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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be upset with my Landlady.....

107 replies

MsToni · 30/03/2011 20:50

.....for saying we can't have a puppy?

My little man and I fell in love with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and we have everything ready for him.

I made the mistake of telling my L'lady about it last night (we are renting) and she was very dissuasive saying it was hard work, he'd need constant care and attention bla bla bla.

10 minutes later, she sends a text saying she and her husband discussed it and "its not a good idea, by the time its trained, it could damage the wooden floors, they open their bowels on the floor, its impossible to get the smell and stain out, they are unhappy with the idea of a dog in the house...."

I understand the demands of having a puppy, and I was prepared to accept the early settling issues, have a trainer in, get a comfy "doggy space" in the (huge) kitchen, ensure he's fully trained before settling him in his "area" in the lounge, dog sitter/walker when I'm at work etc.

My partner says I've OCD because I'm excessively clean and like everything spanking neat and clean so I'd be the last person to allow a puppy ruin the house.

Now, I'm so upset. I just want to go ahead and get him and tell her it was too late to change the plan. We have a good relationship and I don't want to ruin it but I'm just so upset with her now, I can't / don't even want to speak with her (yet).

I'm really not happy with her.

(Sorry for venting) Blush :( :(

OP posts:
Vallhala · 30/03/2011 21:25

Oh Jesus, my grammar is really up the swanny tonight! I do NOT have dogs to rent!

HappyMummyOfOne · 30/03/2011 21:28

YABVU, its her house and she can set the rules. If you had a good relationship with her you would have asked before viewing any animals in the first place.

forehead · 30/03/2011 21:29

YABVVVVVVVVU

Original poster
MsToni · 30/03/2011 21:29

There is no "No Pets" Clause in the Tenancy, there's a huge garden at the back of the house and I considered having the "dog house" in the garden (though it would break my heart to leave him outside).

I suppose "its her house, its her rules" overrides everything. We've made major improvements to the house, improved its value and gone beyond what's expected in making the house to our requirement / taste - without expecting any refund / payment from her - she didn't object. I wouldn't even dream of destroying the house.

She has 1 puppy and 1 dog and frankly I didn't expect it to be an issue.

I suppose I'll just have to chin up and wait till we get our house.....

He really is adorable though and its heartbreaking giving him up......

OP posts:
Vallhala · 30/03/2011 21:31

Didn't the breeder ask you if you had permission from your LL first of all? Any decent one would - and any breeder who doesn't ask such questions is only after a fast buck and should be avoided in the first place.

scottishmummy · 30/03/2011 21:32

she has 2 dogs in her own home you rent her property.completely different. your rental is her long term asset,to be managed accordingly

AKMD · 30/03/2011 21:34

YABVU and sound like a child having a strop. "It's not faaaaaaaiiir!" I bet your DS isn't making nearly as much fuss as you are. I can't believe that you got him so excited over a pet that you knew you weren't allowed to have and that you contemplated not telling your LL about your stupid plans. It is people like you who ruin things for responsible tenants by making LLs think they are taking a huge risk every time they rent their property out. Angry

bubblecoral · 30/03/2011 21:34

YABVU. You should have checked before you made plans, I can't believe anyone wouldn't tbh!

Original poster
MsToni · 30/03/2011 21:49

@ AKMD

@ 2500 pcm, I would want to be happy in "my" home and do what makes me happy...including having the "audacity" to make "stupid plans" like having a dog especially since it was NOT expressly forbidden.

But you are right. I'm being stroppy.....venting, like I pointed out.

xxxx

OP posts:
JaneS · 30/03/2011 21:58

TBA, I think if there is no 'No Pets' clause you weren't be unreasonable at all to feel upset. No Pets clauses are very standard and your landlady ought to recognize that one of the reasons you rented with her might have been that clause.

I can see her side as I think dogs probably are a bit of a liability for landlords, but I would feel upset she didn't see fit to put it in the tenancy agreement.

BluddyMoFo · 30/03/2011 22:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mamatomany · 30/03/2011 22:06

Our puppy trashed the wooden floors so YABU I'm afraid, wait until they are your floors to decide who gets to pee on them.

