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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU that people that rent shouldn't have pets

205 replies

Lloyd45 · 23/11/2017 19:41

My friend is having to find another rented property but can't find anywhere that will accept pets, she's asked me to have her 2 dogs, I have 2 dogs already but they will have to be put down if I don't have them 😞 Why do people who rent have pets when this puts them in a difficult position. I can see a lot of dogs being put down as homes will be more difficult to find

OP posts:
Mamabear4180 · 23/11/2017 19:54

I rent with 2 cats.

I would not put 2 dogs down to move Shock

Original poster
Lloyd45 · 23/11/2017 19:54

You would choose to sleep on the streets even if you had 2 young children because of your dogs?

OP posts:
Ecureuil · 23/11/2017 19:57

We rented for 7 years (in 5 counties and 3 different countries!) with a dog. It wasn’t an issue at all. We sometimes had to pay an extra deposit but that was fine. He once pulled down a blind which we obviously paid to fix.
We had a smaller pool of properties to choose from but we always managed to find somewhere.

loobybear · 23/11/2017 19:58

It's not unreasonable for someone who rents to have a pet. It is unreasonable for someone to give up or potentially put their pet to sleep for the sake of a new home unless there were some really serious circumstances involved that they had absolutely no other option or would be likely go end up homeless otherwise. I know of far too many people who have given up their pets because the new landlord of a home they wanted to rent won't allow pets and rather than look for another place where the landlord would accept them, chose a fancy-looking house or apartment over their pet. There is no excuse for that.

Ecureuil · 23/11/2017 20:00

We sometimes had to choose scruffier places/places that wouldn’t have been our ideal in order to have our dog, but that was a sacrifice we were willing to make.

mustbemad17 · 23/11/2017 20:00

I lived in my car for six months with my dog when i was homeless. Was pregnant at the time...tight squeeze but worked for us

DeadGood · 23/11/2017 20:00

Sometimes I wish my outlook on life could be this simplistic. It must be very comforting.

thecatneuterer · 23/11/2017 20:01

I'm a LL who positively discriminates in favour of tenants with pets. Lots of people who rent have pets. Yes more LLs should allow it, but it's still quite possible to find places to rent when you have pets.

EverythingEverywhere1234 · 23/11/2017 20:03

What an utterly ridiculous thing to say.

ChickensGoBoak · 23/11/2017 20:05

Re renting and owning pets - YABU. Many people have stable rental homes, staying for years at a time, with landlords who are happy to accommodate. While some properties won't allow pets, it is unreasonable to say all rental circumstances are incomparable with owning animals.

Re PTS - as a fairly preachy vegan, I think sometimes people forget that there are worse things than a dignified death. If an animal cannot be rehomed (age, behavioral problems, health issues) and charities are not an option (due to location, lack of resource etc), PTS is not the worst thing to do. If it saves an animal from being passed through unsuitable homes, I'd rather they be PTS in a safe environment, surrounded by people who love them. One of my dogs would be easily rehomed, the other has considerable issues, and unless a charity could make assurances I would make the choice to have him PTS, rather than passing him on.

greeeen · 23/11/2017 20:05

YABU

FlakeBook · 23/11/2017 20:05

If you own your home, should you not have pets in case your circumstances change and you have to sell and rent?

idfwu · 23/11/2017 20:06

If you don't own your home you can't give the assurance that you can accommodate an animal.
I don't allow animals in my rental properties. Why would I?

PeiPeiPing · 23/11/2017 20:06

Many landlords will cite 'no pets' but will often accept a couple of cats or one or two small, well behaved dogs. Basically, they just don't want some gang of yobs moving in with 3 pitbulls, and 2 rottweillers. So IME letting agents and landlords will take each case on its individual merit.

Basically, most landlords are quite reasonable, but don't want their house going to shit. One private landlady we had a few years ago said 'no pets' after a big family of 2 parents and 5 children (aged 14 to 28,) and 5 huge dogs, caused £3000 worth of damage to her house.

We said to the letting agent that we want the house but we have 2 cats. Long story short, after a brief meeting with the landlady, she agreed to let us have the house. We left a couple of years later and got our full deposit back.

