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Original poster

Renting with cats

62 replies

purpleme12 · 24/02/2021 20:27

I've already got 2 cats
I might be forced to move in the near future
I'm very worried
What do I do?? If I can't find anywhere do I lie and say I'll not bring the cats and then just bring them anyway??

OP posts:
Original poster
purpleme12 · 25/02/2021 12:28

@AllMyPrettyOnes

To all the people who are saying just lie / bring the cats anyway, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Wouldn't have to lie if they were allowed to treat the place they live like home, and have pets. Smile.

So true There's something very wrong with all of it
OP posts:
BarbaraofSeville · 25/02/2021 12:33

OP, the link below sets out what I was referring to below about stopping landlords from banning pets:

www.gov.uk/government/news/new-standard-tenancy-agreement-to-help-renters-with-well-behaved-pets

'The new model tenancy agreement will include consent for pets as standard, and landlords will have to object in writing within 28 days of a written pet request from a tenant and provide a good reason'

I don't know if any practical changes that help you have been introduced yet, but there's hope?

BalancedIndividual · 25/02/2021 12:35

@AllMyPrettyOnes

To all the people who are saying just lie / bring the cats anyway, you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Wouldn't have to lie if they were allowed to treat the place they live like home, and have pets. Smile.

I agree. But the problem is thag the actual terms of the leasehold for many flats (which the landlord has to abide by) and management companies, often prevent landlords from allowing pets, even if they wanted to. Its not in landlords hands.

Exception would be, if landlord had the freehold.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cats
ApplePearsAndCrumble · 25/02/2021 13:19

Please just ask the Ll direct. Most standard rental contracts through agencies specify 'no pets'. We rent out 2 properties and we remove that clause because we are animal lovers and also we find our tenants are usually so thankful they are even more careful with the property. At the end of any tenancy we always re-paint and re do the carpets anyway so any mess is minimal (and frankly largely just part of what being a landlord is all about).

we currently have tenants in one place who have parrots and hamsters and another who has a German shepherd.

floofycroissant · 25/02/2021 13:30

The rental market isnt particularly affluent atm with WFH and no students so hopefully LL will be less fussy.

Things you can do:

  • pay for a written reference from your current LL/Estate agent regarding the property and your cats. Eg they've not trashed it and you're a great tenant for x years.
  • Offer to have it written into he contract that your cats will be flea treated in accordance to guidelines (with proof) and that you'll get the carpets professionally cleaned prior to ending your tenancy.

We struggled with our current house, bit the market was crazy at the time. In the end we looked at the oldest properties on the rental market that said no cats and then pitched our case to them. One said yes.

It's doable.

floofycroissant · 25/02/2021 14:05

I meant buoyant, not affluent! Hmm

NaughtyTortie · 25/02/2021 14:06

Made sense though either way!

GU24Mum · 25/02/2021 14:11

What are your cats like? I wouldn't have minded our last cat but frankly often wish I didn't have our current cats (OH and the kids are the cat people in our house..............) as one in particular scratches and is ruining the carpet.

As a PP has said, landlords can't ask now for more than a set amount of weeks of deposit so you don't have the option to pay more to have a cat.

Original poster
purpleme12 · 25/02/2021 14:22

I don't understand why that decision was made about capping the deposit
☹️☹️☹️

OP posts:
Slub · 25/02/2021 15:52

Don't know if we have been unusually lucky but we are in our fifth rental house with cats and also one house we had a dog and four cats. None were through agents though and the private landlords have all been laid back about it and we've never had to be underhand.

Original poster
purpleme12 · 25/02/2021 15:56

I want all these private landlords 😭

OP posts:
murbblurb · 27/02/2021 10:16

The deposit capping is largely due to Shelter ( the housing charity that provides no such thing) - they have a track record of backfiring campaigns due to a background mentality of very very red politics. They are also quite economical with some truths , e.g this myth that landlords have to accept pets. They are not totally useless , they've saved the government a lot of work in writing up rental info online.

Imagine you are running a business, where you lend out your high value asset to someone who can do what they like once they are living in it. They can stop paying and wreck the place. If they do that you can do nothing except start court proceedings which now take two years. Wouldn't you want to minimise risk? Pets excrete and destroy.

Those struggling could always ask shelter to pay an additional pet rent from their funds. Do advise how that goes..

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