Clytaemnestra · 30/03/2011 22:10

"especially since it was NOT expressly forbidden."

You mean, apart from the no pets clause in the contract you signed?

Original poster
MsToni · 30/03/2011 22:14

There was NO "No Pets Clause" in Agreement.

OP posts:
JaneS · 30/03/2011 22:22

Actually, just thinking about it - obviously it'd be a terrible idea to get the dog now as your LL would be furious, but I'm not sure she can legally stop you given the lack of the clause.

A friend of mine deliberately found someone with no 'no pets' clause because she has guinea-pigs (much less messy, admittedly!), and I know in that situation the LL wasn't allowed to make her move out until her statutory 6 months were up - he was hopping mad about it, though.

ladyintheradiator · 31/03/2011 10:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PinkToeNails · 31/03/2011 10:59

Your landlady is right. Dogs wee everywhere and they smell. In the standard contract no pets are allowed. It is her house so you should respect her wishes. There is no way I would let someone with a dog live in my house.

Abr1de · 31/03/2011 11:04

I am a dog lover but I'm with your LL on this one. The last two caused damage amounting to £2000 pounds: chewed carpets, ruined carpets, chewed furniture. Get an older dog.

mrsSOAK · 31/03/2011 11:06

sorry but YABVVU.
When we moved into our rented home we had to pay an additional 'pet deposit' for our 2 cats.
Trying to find a home for rent with pets is a nightmare but there are some out there. Just like Val, if the landlady had said no to the cats we wouldn't have even considered moving in.

Desperateforthinnerthighs · 31/03/2011 11:08

YABU - I am a LL and there is no way I would let a tenant have a puppy. I have just spent about £15 refurbing and it looks lovely......I want to keep it that way.

One of the few rights a LL has! If my tenant got a puppy without asking me and I found out......night night!

CinnabarRed · 31/03/2011 11:15

I lived in rented when I split from XH. I had three cats, and refused to view any properties with no pets clauses. It did limit me quite a lot. When I found somewhere, I had to pay double the usual deposit and guarantee to get all the carpets professionally cleaned when I moved out.

Would your LL consider a cat instead?

poutintrout · 31/03/2011 11:21

I can understand that it is a landlords perogative to decide not to rent their house to tenants with a dog. OP I think that you should have asked your LL before making arrangements to get the dog. However I am an owner of two well behaved dogs currently looking for a new rental house and I may as well be trying to find unicorn poo.
The instant assumption seems to be that a house will be wrecked & will be one giant dog bed/toilet. This is not true and rather insulting & frustrating when you view some houses that have had "dogless" tenants in who have obviously not looked after the property & don't know one end of a hoover from another. Since owning my dogs I have never cleaned so much in my life because I have standards and just because I choose to live with animals don't want to live like one.

I get especially annoyed when a property says it will accept cats but not dogs. Now I love cats but they are, if that way inclined, likely to cause more damage than dogs in the way of scratching and urine smells.

Pinktoenails A dog will not, if properly trained, wee or mess indoors and with regular grooming and bathing combined with a good house cleaning regime will not make a house smell.

Sweetpea215 · 31/03/2011 11:28

I definately would not go against your landlady....

Apart from risking being given a 'notice to quit' you also risk not being able to rent anywhere else once you leave..as you will (very likely) need to have a good reference from your landlady.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 31/03/2011 11:31

I don't actually believe this is a real post.
I am a landlady and our current tenants have a couple of cats. The ones before got a Yorkshire terrier and it chewed all the kitchen cabinets. Luckily it was only the door so they weren't too expensive to replace.
We were very angry as the tenant had asked and we said no.

Ariesgirl · 31/03/2011 11:36

Pretty much every rented house advert you see in the paper says "no pets". It's sucks but there's nothing you can do unless you want to break the terms of the tenancy agreement and risk eviction. We have a small, quiet, well behaved cat and have been stuck in the same cold damp house for years because we can't find another one which allows pets

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