Buying a flat and want to take my cat...advice please

Biophysics_Guy

Hello,

I've been happily lodging with friends for years, but they may well be moving out of the area which isn't an option for me as I wish to stay local for work. My preferred option is to buy a freehold or share-of-freehold flat, and I wish to take my cat with me. My cat is an indoors, well behaved, litter tray using and vaccinated/flea treated elderly moggy. However, I've been doing some reading and keep coming across issues with pets not being allowed in flats, or only with the agreement of the freeholder(s).

I have no desire to be in breach of my lease but it seems that getting information on whether pets are allowed is tricky, and seems to be an issue for solicitors to deal with after steps have been taken to make an offer for a flat. If the solicitor comes back and says that pets are absolutely prohibited, then I could pull out of the purchase, but that would be costly.

What I want to know is how can I get reliable info on whether I can take my cat with me before negotiations get serious and expensive? I have read that estate agents generally have no idea about these sorts of things and their opinion shouldn't be relied on.

Moving without my cat just isn't an option, and given that purchase of a property is such a massive life step, I naturally want to make sure that a property is right for me and my cat without having to potentially lose a lot of money on legal advice.

Your advice would be very welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Biophysics Guy

kleapatra

How would anyone know you have a cat? I have a housecat and used to live in a leasehold flat with him, the neighbours would have had no idea I had a cat. It's not like a rental flat where you will have inspections and being a housecat there's no chance he will be wandering round the communal areas or even the communal grounds. Can't see why it would be any different to having a goldfish or a canary. I think you're overthinking it

JoeCrystal

I live in a leasehold flats and in spite of the leases saying that no animals should be kept, I often see cats and dogs around here. I am guessing it is only a problem if the freeholder or other leaseholder find it too much of the nuisances. Say, what happens if the freeholder decide you beach the covenants, what actually do happen?

frugalsmurf

I had a friend who couldn't have dogs in her flat, yet she had a dog.

I think it's different to renting as no one checks. But with the house cat, who would know ?

Bossypants

My lease says no pets and I assume that it's the same case for the other flat in the building, yet both have cat flaps in their front doors which definitely aren't new.

mynameisclare

You could try asking people in the neighbouring flats - I'd imagine they would all have similar lease conditions.

Cornucopia

The tricky thing is that even if you saw the Leases beforehand, they would probably almost all say that pets were only allowed at the Freeholder's discretion, so you could be waiting a long while for one to come along that didn't.

In practice, you would need a combination of multiple, unresolved cat-related complaints, a pro-active management company and freeholder and some sort of funding for the necessary legal action. It's hugely unlikely, and you'll find unapproved pets in many, many flats.

If that's still an issue, maybe look for a small house?

moneyistooshorttomention

The basic reason for these no pet clauses is to ensure other people don't have problems from the pets concerned (eg dogs barking, pets of any description fouling outside, etc).

One little cat that never goes out of the front door and doesnt spend its time yowling isnt going to be a bother to anyone by any stretch of the imagination.

In your position - I'd buy whatever place I decided and not bother to even mention the cat. Puss would just move into the flat with me and I doubt anyone would even spot her (except visiting friends).

marksoton

By far the bigger issue is your stipulation you want freehold. Why so?

Biophysics_Guy

I tend to overthink everything....I'm a scientist You're right though, puss wouldn't go out of the flat and she is very quiet and well behaved. Very unlikely to cause problems.

PasturesNew

It is solely an instrument with the potential to deal with "nuisance neighbours" at some future point.

In the main it doesn't mean "no cats", it'd mean "no cats that cause any form of nuisance inside or out to other people in this block".

Some cat owners might, say, arbitrarily cut a catflap in the front communal door, then leave out rotting bowls of food and a kitty litter tray outside their front door - and/or the cat might choose to bring in dead/alive vermin it's caught. Over time, the hallway might become coated in kitty fluff if they never clean where it sits in the sun. Additionally, a neighbour might've chosen to live in that block as they have severe allergy issues.

Other kitty owners might, say, regularly open their door at 11pm and call out "doob, doob, doob, doob, doob, doob ... here boy .... come on ... here boy ... doob, doob" before slamming their door shut as their cat's been called in.

An indoor cat won't ever cause a nuisance to any neighbours, so you're OK.

There is no "cat patrol" and no "issuing officer" issuing you with a notice to quit simply because a passing neighbour saw a cat sitting on your windowsill.