To want to just break stuff in anger?

[OrangeIsMyNewBlack]

Posting here partly for rage, partly for quick responses.

Household got served notice for our rental property, has knocked us sideways because we thought this was our "forever" home whilst I have my studies and we sort everything out. I've been scrabbling to find a place for 4 weeks, and we have until the end of the month in order to get a place, finalize it, pack up and bog off. What I'm supremely fucking pissed about is the standards to which we are being held as tenants. Namely, we have cats.

2 cats, both male, that don't spray, don't fight and are treated for fleas regularly. We have an extra £250 in our current bond to cover any pet issues, and we've got a glowing reference because we've never had an issue. But tell a rental agency you have cats and they shrink away like a vampire being presented with garlic...!

I'm sorry, but what the actual fuck is wrong with private landlords?! I saw one property the other day that was a four-bed property. 4 bedrooms. No students, no sharers, no pets, no smokers, no benefits, no children. So... a FOUR. BEDROOMED. PROPERTY. For a single or professional working couple?!?!?! What the fucking fuck is wrong with people?!?!

Anyway, sorry. Crux of my point is: is there anything I can do to circumvent the whole "no pets" thing, because there aren't new properties being listed regularly in my area, and every single property within a 5-mile radius of the town I need to be near is treating me like a leper who's sneezed in their face. Anybody, anywhere, know anything about how to get around this other than getting rid of my two cats?!

I totally agree with you OP, the rental market is a joke. We rent outside London; we're lucky we found amazing landlords to be honest. We moved in 3 years ago, with a toddler and a cat! We were turned out three times by landlords who didn't want a small children, then once because of the cat (so the kid was more problematic!)
Our current landlords are pet owners and have a child the same age as ours so they liked us. We are great tenants and haven't had any problems at all, and we look after the property really well-which is their main priority.
Those of you saying all cats stink and are destructive, that's not true. If pet owners don't look after their cat then maybe, but we take our cat to the vet yearly, de-worm and de-flea him regularly. He doesn't stink at all, and has never ever pissed anywhere!
I would mention the cat after viewing the property. Try agencies but also direct landlords. I can understand it's stressful OP, you will find somewhere!

Those of you saying all cats stink and are destructive, that's not true. If pet owners don't look after their cat then maybe, but we take our cat to the vet yearly, de-worm and de-flea him regularly. He doesn't stink at all, and has never ever pissed anywhere!

He does stink; you just can't smell it because you're so used to it.

The second you walk into a home with cats (or dogs) you can smell them immediately and it's not pleasant.

Gotta say I too am bemused by all these stinky cats. A dirty litter tray may smell, and some wet cat food can stink, but a cat itself really does not unless there's something wrong with it. Dogs on the other hand do often smell.

Whatdoyou No, he doesn't. If people have indoors cats and they keep the litter box indoors then that can cause bad smells obviously. Some cats spray and cat piss stinks, so that's another cause for smelly cats. But believe, not all cats stink! I am not deluded, I have friends and family who hate cats and they still come and visit us and stay over. They would tell me if my place stank.

NoSquirrels I agree with you!

I am not deluded, I have friends and family who hate cats and they still come and visit us and stay over. They would tell me if my place stank.

No, they wouldn't tell you because it's not polite to and there's nothing you could do about it bar getting rid of the animals (and even then the smell would linger for a while).

I do not tell my friends who have cats their houses stink.

Whattodo you either have a very sensitive nose, or your friends have poor cleaning and animal care skills.

My parents would tell me if my house smelled! And they don't have cats or dogs.

Oh of course 😂

Did you ever watch Friends, whatto? Phoebe's "Smelly cat" song? It's generally accepted that cats don't stink unless there's something wrong ("What are they feeding you?").

Cats are destructive in other ways, so LLs may be weary, but they don't make a house smell like a dog can.

If you say so!

I agree sticlebrick. I have been an accidental landlord and sucked up a "forgotten about" cat because the tenant was in, paid and was fairly reliable. The risk of evicting and getting another was far too high vs the cat ripping my carpet (it DId)

You're so vulnerable as a LL particularly a skint accidental
One that you're having a laugh if you expect to stroppily dictate.

