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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Rental Properties

242 replies

Greenkit · 16/10/2018 14:39

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.

OP posts:
acivilcontract · 16/10/2018 19:46

Despising landlords as a whole group is just daffy, there are accidental landlords, BTL landlords, comercial lanlords, all sorts renting out houses for many different reasons. Not everyone is either able to buy or wants to. We are currently renting through choice as well as letting. We have rented from good, bad and indifferent landlords sometimes through choice and sometimes through necessity. We have also owned houses. There are plus and minuses to each situation but nothing worthy of despising people.

LunchBoxPolice · 16/10/2018 19:47

but most people living in rented accommodation would happily let there dog crap on the carpet
Utter rubbish. I had to sell my home when I got divorced and I rent now; I treat this house just the same as I would if I owned it. Just becuase someone rents doesn't mean they are happy to live in filth.

Redglitter · 16/10/2018 19:52

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

That's one hell of a generalisation. I was in my last flat 6 years my rent wasn't increased once & if anything needed done it was done almost instantly. He was so far from what you described

As to the OP as someone who doesn't smoke or particularly like dogs I wouldn't allow either if I was renting a property out.

mrcharlie · 16/10/2018 19:52

@JessieLemon
Its just the GREED that gets to me, It really winds me up, that most people I know who rent properties started out with Luck (if that's the right word) Inheritance, Win, Payout etc etc. They then decide to invest in other properties thus preventing others from buying a home to live in. The rental usually covers the mortgage, so the poor tenants, who haven't been blessed with such "Luck" find themselves stuck in a cycle of never being able to save for their own, but all the while paying off their landlords mortgage.

Just to be clear, we own our property, we are now saving more than we ever have previously to hopefully give our son a starting chance on the property ladder when he's older. My morals and principles would NEVER allow me to become a bottom feeder and make others lives miserable for my own personal gain...Read G R E E D !!!

BigChocFrenzy · 16/10/2018 19:53

If someone moved in animals without my permission - and neighbours do tell about that kind of breach -
the LL would probably warn them to immediately remove the animals ot they would start eviction proceedings,
on the grounds of their breeching the original contract

So, be careful: you could be risking your daughter losing her home.

Better to ask the LL for permission in advance, but be prepared that you may have to pay higher rent,
not just the nebulous future damages that an LL would find very difficult to get out of you.

As some of us have said, an LL might make an exception if you DD has been there a few years and it is a good tenant
However, I would never trust someone who did that without asking in advance (other than as an unforeseen emergency for a couple of nights, then asking me)

loveka · 16/10/2018 19:56

Please try Open Rent.

I would take you! My tenant failed the credit check and has a dog. I was able to take extra deposit, meet her etc.

Walkingdeadfangirl · 16/10/2018 19:56

No dogs, every time. An extra £1000 on the deposit is nowhere near enough to cover potential dog damage and because the deposit protection scheme decides if you get it it will never cover all the actual damage.

FYI every pet owner will claim their dogs are well trained, dont smell and will cause no damage. LOL landlords are not that stupid, its just not worth the risk.

MondayImInLove · 16/10/2018 19:59

500/1000£ extra deposit wouldn’t cover new carpets/doors/wall repairs etc
Extra deposit to cover the damage done by 3 dogs is a bad scenario would be what? 4-5k? Would you be happy to pay that??

londonrach · 16/10/2018 19:59

You know yabu dont you op. I say that as a long term letter who finally escaped the rent trap

fuzzyduck1 · 16/10/2018 20:01

I must be an exceptance to the rule I’m a landlord and have just rented my house out to a tenant with a dog. I hope he enjoys staying there there it’s out in the sticks with some lovely walks.
The estate agent phoned us with a choice of two applicants the one above and a couple with a rabbit the dog won hands down don’t like them pesky rabbits.
TBH as long as he makes good any damage I don’t see and problem with it.

AnotherDayAnotherDollarRight · 16/10/2018 20:01

I think you will struggle to find anywhere that will take 3 dogs, unless it is already pretty run down. Most LLs would consider 1 whippet as they are small, and short haired. 3 though is a different story.

You probably won't agree, but dogs smell. The houses they live in smell. It is very hard to get rid of the smell of them when they move out. Their claws scratch wood floors, and muddy paws stain soft furnishings.

My parents let their house to a couple with 2 dogs. It cost a lot of money to get the house back to a lettable condition after they moved out. They were nice people who kept the place clean, but the floors were scratched, the carpets smelt, and the sofa and arm chairs had to be replaced.

mumsastudent · 16/10/2018 20:04

some insurance companies stipulate: 3 monthly checks, no benefits recipients & animals if allowed have individual deposits for each animal, for a variety of reasons the LL maybe restricted to a single insurance company (prior claim for instance) & ll pay for searches too

Huggefire15 · 16/10/2018 20:14

Jessie lemon - so it's ok for people to invest in shares, pensions, art, ISAs, but not property ? I rent to someone who was homeless, at a below average rent. The property was fully refurbished by myself and partner before the tenant moved in. Please explain where the greed is ? I don't make much profit and I pay my taxes.

JessieLemon · 16/10/2018 20:17

Huggefire15 I think you have me confused with someone else.

