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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dog in rental property

218 replies

CaptainObviousTwo · 01/08/2017 14:49

Moved into a new house on Friday. Standard tenancy, no pets allowed which I didn't really pay much attention to when signing the contract aso I had no pets.
Roll on the day after my tenancy starts and my Mum has to go into hospital unexpectedly. In the heat of everything, I agree to take her dog to stay at mine whilst she goes in, not really thinking about it wih everything else that was going on.
At lunchtime I got a call from the Estate Agents saying the landlord had been past the property and seen the dog, and dogs aren't allowed.
Well, fuck. I hadn't even thought of that. For context I work in a pretty stressful job as well as running two online businesses and study an OU degree on the side so I've not really slept in days with the house move and didn't think the situation through.

I've gone back to them and explained. I am pretty positive I won't find alternative arrangements for the dog.
I have offered an additional deposit to cover the temporary change and suggested an additional contract labelling me liable for any additional wear to the house.

Dog is clean, fleaed and beautifully behaved and genuinely won't cause any damage. unlike if I had a toddler

I haven't heard back yet and am panicking. I could just put my head on my desk and cry, I'm so stressed.

OP posts:
lucydogz · 02/08/2017 15:00

The op is bu. She seems to have made no effort to find an alternative solution. Ok, so she might not be evicted, but the op will probably need a reference at some point and would like to renew her contrace. How does that work out?

thecatneuterer · 02/08/2017 15:02

The Cinnamon Trust are very stretched, along with all other animal rescue/welfare charities. The dog has a temporary home with the OP. There is no need to take up valuable charity spaces even if it were possible, which it probably isn't.

thecatneuterer · 02/08/2017 15:09

lucydogz - that sounds like risk worth taking in the circumstances. The LL would be silly to not renew the contract if the dog had already gone by then and they were good tenants in other respects. And the reference thing - not that big a deal. Particularly if the circumstances were explained.

NewUser24 · 02/08/2017 18:58

Can you just not go and stay at you mum's until she comes out?

choochooo · 02/08/2017 20:23

Have you tried posting on local Facebook groups to see if someone can foster short-term? I do rehoming for an animal charity and I'm usually able to find someone willing to take a dog or cat whilst owner goes through a hard time.

To clarify - I've never once suggested LL should or would evict. I just said that I'd be cross if it were my property and tenant had broken lease agreement. But I would understand and try to accommodate. My concern would be the definition of short term.

PersianCatLady · 02/08/2017 22:10

PersianCatLady - exactly. It worries me that the people bandying around eviction threats really are landlords as they obviously have no idea how the law on eviction works
It is quite worrying that many people including some LLs think that on the day the tenancy runs out as long as a section 21 has been issued, the tenant has to vacate the property.

NannyRed · 02/08/2017 22:20

You didn't lie, you don't have a dog, you have a visitor. Ok the visitor is a dog, but does your tenancy say you can't have visitors? It's not long term or permanent, try not to worry and hopefully dog will soon be back at your mums.

Original poster
CaptainObviousTwo · 02/08/2017 23:13

I've had an incredibly stressfull day so haven't got my diplomatic hat on.

To lucydogz and all the others who seem to think I deserve to be evicted - I'm disgusted that anyone would think it's reasonable to make a person homeless due to them taking on a dog temporarily due to their mother being rushed to hospital, especially as the dog has caused NO DAMAGE and additional security money and conditions have been offered.

It is not unreasonable to be annoyed, it's a shit situation. But to threaten to evict someone (in this case for those PP who have said it hypothetically) who is clearly having an exceptionally shit time and whose crime is to help out a sick family member is beyond unreasonable.

My mother is sick. My job is stressful. My businesses are bordering on full time each and I have an exam in September that I haven't even opened the textbooks for. (And I know this is drip feeding as I haven't previously mentioned it, but my ex has stolen almost ten thousand pounds from me and as a result I'm in crippling debt). I haven't slept in almost a week due to this. The last food I ate was yesterday lunchtime.

For all those saying "think of it from the LL point of view" - have you genuinely thought of it from the tenants perspective?

I'm not bloody magic. I cant teleport 80 miles to work in order to stay at my Mums. I cannot magic up a free space at one of the three local kennels.
I have posted FB ads, I have contacted charities, I have contacted dog sitters and kennels. I have called up friends and relatives.
I have a very needy, anxious dog right now who is terrified of anyone who isn't my Mum or me and who doesn't understand why he isn't at home. He wakes me up at 4 every morning.

I'm sorry for the rant but I'm so exhausted and have spent most of the day in tears

OP posts:
Countvesuvius · 02/08/2017 23:23

Your boyfriend who stays with you 3 days a week. Can't he look after the dog?

PersianCatLady · 02/08/2017 23:41

OP - Please answer me this - whereabouts in the country do you live?

specialsubject · 03/08/2017 08:25

You aren't being evicted, op. Landlord can't for months even if they want to.

