Rental Properties

[Greenkit]

AIBU to say, if you rent out your property, you shouldn't be able to stipulate 'No Pets, No DSS, No Sharers, No Smokers, and sometimes No Children (Although that may have changed)

If you are worried about damage then have extra deposit costs to cover.

After a marriage break down, I am having to rent and I am unable to take my 3 whippets with me as the landlord, doesn't allow pets. If fact its seems no one allows pets.

My dogs have not caused damage, they don't smell, make noise or cause problems. A blanket no is wrong

LOLK

Of course your dogs smell FFS you just don't notice it!

All animals smell.

I moved in here nearly three years ago. We stripped every wall back to plasterboard and put new flooring in. We STILL get whiffs of dog stink even now, creeping up from the floorboards or the skirting.

IfI owned a house, I wouldn't let it to a dog owner either. If i owned a property that would mean I had likely worked hard to pay for for my house and should be allowed to pick the potentially best tenant who would be least likely to leave any damage behind. Non-smokers and non-pet owners as a minimum.

I rent out many properties

I say no smoking well inside at least as it absolutely stinks the place out and turns walls yellow if over a long period of time. It’s never been an issue as most people smoke outside anyway surely? All my properties have a garden or balcony so the outside space is available to smoke outside.

I say no pets now, I never used to but after replacing wooden flooring due to the small of wee and other damage I am now a no pets person I’m afaird.

I don’t take housing benefit because I was bitten by non paying benefit tenants in my first few years of renting and vowed never to allow it again. With all the universal credit mess ups I hear of no way would I allow it now anyway.

No kids I don’t get becuase in my experience people with dc are likely to be tenants for longer as they have dc and need a settled environment.

It’s not as simple as taking extra deposit I’m afraid, I just don’t want the risk of having the hassle of fixing pet mess or losing out on rent to a benefit claiming that it would be a waste of time chasing as they are broke.

Yes I rent my properties to make money but just becuase your paying doesn’t mean I don’t get a say it how my property worth absolutely thousands is treated.

Last time we rented a house out to a couple who seemed lovely and had a dog. We took an extra deposit for the dog. We'd stipulated no smoking. When we got the property back it stunk of smoke and there were fag ends all over the garden, as well as dog shit all over it. There was dog piss in the carpet, and the walls reeked. The property had to be off the market for several months, we had to replace all the carpets, completely re paint, strip the wall paper and pull up the kitchen flooring as the urine had penetrated it. Cost MUCH more than a £1000 to put right. It wasn't like we charged a high rent, it barely covered the mortgage and landlords insurance, we lost money over that 12 months (we were managing the property for an elderly relative who was in care but couldn't sell it).

So I completely disagree with you. I doubt people would pay a £2 or 3k deposit.

A landlord is perfectly within their rights to stipulate who they want as tenants. We're very happy to allow dogs and other pets in our properties and have not had any issues so far.

No such thing as DSS. This grates on me whenever I see it. I also take it as a sign that people aren't up to date with other things either.

I wish you could get character references for pets It's a nightmare trying to find somewhere to rent with a dog.

My biggest worry as a private tenant is my security, I know that at any moment in time my landlord could pull the rug from under my feet and I will find myself homeless. That is an area I would like to see tightened up, I understand that private landlords need to be able to have the confidence that their tenant will look after the property and pay their rent on time but I would like to know I am secure in my tenancy in return.

Its shit isn't it?

We rent and we have a cat, dog and a baby and a fairly low income so landlords hate us. Not like we're renting through choice, what are the other options!?

The best thing to do is to find a property you like and then ask the landlord directly if they would consider you with your pets - include a photo and offer extra damage deposit and references.

No way would I rent to smokers. The smell permeates everything and won't shift.

Completely agree. Smoking is vile and all smokers absolutely stink. The smell never leaves their hair and clothes never mind your property plus they upset other neighbours by smoking outside.

Dogs do smell. Owners don't realise or don't accept that their dogs smell.

Pet owning is a decision taken by the person/owner and we have heard for years now that a dog is not just for Christmas therefore you have to think long term before getting any pet.
I would not allow pets in my rented houses. In my own life as an owner I have spent days with a dog howling next door all day while owners are at work. I bought a house where the owners had already moved out. I could smell that they had a dog and no matter how often the carpets where shampooed I could still smell dog. I had to remove al carpets and underlay and literally scrub the floorboards with bleach and flash.
People with dogs don't seem to get that not everyone likes dogs. I do think that 3 dogs and a cat is excessive

I've rented to tenants with dogs, and they caused less damage than the tenants with children!
I wouldn't rent to a smoker though, unless they were prepared to fully replace anything/everything that smelt of smoke when they left

I agree it is worth speaking to the agents and seeing if they will have a chat with the landlord about accepting a dog in exchange for a bigger deposit or slightly more rent

Blame irresponsible pet owners rather than landlords. The last person I allowed a dog allowed it to piss on every floor and the sofa. Not even an increased deposit covered the cost of carpets and floorboards.

Most people who don’t take DSS don’t for lender or insurance reasons. I pretty much only take DSS tenants, but that’s mostly because the council and a few charity places locally know that I do so whenever someone moves on they always have people who want to view. You have to know how the system works though. Plus I always meet the tenant and work on guy instinct (only time I let an agency overrule me the “professional” was a gambling addict who ran up a fortune of unpaid rent).

Try speaking to private landlords who deal with their tenants themselves, you might have more luck. That said even with a long term term tenant 3 dogs seems a lot tag, you’ll struggle.

