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.

Of course it is a business transaction. And the landlord will choose the best deal for them taking into account market forces. They are not there to provide a public service

Exactly

And while the vast majority of pet owners probably take care, the rest are hardly going to admit they won't are they? Nor is it always safe to "take a big deposit" as - like with the PP - the TDP people can just declare it to be wear and tear in a dispute

This "I'm paying so I'm entitled" attitude is precisely why I rent to my son. If he ever doesn't need it, the property will be sold rather than open myself up to this kind of risk

And while the vast majority of pet owners probably take care, the rest are hardly going to admit they won't are they? Nor is it always safe to "take a big deposit" as - like with the PP - the TDP people can just declare it to be wear and tear in a dispute

Of course. And the tenant will almost certainly win, because there are unscrupulous LLs and so the law is on the tenant's side. Humans naturally seek the path of least resistance, it's not rocket science.

I have owned my own home for 30 yrs, I have always worked so no im not up on current correct terms TallulahBetty*

My dogs do not smell, whippets are extremely clean, my mother would have told me otherwise

They are all over the age of 4 so no accidents, and I clean up the poo straight away, otherwise Poppy will eat it.

My own home is clean, tidy and looked after.

OP, instead of offering a higher deposit, ask landlords if they would accept a higher rent instead if you can afford it.

A bigger deposit is worthless tbh, a LL would be unlikely to get to keep much, if any, of it if there's any way damage could be considered as fair wear and tear, and it takes time and effort to go down the dispute route anyway. Deposits are for more than just damage to the property anyway, how is a LL supposed to know that their tenant with a pet won't damage the property as well as refuse to pay the last months rent or more? They don't have all that much to go on when choosing tenants, so of course they're going to be more inclined to choose the lowest risk tenant. If you make your offer more attractive by offering more money, then they are more likely to consider you. Four pets is a lot, it's understandable that you would have to pay more to house yourself with that many animals (or children for that matter) than you would have to pay alone.

I’m an animal lover, but, if I were a landlord, I would be extremely hesitant to accept tenants with pets for the reasons already outlined.

This is probably a stupid question, but I don’t think anyone else has asked it, so... Wouldn’t it be easier to get your husband to move out and rent? I’m assuming he has no pets of his own now.

I wouldn't want to pay more monthly rent for dogs that wont cause damage. Should any damage occur, which im know wont, I would rather pay for the damage out right.

This is probably a stupid question, but I don’t think anyone else has asked it, so... Wouldn’t it be easier to get your husband to move out and rent? I’m assuming he has no pets of his own now.

We share the dogs, as I cant have them, and neither would he be able to in rented.

I may appeal to the ll as it does say, something about no pets without the LL consent, which wont be unreasonably refused. I could sign to say I will pay for any damage the dogs might cause.

I would like to stay there for a long time, the last tenant was there 20yrs

I'm in London. There is a no pets rule in swanky new flats opposite me. All the new occupants moved in a month back. Then 'as if by magic' cute small dogs (&cats) appeared. I live in a block of 3& have now got a cat. Strangely if LL visits she turns into 'a stray who sits on my window ledge & gets in when windows open'.

I think it should be actually illegal to stipulate no DSS. It is bigoted and 'class-ist' - if that is even a term

It makes me so sad that folk are completely up their own arses to assume people on DSS are going to cause issues

After all, housing benefit is a guaranteed payment

It literally makes me so sad that a lot of people find this a barrier to getting such a basic need...a house

The problem is that the landlord has no way of knowing that you'd be a good tenant and would pay to put any damage right in the proper way. They don't know that your pets are genuinely highly unlikely to cause any damage.

You could try to offer something like an extra agreement if you find somewhere you really want but don't want to offer more rent, and also make it clear to the landlord that you are looking for a long term tenancy so intend to stay for a long period of time.

It's really just about doing anything you can to make yourself a more attractive tenant than someone who doesn't have three dogs and a cat.