An alternative-
Get your s20 checked- by a legal expert ... Many are wrong... Ours was... Between 1 in 3 and 1in 2 are wrongly served it seems.

If this is the case- its as if they hadn't served.... It happened to us- it out us in a better position to negotiate on time.

If you don't have s20 - notice hasn't been served at you'd don't have to move...

Is your deposit properly protected? ... If its not gives you more bargaining power with your current landlord.

Even it is legal- you can just not move- if you can't find anywhere.... Still pay rent tho. While you look.

Righty ho.

Had a phone call back from the council - was provided with a section 21 notice however it stated we had one months notice pursuant to our contract. However, that isn't legal. We have two months to vacate, which we knew. What we didn't know is that he needed to provide us with another Section 21 stating that we have two months. He hasn't done that, so will need to give it ASAP but he can't backdate it. SO at least we have a little more time.

Only trouble is that I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be. It isn't his fault that he has to move back in, and I don't want to be difficult about everything.

I've also spent 103 minutes on hold (total) to Citizens Advice, who put me in touch with Shelter, who had me sat on hold for god-knows how long, and they then referred me to NASCA and hopefully they'll have a list of private landlords in my area who accept pets.

And finally, I'm waiting on a call back from an agent regarding a house viewing. Didn't mention the cats, and won't mention the cats until the viewing because the Landlady will be showing us around, so I'll wheedle her around (hopefully). Her property has been listed for about 5 months so I'm hoping she'll relax the "no pet" thing.

Also, cats don't smell. Litter boxes smell, piss smells, spray smells. Cats don't smell. And I know that based on personal experience with multiple cat and dog owners as friends and/or family.

Does this "no pets" thing generally apply to all pets or just toothy pets like cats/dogs?

I find it hard to believe landlords would turn away a tenant with goldfish/caged budgie/hamster etc.

Don't really blame them on their position re cats/dogs though.

Cats do smell, OP, but continue to pretend they don't if it makes you feel more justified that nobody will let to you because of it.

I don't think anyone much cares about a goldfish, but friends who kept rodents found it really difficult to find somewhere to rent, probably because they also have a smell.

Sorry that you're having such a hard and stressful time of it, orange. I hope this viewing works out for you.

some cats smell, some dont. i use airwick plug ins, oil burners, windows open, air freshner, reed diffusers. my house is wooden floored. she has her own bed. her litter tray is cleared of poos daily, she is brushed daily also. she doesnt smell.

people who havent met her are shocked when she saunters into the room, "i never knew you had a cat!"

people walk in and say "oh it smells lovely in here!"

children and dogs smell far more than any well looked-after cat, and children definitely cause more damage

Jesus, WhatToDo, what on earth is wrong with you? Did a cat once do something dreadful to you? Do cats routinely seek you out and piss on you? Why are you so obsessed with their smell?

I'm not obsessed with it, I just don't like it when people try to pretend they don't smell.

Please keep pretending like a simple Google search is beneath you, simply because you can't admit you're wrong. General consensus is that a litterbox smells, a spraying cat smells, a medical condition can cause the cat to smell but if treated it goes away. And half the Google results are asking why cats always smell so nice. It isn't like they're dogs.

So if you have a healthy, neutered cat that doesn't piss everywhere, then you're fine.

Like I said, you can pretend all you want

And thank you MargaretCavendish. It doesn't help that I've got about four other points of major stress in my life so everything is currently gathering together in a perfect storm . I hope something works out soon!

Cats really don't smell. They are really clean animals, I have 2 cats and they don't smell, at all.

I've been both a LL and a tenant. I left my DH but had just renewed the tenancy on my place for another year so had to go into rented myself. Was asked 3 questions before they would even let me have a viewing, one of them was do you have any pets to which I answered no. I was desperate, DS and me were living in my BIL's attic room, there were no decent places to rent and there were 15 viewings on the one I looked at but thankfully I was the first viewing so managed to get it secured.

I was a LL due to circumstances, and thank god I kept my property otherwise me and DS would have been screwed. I did allow children and pets in my rented place, it may have been my house but I always classed it as the tenants home.

OP, I know you don't want to be deceiptful but you may well have to be and I wish you lots of luck.

I don't have to pretend. Unlike some people...