YABU OP! There is no reason whatsoever to ban 'renters' from having pets. As I said, each case is usually based on individual people and individual circumstances.

DancingHouse · 23/11/2017 20:08

I didn't have much choice either as my cat decided it was going to live with me. It was either send it to the shelter or call the landlord to discuss. Thankfully my landlord is amenable.

Ravenesque · 23/11/2017 20:08

There are landlords who allow pets and there are landlords who need to have a word with themselves.

Then again, maybe we should go back to the sixties when landlords could put a list of who they wouldn't rent to outside their house. No blacks, No Irish, No dogs, and (often) No children. I mean, why should renters be allowed to be normal human beings who are allowed to live as they wish - within ordinary limits - given that they're not in a position to buy. Maybe only homeowners should be allowed to vote. That was a thing once upon a time.

And breathe. I don't usually rant, but your opinion makes me rather angry. People who rent, like people who buy, are ordinary human beings and talking about them as though they're lesser than, is just horrible and very Daily Mail.

Battleax · 23/11/2017 20:10

Huge rental reforms are surely inevitable, given that it's a growing sector and lots more families, professionals etc will have no choice but to rent.

Eifla · 23/11/2017 20:10

I rent with a dog. No problem.

You do realise the shelters in your area that are “full to bursting” would be even fuller if people who rent didn’t have dogs? Hmm

Ravenesque · 23/11/2017 20:12

DancingHouse, I had a cat like that. He jumped in the window one day, snuggled up for a cuddle, he was incredibly scrawny and looked as though he hadn't eaten in quite some time. I fed him. The rest was history.

Also, one of the loveliest cats I've ever been a slave to. He always knew when I was sad and would stay by my side to comfort me.

kinkajoukid · 23/11/2017 20:14

Yes YAB massively U!

a) renters shouldn't be treated as second class citizens
b) LLs shouldn't be so controlling, its a bloody disgrace
c) any home owners circs could change and could end up renting - should no one have a pet?

We currently rent and don't have pets although we wish we did as we can't have children so our home feels a bit empty and most LLs don't allow it. But if we did find a LL who would allow it and believed that the rental would be long term we would jump at the chance.

So basically the whole problem is caused by so many LLs not allowing pets, not renters wanting to be completely normal.

pisacake · 23/11/2017 20:14

scumbag renters, eh.

scum of the UK. All heil the landlords.

mindutopia · 23/11/2017 20:15

I think if you're going to have pets then you can't be too picky about where you live and you have to take on that responsibility of caring for your pets regardless of your housing situation. You can't just get rid of them if it suddenly gets hard.

We rent and we don't have pets and I don't even think we would have them (bearing a few things like hamsters and fish) when we do buy. I don't want the extra work or expense or responsibility or needing to worry about them when we are away. But I don't think there is any problem with landlords not allowing pets. Your house, your investment, your choice. We specifically went to look at a few houses where there had previously been pets and they were disgusting. The smell was overwhelming. I would be really angry if someone did that to my house so I think it's fair to refuse to take pets.

Bottom line, wherever people are living, if they are going to have pets, they need to be responsible enough to make that commitment for life. I think too many people do it on a whim spontaneously and don't think the decision through like adults.

frumpety · 23/11/2017 20:15

I think OP what you see are people who choose to have pets without thinking about the next 16 years . Have a quick look on pets 4 homes , loads of lovely animals being re-homed because their owners have realised that finding accommodation with a pet is more tricky than without , or they lie and have actually tired of their pet for a multitude of reasons , but can use the trump card of new landlord won't accept pets .

What sort of dogs is your friend in need of re-homing ?

Wormulonian · 23/11/2017 20:16

The leasehold of my aunt's flat states that no one in the building (renting or owner) can have pets. It is not always the case that the LL is being difficult.

haarlandgoddard · 23/11/2017 20:16

It would never come to that for me as I have a DD but the point is I’d prioritise my dogs over pretty much anything (except my DD). I don’t know your friend’s circumstances but most people would have other options so not much to do with renting really, that’s only one aspect. I have friends/family, money to pay someone to look after them for a while or I’d live anywhere that would be willing to accept them.

Plus I had my dogs before renting as I’m sure lots of people do and the landlord told me he has no intention of selling.