You need to be reasonable. If you want a nice place then you cannot expect the landlords to tolerate damage etc. I am not saying you personally are not a responsible pet owner but those who are less considerate will just have to put up with perhaps something less well kitted out. A friend of mine lives in a flat that needs some repairs done to it but she says she stays because they allow her to have her small dog. A better flat would not permit animals

paying the rent direct to tenants is just asking for problems and indeed causes them.
And paying the rent direct to landlords can also cause problems if the DWP messes up, which isn't unusual.
The tenant won't know this has happened until the (probably annoyed) landlord contacts them. Then, even if the tenant can pay the rent while DWP sorts itself out, the landlord has got the impression that tenants on benefits are unreliable.

I am a landlord and will let out to housing benefit recipients as long as they are working. If their wage covers the rent but they get a little help from tax credits or housing benefit top up it’s fine.

I too have had really bad consecutive experiences with unemployed and completely reliant on benefits and not just non payment of rent either. I won’t be taking any more chances and if there was a law banning me from refusing someone who solely relies on benefits or who smokes then I wouldn’t let it out at all.

Me and DH rented 3 different houses over a 15 year period and we had a dog.

The last landlord was reluctant but we assured him that if our dog caused any damage at all we would rectify it (we knew he wouldn't do any damage).

The tenant previous to us had children and they had drawn on the walls, spilt drink on the carpets etc.

We have bought a house now but I know of 3 neighbours who are renting and they all have a dog so landlords often do allow it.

Also to the posters who said all dogs, or even all animals smell, that is absolute rubbish. I know you will dispute it but I have 2 dogs and if my house smelt even slightly of them my lovely mother in law would have taken great delight in telling me. She told me when my house smelt of my cat. In fact she commented that she wouldn't know we had dogs because our house didn't smell of them. Some dogs have different type of fur to others

aying the rent direct to tenants is just asking for problems

It’s not any more productive problematic than low paid workers getting paid their wages rather than their rent being paid direct.

The biggest problem with the benefits side is that landlords don’t know how it works so they can’t check the tenants are doing what they should, and they don’t know when to step in when it goes wrong.

Once it’s set up properly someone on long term benefits can be more reliable as a tenant than someone working on zero hours or changeable hours.

My friend's dog absolutely wrecked her apartment - pissed all over the sofa, scratched the paint off the walls, took chunks out of doors etc and having seen that, I was so shocked that honestly, an extra deposit just wouldn't cover it!
However, her apartment was 'no pets', so she'd ring me every time they had the landlord etc coming round, which oddly was quite a lot, and ask me to come and take the dog to mine. We've just renovated our house, so the answer was always, absolutely not!!

On the other hand, we have a few properties that we rent out and have always strictly been 'no pets' landlords... however, we made an exception this year when a potential tenant offered us £30 extra per week so she could keep her two cats.
This meant this was money in our pocket to renovate after she leaves.
So... people can be swayed!
We possibly became more understanding as we recently got a kitten!

I've never known a house with dogs to not smell of dog. When they're your own you don't notice it. No landlord wants to redecorate the whole house after a tenant because it stinks of fags and dogs.

I'm a tenant abroad and a l/l in the UK. I do allow cats (as I have them), but not dogs. I do not rent to smokers as we once bought a house off people who had a smoker in one room and a dog, and I spent a year getting rid of the smoky woodchip in one bedroom, and the fleas and smell from the dog.

It's just as hard abroad OP, not every l/l allows animals; some only allow one etc.

We rented out our flat (our home, not a buy-to-let) once when working in a different area of the UK. The tenants had one cat. We had a dog and appreciated that someone might want to keep their pet. It was a massive mistake - before we could move back in after the year we had to strip back and repaint everywhere and take up all the carpets. Some of the skirting needed replacing. Every bit of carpet and underlay had to be replaced and the flooring underneath scrubbed by professional cleaners to try to remove the smell of cat piss. Even then it lingered in corners for months.

After that experience I'd be really reluctant to allow pets again. The damage bill was nearly £2000 and the deposit didn't get near it, plus all of the hassle to deal with.

Like others - no pets because the property is leasehold and that is what the lease says.
Benefit- will do with a guarantor. Had a tenant who went onto benefit after she had a baby and her partner left. She paid £50 of the £495 rent and we had to ask the Council to pay benefit directly- took ages as she was paying something (10% ). So we had to ask the guarantor - tenant really nasty as this was a relative of her ExP.
No smoking- smell doesn't go, discolours paint etc etc. I had cigarette burns on a carpet in a no smoking flat. It is a business transaction and I can specify the terms. Why would I risk having to have a void after you leave while I redecorate or replace carpets.
I am not sure I woud be happy about the lodger either- if he/she is not on the tenancy agreements, it can cause a problem with my insurance.
Sorry you are having a tough time but I don't think stopping LL making reasonable business decisions is the answer

Not all landlords are "doing it to make money". There are plenty (like me) who have ended up having to rent out their house while they live elsewhere, and who make very little - if anything - each month from it

We rent out our house out while overseas, we have allowed pets but they did cause damage and it is getting harder to get the actual costs of damage out of the deposit scheme.
I would not want smokers, it is my house and I don't want it covered in smelly and dangerous chemicals and will sink into the fabric of the house.
My rental insurance doesn't allow us to accept people on benefits.
HMO have very different rules around them.
There are usually reasons for exclusions. If the properties don't rent then these things will get looked at.
We rent a house and have a cat and a dog but I think 3 dogs plus a cat is going to be a challenge.