Letting with pets

skullncrossbones

Ok, so my partner and I have been looking for a flat to rent in westcliff, essex, for several months. We have a cat whom we rescued and would like to take him with us however as it turns out being honest about him is a nightmare. Does anyone have any tips for renting a property with pets? I want to be upfront and am happy to pay a pet deposit, have it professionally cleaned etc however it seems landlords think the worst I can't do a pet cv as he's only every lived in my boyfriends parents house...any ideas appreciated.

Guest101

skullncrossbones wrote: »

Ok, so my partner and I have been looking for a flat to rent in westcliff, essex, for several months. We have a cat whom we rescued and would like to take him with us however as it turns out being honest about him is a nightmare. Does anyone have any tips for renting a property with pets? I want to be upfront and am happy to pay a pet deposit, have it professionally cleaned etc however it seems landlords think the worst I can't do a pet cv as he's only every lived in my boyfriends parents house...any ideas appreciated.

Personally I wouldnt tell them.

But that's only on the proviso that i would return the property to the state it was prior to me receiving it (less wear and tear), and accept that with a pet this would take more effort than without.

nidO

You would probably have better luck in looking for houses rather than flats to rent.
Obviously this may not be ideal, but in a lot of cases you'll find the landlords of flats you're looking at have "no pets" rules because this is a restriction in their lease which will either totally prohibit pets or require written permission from the freeholder (which for cats/dogs rather than say hamsters may or may not be refused), and trying to get this permission is probably more hassle than just saying no to you, and waiting for a tenant without pets to come along.

Not telling them obviously has the risk of landing you in problems, as if the tenancy does stipulate no pets and they find out (routine inspection, neighbour complaining, any of a number of other ways), you'll quite possibly find a section 8 ground 12 letter wanting to kick you out landing on your doorstep.
Who wants that hanging over their heads the entire time they're living somewhere?

Guest101

nidO wrote: »

You would probably have better luck in looking for houses rather than flats to rent.
Obviously this may not be ideal, but in a lot of cases you'll find the landlords of flats you're looking at have "no pets" rules because this is a restriction in their lease which will either totally prohibit pets or require written permission from the freeholder (which for cats/dogs rather than say hamsters may or may not be refused), and trying to get this permission is probably more hassle than just saying no to you, and waiting for a tenant without pets to come along.

Not telling them obviously has the risk of landing you in problems, as if the tenancy does stipulate no pets and they find out (routine inspection, neighbour complaining, any of a number of other ways), you'll quite possibly find a section 8 ground 12 letter wanting to kick you out landing on your doorstep.
Who wants that hanging over their heads the entire time they're living somewhere?

Just to clarify for the OP - Section 8, ground 9- 17 are discretionary. The court would have to decide whether the breach was sufficient as to end the tenancy.

- My personal view is that it is unlikely to be a 'big enough' breach, but courts are funny places, so nothing is guaranteed.

caronoel

As a LL, there is no way I would want kids or pets in any of my properties.

Why did you take an animal from a "rescue" centre, when you have no permanent home for it?

My suggestion - give the moggy back to the rescue centre

Guest101

caronoel wrote: »

As a LL, there is no way I would want kids or pets in any of my properties.

Why did you take an animal from a "rescue" centre, when you have no permanent home for it?

My suggestion - give the moggy back to the rescue centre

As a consumer I wouldnt want to give you any of my hard earned cash.

But all you've achieved is alienating a large percentage of the rental market.

I know that cannabis farmers never have pets or kids....

Pixie5740

Have you tried searching for a landlord or letting agency using the Lets for Pets website?

Gumtree is also a good place to look, in fact you could post your own advert there to see if there's a landlord out there willing to accept tenants with a pet. Not all landlords are against tenants owning pets but it can be difficult especially when there are landlords out there who don't think that tenants should have either pets or children.

slopemaster

caronoel wrote: »

there is no way I would want kids or pets in any of my properties...
...give the moggy back to the rescue centre

OK, I'll bite.
If she got pregnant (after moving in), would you tell her to send it back?

Guest101

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Have you tried searching for a landlord or letting agency using the Lets for Pets website?

Gumtree is also a good place to look, in fact you could post your own advert there to see if there's a landlord out there willing to accept tenants with a pet. Not all landlords are against tenants owning pets but it can be difficult especially when there are landlords out there who don't think that tenants should have either pets or children.

Agree with this, especially bit in bold.

Hence the, just keep quiet strategy.

caronoel

Guest101 wrote: »

Agree with this, especially bit in bold.

Hence the, just keep quiet strategy.

And that's the issue

I have heard horror stories of flea infestations, dogs chewing everything, cats scratching the backs of furniture... and to me its just too much risk and hassle to take.

If I caught someone, they would get notice ASAP. Luckily most tenants are more honest than that.

If you want the stability of a home to keep your kids or pets, buy a house. Don't expect a decent LL to provide you one.

Guest101

caronoel wrote: »

And that's the issue

I have heard horror stories of flea infestations, dogs chewing everything, cats scratching the backs of furniture... and to me its just too much risk and hassle to take. - all of which can be recovered from the tenant.

If I caught someone, they would get notice ASAP. Luckily most tenants are more honest than that. - And then you'd likely have a void period, congrats.

If you want the stability of a home to keep your kids or pets, buy a house. Don't expect a decent LL to provide you one.

People rent for many reasons, buying isnt the be all and end of.

That's exactly what a decent landlord would do. Unfortunately it appears you dont fulfil that criteria, and why you wouldnt be getting my money