrapping "no-they-aren't-pitbulls-they're-xxx-crosses". Even a single dog that's obviously loved is going to be a better bet than a token tough-mutt. It's worth chasing a reference for previous occupation. It's worth making sure the deposit is quite high, but I wouldn't send it into the stratosphere. It's certainly worth looking over your property first and sensibly safeguarding stuff. If it's an antique chaise-longue from the 18th century, move it elsewhere. Same with a finely balanced 50" flat screen telly. If the carpet cost £30 per metre, renting to doggies is not for your property in all likelihood. Think of the dog's well-being and safety as well... fences, gates, if they work, then the dog will probably have free roaming some of the time, so not busily chewing through the kitchen door. If the house isn't dog-friendly, the dog will be miserable, and is likely to pee, !!!! and chew everywhere and anything ... so if it isn't suitable, don't rent to a dog, because that's what you may, in effect, be doing.

Finally, if you don't have pets, renting out to a pet owner may not be for you. They (we ) do have funny attitudes to some things, and you non-petty people just might not understand.

Some brilliant points made - thank you.

As you may have seen from my later posts, I am a dog owner (actually, scrap that - I am OWNED by 2 dogs :rotfl:)
You have raised some considerations that I have already though of - the house is a small 2 bed semi, with a small garden, which backs onto waste land...that backs onto a railway line. The fencing is 6 foot panel fencing but possibly not in strong enough repair to keep a bored/lonely dog contained. There is a gate access directly onto the road (although it's a cul-de-sac, it's still a road that's used).

I'd hope that the tenants would consider these issues, but they haven't even asked for a viewing this time - simply asked to be considered.

The house is unfurnished, so that's not a worry and there is a solid wood floor in the lounge and one bedroom, vinyl in the kitchen and tiles in the bathroom. Only the stairs and 2nd bedroom has carpet (but this is only 2 years old and in very good condition).

tumbledowngirl

ConfusedofYorkshire wrote: »

I've got a cat, and find it hilarious that landlords want extra money for the deposit because I've got her, but not because I have a toddler. Trust me, toddlers make a lot more mess than a cat! I guess it might depend on the cat but ours has never caused any issues.

Dogs I'd be wary of though. Depends on the dog but they can do a lot of damage. And you can normally tell by the smell if a dog lives in the house which might put future tenants off when they look around

Yup! I've had numerous cats (have 3 now) and 2 toddlers in my time...and cats don't draw on walls or furniture for a start!!

The last tenants moved a cat in without permission - which wouldn't have been an issue, had they not sealed up the cat flap that was there with bathroom sealant.:eek:

ConfusedofYorkshire

tumbledowngirl wrote: »

The last tenants moved a cat in without permission - which wouldn't have been an issue, had they not sealed up the cat flap that was there with bathroom sealant.:eek:

:eek: why?,! Why not just lock it if they didn't want the cat getting out? Unfortunately none of the houses we've rented have had a cat flap.
Having a landlord willing to accept pets is worth it's weight in gold:T

Okydoky25

Having rented a lot of properties it amuses me when I get a LL refuse to let a property because I have a small dog. I have 2 boys under 3 and I can tell you they should be more worried about them!

Angelicdevil

I'm a Director of a managing company and we've got a current issue with some tenants that were granted permission for their dog, with several caveats about communal areas, the most important being to not allow the dog to defecate in said common areas.

Unfortunately, the tenants have failed to stick to the clauses and it looks like, going forwards, that noone will be allowed dogs.

That said, it really does depend on how responsible the owners are and of course the above is specific to flats.

Personally, I would take a bigger deposit (and would do so for those with toddlers too....).

DaftyDuck

ConfusedofYorkshire wrote: »

Having a landlord willing to accept pets is worth it's weight in gold:T

Good to be appreciated! I'll just eat this large pie for lunch, then get myself weighed, ready for my reward

Seriously, even though there may be a slight bit more damage, pet owners are part of the human race, just as they think their pets are, and they are quite happy to pay to keep their pets cosy. It's an under-exploited area of the market, and can be rewarded as a result - even if that isn't sixty-five kilos of gold (£1.6 million, please, ConfusedofYorkshire, which is less than I thought I'd cost in gold.... mmm a Dafty statue in gold... better get saving)

ConfusedofYorkshire

[/QUOTE] even if that isn't sixty-five kilos of gold (£1.6 million, please, ConfusedofYorkshire, which is less than I thought I'd cost in gold.... mmm a Dafty statue in gold... better get saving) [/QUOTE]

If I ever rent from you, you will get it, I promise!:beer:
Unfortunately for you I'm about to give up renting:D

meloncollie

If you do decide to let to them, also ask for a reference from their vets and if they go to any clubs (agility or so) I would also ask for a reference from them as they're more likely to know the dog(s) better than a vet.
I would state in the contract that the carpets need to be professionally cleaned apon leaving and that they pay for any long term damage that the dogs cause (ripping up the floor or so)
Also I would ask for them to get insurance for the home and make sure that damage caused by dogs is covered on it.

moneyistooshorttomention

Having recently been in a house where there were scratches in the perfect d!cor at dog height, then I would want to ensure I was covered in case of such an event.

That is, if I had to decorate totally unnecessarily imo because of the tenants' dog having mucked-up the d!cor then I wouldn't be the one paying for it iyswim.

Personally, I simply wouldn't allow tenants to have dogs because:

a. the possibility of mucking-up d!cor.

b. there are parts of the country where some people keep dogs outside for substantial periods of time. This will likely result in dogs barking and this impacts on neighbours. You don't say what part of the country you are in, so its not possible to tell if this is a factor in your area of the country.

c. the absolute certainty that carpets would start to smell "doggy" (assuming normal practice, ie dogs kept inside).

moneyistooshorttomention

Just seen OP's post about tenant planning on keeping the dog in a kennel in the garden...that means DO NOT take on that tenant, because the dog will certainly bark at intervals and upset other people.