Renting with pets..

[jenny82]

Anyone rent with a pet? Most places I've seen don't allow pets, but is there anyway you could sway the landlord?

Our dog is housetrained, not allowed out of certain rooms etc. I've seen a really good house, in area close to good schools but the estate agent say no pets. I'm gutted but really want to find a way around it if I could :/

 

[Piggywinkle]

We had a hard time when we were looking around. I think it's just luck that you drop on a property that says they allow pets. We have a well-behaved, housetrained chihuahua and it seems some landlords will allow small pets if this is any help - but I'm afraid to say that renting with pets does seriously limit your level of choice. We saw a couple of houses we liked but got told no when they found out we had a dog. Unfortunately, the renting market is pretty good at the moment so landlords/letting agents can afford to be picky when it comes to tenants. I'd just say suck it up and look for another place that does accept pets. You'll find it and then know it was meant to be

 

[fairyflowers]

i just wouldnt tell em - naughty me i know but their never gonna know, if they need to come to the house to fix anything, ask OH or someone to walk the dog, spray some air freshner and theyl be none the wiser

 

[omfgski]

.

 

[Piggywinkle]

i just wouldnt tell em - naughty me i know but their never gonna know, if they need to come to the house to fix anything, ask OH or someone to walk the dog, spray some air freshner and theyl be none the wiser

I wouldn't recommend this. Most letting agents/landlords have regular inspections and you *will* get found out and evicted. Is it worth it? Honesty is definitely the best policy. Plus, as the pp said, it is the landlord's house after all and you have to respect their wishes.

 

[jenny82]

i just wouldnt tell em - naughty me i know but their never gonna know, if they need to come to the house to fix anything, ask OH or someone to walk the dog, spray some air freshner and theyl be none the wiser

Risky risky! All it takes is them to walk past and hear the dog barking inside, see you walking with the dog or someone they know might see and mention it to them and then your tenancy agreement is broken and you are out. Plus, if they dont want pets in their house, it's pretty disrespectful to lie like that.

OP if you really like a house/area with a no pet rule, it might be worth offering the landlord a higher deposit than they ask for. It could reassure them that you are serious about making sure your pet doesn't damage their property if you are willing to risk that much money on the deposit iyswim? It's hard sometimes though because where there might be a reasonable landlord who might consider you with a pet, there's the estate agent first who doesn't want to bother the landlord by asking. Hope you find somewhere!

Tbh I would maybe try to lie too, but you're right , it is quite disrespectful :/

I def like the idea of offering a higher deposit and we would maybe be able to do that. He hasn't destroyed anything in our home since he was a puppy. I might just booking a viewing anyway and see. Thanks

 

[discoclare]

You said that the estate agent said no, but has she/he actually checked with the landlord? Becasue on most tenancy agreements it is standard to say no pets, but of course you can have the agreement changed if the landlord agrees.

We have two cats. Our original tenancy agreement was the standard document saying no pets, but since there was a catflap (our landlady used to live here) and we knew she had 4 cats herself, we felt she might allow them so asked. When we found our cats (they are adopted) we got her agreement and had the tenancy agreement amended to say that we can have up to two cats at the property. I agree with pp though who said a lot is to do with the market in your area and how picky the landlord can be in terms of available tenants. At the time we moved in our landlady was eager to get someone in as the property had been vacant a few months and after she got us she was keen to keep us since we look after the place and always pay rent on time (she has had to evict tenants in the past), so she was happy to have the contract amendments.

 

[TennisGal]

People renting a flat we own have a cat. We initially said no pets, but they are decent people...are staying a long time...so we took a higher deposit, and agreed they would clean the carpet (living room is the only room with carpet, the rest wooden) upon leaving. Everyone happy.

I definitely wouldn't lie. If they had 'smuggled' their cat in, and not been upfront, and we'd found out about it...I'd have been really put out. It is, after all, someone's property.

I say talk to the landlord.

 

[Jemma_x]

We rent with 2 big dogs, it is hard finding someone who accepts pets. We found more accepted pets that were advertising privately. We found the house we are in now in our paper and we have been in 2 years now, he had no problem with us having dogs

 

[LuckyYem]

We rent with 2 big dogs, it is hard finding someone who accepts pets. We found more accepted pets that were advertising privately. We found the house we are in now in our paper and we have been in 2 years now, he had no problem with us having dogs

I agree with this. We have a cat, and nobody wanted to rent to us. In the end I found our place on Gumtree. We were lucky didn't need to pay a higher deposit either, although we did agree all traces of cat will be gone when we leave.

 

[jenny82]

Thanks all!

We went to see the house today and how delighted was I when I saw the guy had a cat! I loved the house but boooo I think it's just on the small side! Gutted. Ah well, at least I know that there is always the possibility. I am going to keep looking and I'll try gumtree as well actually, never thought of there

 

[SarahP13]

Hi, just wanted to give you my opinion as a landlord.

Firstly, for goodness sake please do not be tempted to lie as other posters have suggested!!!

Landlords/agencies are not stupid, there is a huge chance you will be found out and, trust me, most landlords will really not take it well. You will be in breach of your contract and could be kicked out without notice. What if there is a leak in the house while you are out, your neighbour could report it to the agency who would come round immediately (this has happenend to us!) and find the dog/cat/pet in your property before you have chance to hide the evidence and get rid of the 'doggy smell' that always lingers. As a pp said, it also incredibly disrespectful of what is ultimately someone elses house.

Secondly, the no pets rule is pretty standard on agency contracts, it's not necessarily insurmountable. Our agency advised us to have it in our contract however we have excellent tenants in now who have a cat. Our theory is that they will look after the place well as they do not want to risk losing their deposit and (this is a biggie to most landlords) they will stay longer as it is harder to move with a cat or dog! Landlords save a lot of money on agency fees if tenants stay.

It is always worth asking and, perhaps, offering a bigger deposit or suggesting more details put in the contract that will make you extra responsible for damage caused. Thats the landlords biggest concern- scratched walls/floor/furniture and the lingering smell. If you can promise to replace, clean or repair things in writing you may get lucky.

Hope you find somewhere great!

 

[kmumtobe]

Look for private landlords in the paper, their usually more leanent as those through estate agents have to have certain conditions as they pay a fee for the agent to manage the letting.

 

[Pandora11]

I rent with pets. it is hard to find landlord who will accept pets but some are swayed if you are willing to put down a bigger deposit.

 

[babyerin]

We kept our bearded dragon a secret..we got him while we lives there. Luckily they were more intrigued than anything when we confessed at an inspection.
But it could have easily gone wrong and I lost a lot of sleep over it.
We have moved since then and Ozzy still dominates my bloody living room lol x

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I wouldn't lie as you could get evicted if lying!

I would call and ask, they normally say no pets as a general rule but will allow 1 short haired dog etc. x