Pets and renting

dgtazzman

I found the 'no pets' clauses are mostly added in by the LA, rather that the LL and found that offering extra deposit and/or to have the carpets professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy will sway most, as it shows a certain level of responsibility.

Also, no point in saying dogs are worse than cats, it depends on the individual pet and owners. Some cats enjoy shredding things with their claws, some dogs like chewing furniture, etc. Though I would say both add extra wear to a property, but certainly no more than a young child would and I haven't seen many 'no children' clauses in rental adds.

EmmyLou30

Reue wrote: »

If they don't mention pets then don't mention them yourself, surely?


As long as no damage is done to the property (or you make good/pay for any at the end of the tenancy) what's the problem? What you do in your own home is your business.


Personally I'd not mention the pets and just rent as normal. How would the landlord find out, and even if they did.. so what? Would they go through the time and cost of evicting you for it (assuming it was even mentioned in the tenancy), unlikely.

I'm glad you're no tenant of mine with that attitude! Of course you have the right to live however you fancy, but not if it damages the fabric of the house in some way like scratched walls, curtians and carpets and not to mention fleas.

We said no pets on our rental but in the end accepted a cat and a guinea pig based on how the tenants seemed to us as people and that they up front offered a larger deposit by way of compensating for any damage the cat might do. We also had the tenancy aggreement reworded to say 'one cat' so they shouldn't go getting more in the future and the carpets have to be professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy to get rid of potential fleas and provide proof that this has been done.

It's obviouslytheir home while they live there but it's also my house and I don't want it damaged. I'm actually surprised so many tenants own pets tbh, why make life harder for yourself by limiting your choice as most rentals say no pets. Wait for luxuries like pets till you have your own home, save up the 'pet' money for your deposit instead.

TakingControl

Reue wrote: »

If they don't mention pets then don't mention them yourself, surely?


As long as no damage is done to the property (or you make good/pay for any at the end of the tenancy) what's the problem? What you do in your own home is your business.


Personally I'd not mention the pets and just rent as normal. How would the landlord find out, and even if they did.. so what? Would they go through the time and cost of evicting you for it (assuming it was even mentioned in the tenancy), unlikely.

People with your attitude make it so much harder for people with pets to find a LL willing to let their property to you.

I certainly wouldn't hide the fact that I have a dog...

When I was looking to rent a property after a break up, I offered to get the carpets cleaned professionally (only stairs and upstairs, downstairs is all wood floor) and also offered a higher deposit (LL refused a higher deposit, was happy with cleaning of carpets).

I also created a little CV for my dog, from when I adopted her at a rescue centre to all the training she had (she has KC Bronze, Silver and Gold and also APDT Novice and advanced training certs). The landlord really like that as did the agent as it gave them more of an idea what kind of owner I am.

I have now been here 2 years and on each 6 month inspection the agent comments how clean the house is.

When I looked for a property I actually found 4 that would take dogs after asking the letting agents, most don't advertise it, but many allow pets when asked.

Good luck

haras_nosirrah

Reue wrote: »

If they don't mention pets then don't mention them yourself, surely?


As long as no damage is done to the property (or you make good/pay for any at the end of the tenancy) what's the problem? What you do in your own home is your business.


Personally I'd not mention the pets and just rent as normal. How would the landlord find out, and even if they did.. so what? Would they go through the time and cost of evicting you for it (assuming it was even mentioned in the tenancy), unlikely.

Please don't take this advice

A friend of mine got stuck in the 7th circle of hell when she unknowingly rented a property where the landlord assured her there had not been any pets but unfortunately the previous tenant had smuggled in a cat and not told the landlord

My friend rented the property and is highly allergic to cats

After two days she ended up sleeping overnight in her car and had to leave the property and try to find someone to take over the property from her which cost her an absolute bomb in fees and moving costs

The landlord allowed her to break the contract but she had to pay rent for nearly 8 weeks on a property she couldn't spend any time in unless she was drugged up to the eye balls and couldn't sleep in

glasgowgirl80

I am renting and have two cats.

I only looked at unfurnished properties and those which didn't have carpet (my whole flat is laminate flooring) so there wasn't much for the landlord to object to. The cats are written into my lease and it specifically states that if they cause any damage we must pay for it (not sure how they would identify specific cat damage, but there you go!).

In my experience, adverts which say 'no pets' really mean it. Those where it isn't mentioned may be more flexible depending on the animal and how you ask. There is a big difference between somebody with three large dogs and one little cat so its worth asking.

Fireflyaway

EmmyLou30 wrote: »

I'm glad you're no tenant of mine with that

why make life harder for yourself by limiting your choice as most rentals say no pets. Wait for luxuries like pets till you have your own home, save up the 'pet' money for your deposit instead.

I do own my current home - bought it 11 years ago ( and have another abroad). We are choosing to rent for a few years for reasons connected to work / schools. So I don't consider a pet to be a luxury - she is a cat we have had for the last 5 years.

Fireflyaway

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Feel happier now that many of you have successfully rented with pets. Offering a larger deposit is a good idea and like many of you say its good to show you are responsible. We will be taking our own furniture so that's one less worry.
Love the idea of creating a pet cv!

Reue

EmmyLou30 wrote: »

I'm glad you're no tenant of mine with that attitude! Of course you have the right to live however you fancy, but not if it damages the fabric of the house in some way like scratched walls, curtians and carpets and not to mention fleas.

Surely that's what a deposit is for

EmmyLou30 wrote: »

It's obviouslytheir home while they live there but it's also my house

No, it's your investment which you choose to rent out for monetary gain. As I said; If theres no damage or damage is repaired for out of the deposit.. what right do you have to tell someone else how to live their life in their home.

Reue

TakingControl wrote: »

People with your attitude make it so much harder for people with pets to find a LL willing to let their property to you.

What attitude would this be? Believing that someone who pays to rent out a property has the right to use it as they wish.. so long as all damage is repaired at end of tenancy?

TakingControl wrote: »

on each 6 month inspection the agent comments how clean the house is.

How patronising for you.

macman

No, because someone who leases a property is expected to comply with the terms of the lease. If the lease does not allow pets, then they are in breach of the terms of the lease.
The LL is entitled to insert such restrictions as they see fit (subject to legal requirements), and the tenant is equally entitled to decline the property if those restrictions are unsuitable for them. There is no law preventing pets being barred. Obviously such restrictions should be made clear in the property description.
With your attitude, it would presumably be fine for the tenant to gut the property and install a light manufacturing unit, as long as the damage was remedied at end of lease?
Most pets would not cause major damage exceeding the deposit value, but a few would, and the LL is entitled to insert a clause protecting themselves against such an eventuality.