The last thing you need is this dog. You are higher priority. Hopefully someone on here lives near or knows someone who will take it.

lucydogz · 03/08/2017 08:26

I'm sorry your having such a dreadful time captain but this is what happens when you dripfeed information. All you had said about kennels before was that the dog couldn't handle them.
Also this is AIBU. If you want unquestioning support for this, why don't you ask for the thread to be moved to the Doghouse section? If you post here, there's a pretty good chance that there will be posters who think YABU.

AlpacaLypse · 03/08/2017 08:39

Would the original breeder foster the dog while your mum's ill? Quite apart from the tenancy problem it sounds like you haven't got the time to cope with a border collie right now. You might find a foster carer through the breed rescue society too.

Kleinzeit · 03/08/2017 09:12

I'm sorry about your Mum. I'm sorry I can't help about the dog but one sensible thing you can do is postpone your exams. You have a family emergency and the OU are pretty flexible anyway. Contact them and postpone. Flowers

Original poster
CaptainObviousTwo · 03/08/2017 10:06

I'm in Staffordshire.

I have called up at least a dozen charities today and yesterday and the ones that can take him have a waiting list of a month.

Yesterday was so stressful because the neighbour complained to the Estate Agency about the dog - he'd somehow got himself stuck in the office so barked.

So now the LL has reasonable grounds for refusal.

The dog can't go back to Mums for another 6 weeks by the looks of things, though this hasn't been confirmed just yet.

I'm sorry for my midnight rant, I was/am up to my ears in orders and just saw what I interpreted as people declaring I deserve to be evicted.

OP posts:
user1497557435 · 03/08/2017 10:09

Apologies if this has been suggested before but have got tried borrowmydoggie.com (or .co.uk)

It's like March.com for dogs/people

Kleinzeit · 03/08/2017 10:30

the ones that can take him have a waiting list of a month.

Hokay. Have you put your Mum's dog on the waiting lists for these charities? I know it doesn't sound like much help but at least it's something positive you can tell the landlord, it shows you are committed to keeping the dog for as short a time as possible and the dog will not be there for more than a month. And it doesn't commit you to anything if you can arrange something else meanwhile.

PersianCatLady · 03/08/2017 10:49

I'm in Staffordshire
Thanks for the reply.

I live near Bournemouth.

It is a shame that you live so far from me because I would have liked to have helped you with looking after the dog.

thecatneuterer · 03/08/2017 11:08

It doesn't matter if the LL has reasonable grounds for refusal. He still can't evict you. So try not to worry about the situation and for god sake just keep the dog for as long as necessary.

TheTigerWhoCame2Tea · 03/08/2017 11:34

Hey OP

I'm so sorry your mum's in hospital - is she going to be ok? I don't know what to tell you - but I hope it works out ok. If I were your landlord I'd let you keep the dog until your mum was ok. I'd probably ask for an extra holding deposit and added clauses about cleaning - but then I don't object to pets in my rental property because I have cats myself and I know how hard it is to rent when people are so set against pets.

Best of luck - it sounds like you're in an awful, exhausting situation and you need someone to give you a break. I really hope your landlord isn't a dick about it xx

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 03/08/2017 11:35

Have you tried contacting small local rescues to see if they could provide a temporary fosterer?

perper · 03/08/2017 13:16

It doesn't matter if the LL has reasonable grounds for refusal. He still can't evict you. So try not to worry about the situation and for god sake just keep the dog for as long as necessary.

This!

If you wedge doors open the dog will be able to find you easily so it might avoid stressed barking. Kongs filled with natural peanut butter (not with xylitol!) are great distractors. Possibly a ridiculous suggestion depending on what your job is, but could the dog come with you to work? That way you'd know he wasn't barking when alone.

To be honest I think the most unreasonable person so far in the story has been the neighbour! Fingers crossed for no more problems.

perper · 03/08/2017 13:19

Also, if you know which neighbour I'd go round with a box of chocolates, apologise for the disruption and explain the situation- much less likely to get further complaints if they know about your mum being in hospital.

If you don't know which, I'd pop a polite note around all of them (could do this anyway). Might feel a bit awkward but honestly will make them massively more sympathetic when they know the situation and can see you're doing your best.

NotMeNoNo · 03/08/2017 13:25

If we weren't also in rented I'd take him for you and he could run about with my BC! We only got LL to agree to the dog because they were desperate to rent to us to keep a purchase chain going. We keep him out of the carpeted rooms.

Have you tried the Border Collie trust in Rugeley - they may have some temporary foster homes on their books or even know of local farms/breeders who might have a spare kennel or help out for a manageable amount of money.

JacquesHammer · 03/08/2017 13:25

It doesn't matter if the LL has reasonable grounds for refusal. He still can't evict you

No. But the OP has to bear in mind that this may result in her tenancy not being renewed at the end of the tenancy period. If she's happy for that to happen then she could keep the dog.