Ylvamoon · 16/10/2018 20:19

I know someone who used to allow pets in their rental property.... until a parrot wit it's human moved in!
Think door fames, window sills and kitchen cupboards. All been nibbled on. No deposit could cover the costs of the damage.
So I am with the landlord on this one.

fuzzyduck1 · 16/10/2018 20:23

@mrcharlie.

In the past I’ve taken in lodgers not for the extra money but to give them somewhere to live. The extra money is nice but I wouldn’t call it greedy.

Your daft if your saving money so your son can get on the property ladder. If you have the money to put a deposit down on a house and then rent it to start paying back the mortgage why wouldn’t you? House prices are going up all the time so the deposit your saving for him is probably going down in value in real terms so your putting your son at a disadvantage.

QuizzlyBear · 16/10/2018 20:32

If you worried about carpets, then add extra onto the deposit to cover it.

The problem here is that unless you're willing to pay a lot more as a deposit, it just wouldn't cover replacement carpets. We just re-carpeted our 2-bed rental flat and it came (with labour) to almost £3k.

Your security deposit might be generous but I doubt it would cover that!

mbosnz · 16/10/2018 20:42

Thing is, you might know how wonderful you are, and your pets are, and how lucky a landlord would be to have you as tenants. The landlord doesn't. You're risking what? Well, you can sign up to this and to that, promise everything, to get what you think you ought to be able to have, as a tenant, on your say so, that you'll make good in the event of any detriment suffered as the landlord. The landlord is risking their significant, 100's of thousands dollars, investment. Why do you think you should have more power or say in this relationship than the landlord?

Ultimately, you're paying for quiet enjoyment of the property, if the landlord accepts you as a tenant. The landlord is paying for everything else.

And yes, it's really hard when you go from property owner to renter (even if not in such traumatic circumstances). You do feel diminished in terms of power, of status. You don't have the references. We've just been through it. It really sucks.

InertPotato · 16/10/2018 20:50

Just to be clear, we own our property, we are now saving more than we ever have previously to hopefully give our son a starting chance on the property ladder when he's older. My morals and principles would NEVER allow me to become a bottom feeder and make others lives miserable for my own personal gain...Read G R E E D !!!

Moronic. Any investment you make will rise and fall based on how effectively the underlying asset extracts the maximum possible return from all available resources, i.e. greed.

Or you can park your money in a bank account and let them do the same, paying you peanuts, ensuring you'll never be able to help your son.

Huggefire15 · 16/10/2018 20:54

Jessie - apologies. Example of greedy. I rented a room in a family house, and shared a bathroom with another tenant (not the family bathroom). I used the washing machine. I never cooked there, because I ate at work. I worked several jobs, so I only slept there. One day the male, husband said to me in the kitchen, my wife says you make too much noise at breakfast time, I was stunned, because I only had cereal and a hot drink ! I moved out soon afterwards and when I left, I said to the husband and wife - you want the rent money, but you don't want tenants in your property. I've moved around and rented lots of places until I bought. I'm also a landlord, anything that has broken, I have repaired. Please do not tar everyone with the same brush !

Dragongirl10 · 16/10/2018 20:54

mrcharlie, its simply not true that most people who are LL have got there due to luck or a win.

I didn't.... (see my first post)... like many, l had no family money or other financial gift, come from a working class family, no win.....just many years of working 7 days a week, and spending the absolute minimum on living frugally to save for my first deposit, had a lodger to help pay that mortgage, and lived off baked beans!

If l could do it anyone could......

Why do you think everyone would suddenly be able to buy if there were no rental properties?

If all LL sold up it would only be a small blip in the market,
does everyone have savings and a mortgage lined up to take advantage?
Where would they live whilst they saved?
how would anyone move out of their parents house if there were no private rentals?
does everyone want to buy?

My usual tenants are 25-30 singletons, and don't want to tie themselves to a mortgage/ have to stay put if they want to change jobs/travel overseas/worry about having a rainy day fund for the boiler.....

l am curious to know if you feel the same about the grocer on the corner who sells you bread and milk is he 'greedy'to for offering a service and taking a profit?

What about the decorator who you emply who charges you for his service? what if he becomes successful enough to have several decorators working for him, is he 'greedy'

Stop confusing social housing and private renting, on is the responsability of the local Gov and the other is just individuals making a living.

Your words are very aggressive towards people who are not doing anything illegal or immoral. Perhaps your anger would be better redirected.

acivilcontract · 16/10/2018 20:55

My landlord isn't making me miserable with his greed, He is providing me with a much needed rental home that I enjoy living in. I don't want to buy where we are living at present. He has also allowed one dog and one cat to live here so they are enjoying it too.

LavendarGreen · 16/10/2018 21:14

YABU, landlords can stipulate what they like really, although some of them are a bit fussy!

The worst ones IME are the accidental landlords... They are usually the ones who can't sell their property, and they have a time limit on moving out. (New job elsewhere or something.)

So they move, and rent out their house to pay the mortgage. They are usually strapped for cash, and if anything goes wrong, it's a nightmare to try and get them to get it done.

OP posts:
Dragongirl10 · 16/10/2018 21:21

Greenkit,

Surely that is the fault of the mortgage companies who dictate the rules...few LL have no mortgage.