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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To get a cat without asking landlord?

227 replies

lananana · 30/12/2016 19:25

Wooden floors throughout so no danger of carpets being ripped. Previous tenant smoked and left the house in a state which I spent ages cleaning. Agents said no pets when I moved in.

OP posts:
ThymeLord · 30/12/2016 20:40

A cat that can cause thousands of pounds worth of damage no less. Personally all my cats have just....slept rather than rampaging through the house like riled up lions Confused

Dancinghorses36 · 30/12/2016 20:43

God no, why wouldn't you ask?? We were desperate to move to our tiny village we now stay in but the cottage we wanted specified no pets, we have a huge Hungarian Vizsla but I asked and they were fine, they just put a clause in my contract stating that any damage we would repair and when we leave we have all the carpets professionally cleaned but there is no way I would just have "chanced" it and not tell them that's really not fair on your landlord

donajimena · 30/12/2016 20:44

charle how nasty and tunnel visioned you are. I speak as a renter. With no hope of buying.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 30/12/2016 20:44

Acquie congratulations on damaging someone else's property and thinking it's fine because the carpets were old Hmm

ChristmasPeace · 30/12/2016 20:45

I've had two separate tenants sneak cats in without asking, and both causes hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

One cared, saying she couldn't understand why the car suddenly decided to claw everything, especially since it was an old cat and had a scratch post it was accustomed to using instead.

The other couple just didn't care. In fact, they can't have cared much for the cat either because when they left, it stayed. It's now a problem to the existing tenants who can't leave the door open in the summer or they get an unwelcome visitor.

Chops2016 · 30/12/2016 20:46

The fact it's wooden floors doesn't make a jot of difference. I've had wooden floors ruined by a cat - pee seeps on between the planks of wood/laminate and causes it to swell up at the joints. It also stinks because you can't get in there to clean it. Worse than carpet in some ways :/

And yes YABU.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 30/12/2016 20:46

Poor old landlords. It must be absolutely terrible to have a spare house hanging around.

These LL threads really bring out the renters victim complex bunch don't they? You have more than me so I'm not going to feel sorry for you when your stuff is damaged. Bitter much?

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 30/12/2016 20:46

It is not a reasonable thing to do but I did this and got 2 kittens. They scratched the 30 year old carpets and the landlord tried to claim some of my deposit, I argued that the carpets were totally beyond their life span and got the full deposit returned.

Why did you argue for a return of the full deposit when you admit you'd done something unreasonable?

Mulberry72 · 30/12/2016 20:48

I would definitely ask the LL, we have cats and we rent our home.

It's better than LL just finding out and you getting in trouble for breaching your tenancy agreement. I really don't understand why you wouldn't just ask?

PidgeyfinderGeneral · 30/12/2016 20:52

charles There's always a couple of goady anti-LL posts on any of these threads, isn't there?

Toddlerteaplease · 30/12/2016 20:52

Just ask the landlord. I rent and I just texted her and said I was thinking of adopting two catsis that ok. And it was fine.

kirinm · 30/12/2016 20:52

Flip - what utter fucking bollocks.

charlestrenet · 30/12/2016 20:52

Fourkids how much do you think acquiescence should have paid to compensate for thirty year old carpets being damaged? On top of the rent?

ThymeLord · 30/12/2016 20:52

No victim complex from me, thanks.

What these threads do reveal is how much of an underclass renters are viewed as.

acquiescence · 30/12/2016 20:52

VeryBitching
Because the carpets were horrendously unsafe and I had fallen down them several times as they were threadbare in places. Because he tried to claim for damage that was done before we moved in. Because he was a greedy bastard and we had been perfect tentants and the damage left by cats was minimal in already ruined carpets. I quoted the deposit protection scheme guidance to him and I hope it educated him to treat future tenants in a more pleasant and less stingy/unsafe way.

Fwiw, I now let out a property and would never try to claim for 30 year old carpets even if they had been wrecked. I also would probably say yes to a cat, probably depending on what I thought of the tenants.

idratherbeonthebeach · 30/12/2016 20:53

A tenant of mine did this. I withheld their deposit to pay for a professional clean through out when I find out and refused to give them a reference. YABU

kirinm · 30/12/2016 20:53

Thyme - this thread highlights why some LLs deserve the reputation they get. Their property, their rules, someone else paying their mortgage.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 30/12/2016 20:55

how much do you think acquiescence should have paid to compensate for thirty year old carpets being damaged? On top of the rent?

However much the inventory said they were worth. That's the point of an inventory

What these threads do reveal is how much of an underclass renters are viewed as.

Where exactly? I think it more shows the entitlement of some people to have the right to destroy other people's properties

acquiescence · 30/12/2016 20:56

Just clarify as I have seen a few more comments about ruining 30 year old carpets, according to the deposit protection carpets have a 7 year life and after this need replacing. So if tenants damage carpets older than this and then argue they were not in a good condition then generally it will go in favour of the tenants. Good quality carpets obviously last for longer than this but after 30 years stair carpets are generally going to be unsafe.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 30/12/2016 20:57

Because he was a greedy bastard and we had been perfect tentants

Erm, how is blatalantly breaking the tenancy agreement, then destroying property and refusing to pay 'perfect tenants' exactly?

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 30/12/2016 20:58

I quoted the deposit protection scheme guidance to him

Where in the guidance does it say you're entitled to new carpets and that you can destroy older ones with pets who aren't supposed to be there?

charlestrenet · 30/12/2016 20:58

The only victims I can see on here are the poor landlords talking about how terrible a situation it is to have a spare house with a cat in it.

acquiescence · 30/12/2016 20:58

cherrychasin
Unfortunately most inventories do not list the value of every item in the house.

kirinm · 30/12/2016 20:59

OP - I've finally just bought after 20 years renting but I've done what you're proposing once and it didn't cause a problem but the stress of having to hide the cat was too much and I made sure I told every future landlord. Does mean you'll struggle to find places as people are averse to pets. I do read these threads and realise I've been pretty fortunate LL wise.

I would ask your LL rather than the letting agent if you have their details.

ThymeLord · 30/12/2016 20:59

It wasn't you Cherry, it was the comment that you shouldn't have a pet if you can't afford a mortgage which got my back up. I can't see how that's any different than someone saying you shouldn't have kids if you can't afford a mortgage.