Rental Properties with Pets. Urgent.

grumiofoundation

tom9980 said:

regency_man said:

Yeah.  We discussed and we think, given the time restrictions, we're going to do a bit of a hybrid.  Get her accepted on a place that is pet-suitable (current looking at one with hard-floors downstairs and a completely paved/gravel garden so no chance of lawn damage), move in, then talk to the landlord about the pet and offer to double deposit to cover their risk if they take it onboard willingly.  Obviously if they don't, it becomes a bit of a battle of attrition but at least she is in a slightly more powerful position once in the property. 

Landlords are limited to 5 weeks rent maximum for the deposit which is part of the issue. The other problem faced is the time taken to sue and win in court can increase costs, getting a tenant to pay a court order can be difficult. Much easier to find a tenant with fewer issues.

Not in wales. 
We paid extra deposit in order to be able to have a cat (was roughly ~1 weeks rent). 

pinkteapot

And another one saying, just ask. 

We rented with our cat after relocating two years ago. Probably a third or so of the ones that said no pets that we contacted would actually consider them. 

amandacat

Useful thread for me as my house sale is currently going through and we are relocating, we are renting initially but looking on rightmove I’m really worried we won’t find somewhere that accepts my cats and I could end up homeless eek. 

uk_american

Definitely ask.

I am currently working abroad so I have an agent for the first time managing my property. As I filled out all of their forms I noticed there was nothing about pets. I am a crazy cat lady and think that a tenant who is settled with pets equals a lower chance of turnover and therefore fewer voids/higher profits.

When I asked the agent their response was, 'put it into the comments box, if you're ok with pets, then if someone calls and asks, we'll know.'

When I asked further questions, it seemed that the agent would prefer a tenant without pets as that requires less work for them as they visit the tenant in their current home to see the pet as part of the tenant vetting process. Additionally they were concerned that a pet owner is a higher risk since they may cause more damages (cat scratching door, dog chewing something) and the agent would then have more hassle in withholding the deposit.

So I made notes in the comments although those did not make the advertisement it was a 'pet friendly' flat if someone would have asked.

[Deleted User]

My ex has two dogs.  Not a single LA in the area would let him register for a property.  When he used OpenRent, out of 3 properties he applied for, he was offered 2.  The dogs were well trained security dogs (no burglaries in the property lol).  Obviously with OpenRent he was dealing directly with the LL's not an LA.  LA's tend to have a string of rules and formulas they won't stray from.  LL's who list on places like Openrent are more amenable.

yksi

My advice is for her to find a private landlord and be upftont about it. Some are pooch-lovers and will be ok with her situation. As I understand it they can no longer charge pet fees, which is why agents all just say "no pets" and to be honest, despite people arguing passionately for the cleanliness of their pooches and kitties, sorry but there's no way in hell I would want pets in my property. Even as an animal lover, I just wouldn't want it. While working for an agent I have seen some horrorshows caused by pets, things like chewed and scratched archways, carpets full of fleas, floors rotted by urine, doors destroyed by paws, gardens dug up, curtains in shreds etc. For those that moan kids can do the same, yes they can, so given the choice I'd always opt for a working, childless couple. Of course it seems mean, but the reality is we're talking about a very expensive item and as the owner I would try to choose someone that will be less likely to trash it - so I would also select the 50-year-old couple and not the 20-year-olds, and without telling them why.

Your friend is discovering that she is not a good choice for a landlord. This is the reality of not being the "ideal" tenant type. Has she considered leaving the dog with her partner (I can hear you crying but it's a sensible question when faced with the prospect of not finding a home)?

ss2020jd

This might not be that helpful in the short-term but things could be changing in terms of refusing tenants with pets.
I can’t post links yet but this is the gist of it from the government press release (extract): 

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP has today (4 January 2020) called on landlords to make it easier for responsible tenants to have well behaved pets in their homes as he announced an overhaul of the model tenancy contracts.

More young people and families than ever before are renting and should be able to enjoy the happiness that a pet can bring to their lives. However, currently only around 7% of landlords advertise homes as suitable for pets, meaning many people struggle to find a home suitable for themselves and their pets. 

The government’s model tenancy contracts for renters, which can be used as the basis of lease agreements made with tenants, will now be revised to remove restrictions on well behaved pets - to ensure more landlords are catering for responsible pet owners wherever possible.

The government is clear there should be a balance with responsible pet owners not being penalised and landlords being more flexible in their approach, and it is right that landlords’ properties should be protected from damage by badly behaved pets.

But total bans on renters with pets should only be implemented where there is good reason, such as in smaller properties or flats where owning a pet could be impractical. 

I’m not sure when the changes are due but it says : A revised model tenancy agreement will be published by the government this year.