Renting a flat/house - NO PETS

Jambo

Jambo

Jambo

Soldato
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4 Aug 2004
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Does anyone here rent a flat/house and have a pet? Or any landlords here who don't allow pets?

I'm just wondering how negotiable it might be and if anyone has any tips on how to approach it. My friend is trying to rent a flat and she has an old dog who doesn't have much longer left. :( He'd just be lying about sleeping most of the time and wouldn't be any trouble.

Anyone have any advice on this please?
 
I don't allow pets unless the renter agrees to cover costs to carpets. It's harsh I know but from personal experience pets can ruin carpets :( (so can humans I guess though).
 
Usually you can get away with it if they are not doing constant inspections. I wouldn't bother trying to negotiate it with an agent but a individual landlord might be willing to change their mind if you insist you will pay for any damage cleaning. I still think you would be better off not mentioning it and just doing it and if they have to come around, hide the dog/smell etc. Worst that can happen is they ask you to leave. I guess you could lose your deposit if its with a crazy agent.
 
Mynight said:
I don't allow pets unless the renter agrees to cover costs to carpets. It's harsh I know but from personal experience pets can ruin carpets :( (so can humans I guess though).
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That's fair enough, I don't think she'd mind this but so far this hasn't been offered.

Maccy said:
Has your friend actually asked the landlord to be?
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She's asked a few and they've just said no.
 
The other thing to bare in mind if its a block of flats, as opposed to say a single flat in a converted house, is that the Freeholder/Landowner may have a policy against pets.

I for example own my flat, so with tenants I could dictate the rules, however the building itself still has rules that owners have to abide by, one of which is that we aren't allowed pets, another for example is that you aren't allowed BBQs, one more is that things can't be over a certain height when placed on balconies for aesthetic purposes.

I have some fish, so technically I'm in violation.... but I have seen people with small dogs and some cats, I don't believe anyone has ever been punished for this, but presumably the animals also aren't causing trouble or making noise, in which case the breach might come to bare.
 
I used to allow pets when I first started letting but I had a short term tenant who's pets completely destroyed a brand new carpet (faeces, scratched bare spots). Somehow the agent couldn't recover the costs from the deposit so I just changed it to a no pets agreement with a separate contract for carpet costs.

Always the minority that ruin things but carpets aren't cheap :(.
 
Mynight said:
I used to allow pets when I first started letting but I had a short term tenant who's pets completely destroyed a brand new carpet (faeces, scratched bare spots). Somehow the agent couldn't recover the costs from the deposit so I just changed it to a no pets agreement with a separate contract for carpet costs.

Always the minority that ruin things but carpets aren't cheap :(.
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sounds fair but landlords who expect carpets to last infinity and expect tenants to pay for replacements are a pain. I just had this after moving landlord said the stairs carpet was worn out, it was 15+ years old and some how expected me to pay for it. I said its fair wear and tear, I won at the independent disputes adjudicator, who stated that the carpet was worth £1 due to its age and the tenant was not responsible :) I lol'd and got my full deposit back, some people just take the **** which makes everyone suspicious of landlords even the good ones.
 
When I rented with pets many moons ago I used to offer to pay for an annual carpet clean and that I'd get them cleaned before moving out. Used to work at least some of the time
 
There's some real bad ones out there. Again a minority(I think).

When I say brand new it was fitted 2 days before she moved in. She stayed 3 months and £700 (lounge, stairs and main bedroom) worth of carpet was ruined.

I can understand its not your property you probably couldn't care less but it feels disrespectful to me. Not even like I was ripping her off on costs it was £60 below market value.
 
We rent one place where we allow a cat. Dogs no way. They're just to smelly, and the only way to clear the smell is redecorate and re-carpet.

As much a I like dogs, they're not for rental properties.
 
ubern00b said:
For the duration of living there I would treat any property as if it were my own and you are quite correct, anything other is just plain disrespectful.
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Same rented for years, why would I want to live in a dirty house, I just keep it clean and don't mess it up, leaving it how it was when I moved in. I do hate landlords that are over privileged and treat tenants like dirt, there's no need
 
I'm allowed pets, but my dog absolutely ruined the carpet, so much so that I ripped it out (it was mine, not the landlords) and fitted wood flooring.
 
Mine states no pets.. But I've had nowhere to go with my cat! She doesn't make any mess or leave any smell bar hair on my clothes which is not a problem for the landlord! I'm keeping it hush hush beside I I've had no choice but we'll see what happens! Wooden flooring everywhere bar stairs so I don't think she can cause any damage really.
 
I have a black Labrador and it took a lot of looking to find a new place to rent. Many landlord just say "no pets". :(
 
At the block of flats I'm in we used to turn a blind eye to one or two of the small dogs owned by some elderly folk; it was hard to begrudge them their companions. But on several occasions we had dog or cat mess on the hall carpets and that doesn't go down well with either the cleaners or other occupants. So these days we enforce the lease, which says no pets. The landlords/owners have no say in it (other than a vote at the AGM if a variation of lease was proposed).

I wish the lease had been enforced before I bought my flat though. Then I'd have been spared three months of itching aggravation thanks to the previous renter's cat flea infestation.

I still sympathise greatly with the OP's friend's situation though. Life can be tough enough as a renter without much security, and pets are an important part of many people's lives.
 
I've had 2 landlords say OK to a cat after advertising as no pets. One of them did insist we got the carpet professionally cleaned and sanitized when we moved out, which cost a couple of hundred quid. Dogs will be a bigger issue though.
 
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