As for the smoking, I can understand that to a degree, but surely a clean down and air freshener/ bit of paint , after the person moves out...like they normally would - ask for a cleaning fee/repainting fee written into the initial fees - then its tenants choice. To be fair, Im a smoker and i only smoke outside my own home - i own mine ,lucky for me, but i dont like the yellow ceilings etc

Pets, I would just ask an extra deposit - as pets are such an important part of folks lifes, it is ludicrous to expect folk to part with them...or they cannot secure a roof over their head

CSIblonde They spend most their lives under a blanket sleeping anyway, I could just say they are cushions.

I really love greyhounds, they're lovely dogs, but to a landlord they're all the same.

I guess I could invite her to my house....

I’m so sorry to hear about your circumstances op, and I completely agree that one should be able to pay an add-on charge in return for being able to keep their pets in any rented properties.

I don’t have time to read the whole thread, so apologies if this has been asked already, but where in the country are you/could you move to?

Best of luck op

airy the problem with smoke is that it sinks into carpets and any other soft furnishings as well as discolouring walls, it would take more than a normal end of tenancy clean to get rid of the smell and washing down all of the walls in a house isn't part of a general clean. It was the same when you used to be able to smoke in some hotel rooms, it was easy to smell the ones that had been smoked in.

Also my understanding is that the new legal protection for tenants doesn't allow for all these suggested extra deposits, or at least they could be easily challenged as wear and tear so you are taking on a considerable risk as a landlord.

I hate these threads the landlord is painted as the devil. I make a loss on my flat if I could sell I would. I can’t take dss because of the mortgage provider. Most dogs do smell even if the owner doesn’t notice

Slightly off topic
But I absolutely despise the parasitic fuckers AKA Landlords. Despise them with a passion I never knew I had.

I understand hating shit landlords but why hate them as a whole?

I can’t afford a house right now but I still need somewhere to live. Renting suits me great. I’m grateful to have a flat to rent from someone?

Try to speak to the landlord directly. My husband lets property and will sometimes take a ‘pet deposit’. That said, if it’s a choice between 2 good tenants, one with and one without pets he would likely choose the latter.

However, if you’re likely to be a long-term tenant and tick all the other boxes the landlord may be more willing to consider. I hope you find somewhere.

mrcharlie....why exactly do you hate LL?

(Ex-LL)
Unless an LL can't let to anyone else, most will choose a non-smoking tenant without pets or housing benefit

• the lease at my last place specified no pets and no smoking indoors, even in communal areas like landings & staircases

• my LL insurance specified no pets and noone on housing benefit

I would have let to tenants with a registered assistance animal - exempt on the lease - and I told my agents this.

Like it or not, if you want to keep your pets, then you will probably have to offer a significantly higher rent.

Some LLs (like me) would risk it for a good tenant who'd been there 3+ years and wanted to buy an animal,
but your problem is you would be starting from scratch, as an unknown quantity.

Your promise to pay for any damage is not enforceable - especially if it is thousands that you may not have
and as pp said, offering an extra deposit doesn't help, as an LL usually can't claim full damages back.

When a tenant accidentally burned some flooring, I only received a small amount of what it cost me to put righjt,
because for that standard of property, I couldn't have an odd non-matching square
Also a significant % was deducted for the flooring being 3 years old - it was the high quality kind that normally wouldn't have needed replacing for years.

So, YABVU, if the law were changed to add additional risk of high expenses, particularly pets, many LLs would not let property.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage, plus months of lost rent during repairs, plus legal costs, could mean actually losing money that might take years of letting to regain.

btw, to other pp, smoke stink can linger for years and can require replastering and repainting, replacing fitted units, plus replacing furniture if let with that

I live in Bristol
My daughter (22) is renting a property just 2min walk from my current house
I am moving in there end of the month
LL wont accept dogs...At the moment, I may offer to pay for any and all damage which may occur from them ( I know there wont be)

I don't smoke
I work, so does my daughter

My dogs, whippets, are very well behaved

Housing benefit is NOT a guaranteed payment - it can be stopped for all sorts of reasons, which the landlord is not entitled to know. It can also take months to set up in the first place. It also severely limits the insurance you can get - no unpaid rent insurance for instance. It also rarely covers the whole rent, so you are still dependent on the tenant paying the difference. Haven't dealt with Universal credit but that also sounds like a nightmare.