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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:
serbska · 16/10/2018 23:18

Seriously, they don't smell. Have you ever met whippets, they are very clean and cat like

But cats smell too! As owners we just become nose blind to it.

Fucksgiven · 16/10/2018 23:19

Why don't You try somewhere with a decent garden and see if the landlord would accept outdoor dogs in kennel that never go indoors?

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 16/10/2018 23:22

Seriously, they don't smell. Have you ever met whippets, they are very clean and cat like.

Yes, I have OP. I’ve had relatives on both sides of my family who’ve had whippets. They’re lovely dogs and yes they can be clean, but like all dogs, they smell. Of dog.

There is no wet dog smell, which is bloody awful.

Right, but “wet dog smell” isn’t the only smell around and most dogs don’t smell of that all the time. They just smell in general, like absolutely everything else in the world, including cats.

Powerless · 16/10/2018 23:22

@legolimb Not all Dogs do those things. My Mum's Miniature Schnauzer is the most well behaved, perfect dog you've ever seen! All Miniature Schnauzers are! They really don't smell - believe it or not - they don't drool, they don't have accidents (my mum's one never has) they don't chew or scratch and they don't even moult!

So if you're ever considering a dog....

Rebecca36 · 16/10/2018 23:28

I'm not encouraging you Greenkit but if your landlord/lady/person is not likely to be visiting the property, you could just move your three small dogs in. That's what most people do who have animals. If the agents do a six monthly or yearly check on the property, board the dogs out for that day and remove evidence. Keep fingers crossed that they don't bark a lot and cause a noise nuisance.

As for smokers, people say they don't smoke and then smoke in rented property if they want to.

KPjoenix · 16/10/2018 23:29

But every single tenant says the same thing...but the data says differently. And it is a business transaction. The landlord is allowed to take on the amount of risk they are comfortable with and pets are an extra risk to the property. It may not be exactly in the location you want but I'm sure you can find somewhere that is willing to take pets.

Chanelprincess · 16/10/2018 23:34

mrcharlie

Thank you - I can understand why you're so frustrated and angry when people you know are struggling to save enough for a deposit and are getting nowhere.

ToadOfSadness · 16/10/2018 23:39

Lets with Pets, I don't know if it is any use, also Zoopla have a pet filter, have you searched on Google for pet friendly rentals?

www.letswithpets.org.uk/find-a-pet-friendly-property/find-a-pet-friendly-property

NewYoiker · 17/10/2018 00:44

This is the state of the carpets on the stairs when we moved in to our rental house. The previous tenants had 4 dogs and 8 people in a 3 bed house. Every room had a bed in it, washing everywhere and damp everywhere. The house is lovely now, but it's taken a while.

We have a dog and our ll was happy to let us have one probably because the house was already in a shit state, but our dog doesnt do anything exciting at all. He sleeps 100% of the time he's in the house, but I can see from the damage in this house that not all dog owners are equal.

The house was dreadful when we moved in though, the bins outside were overflowing with all sorts of crap and the previous tenants had also filled up the neighbours bin as they were empty too 🤦‍♀️

Rental Properties
Rental Properties
Powerless · 17/10/2018 02:37

@Bellabutterfly2016 Are you joking? High priority? There is currently a waiting list for the homeless hostels in my area! Thousands upon thousands are 'high priority' for social housing. The councils do not have enough houses to go round!

The average waiting time for a person with a child who already has a roof over their head (regardless of the state of the house/overcrowding etc is TWELVE YEARS!

The average waiting time for someone with a child who is homeless and in temporary accommodation (in homeless hostel) is 1-4 years!!!!!!!!

'High priority!' Ha!!!!

malificent7 · 17/10/2018 03:14

Yanbu....the pet thing is weird. I understand that landlords need to maintain property etc but I do wonder why some people rent property out with so restrictive requirements.

crrrzy · 17/10/2018 04:06

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for privacy reasons.

TallulahBetty · 17/10/2018 07:47

My colleague is a landlord. His mortgage company doesn't allow him to accept people on HB.

What do you expect him to do, accept them anyway, and have the house at risk for both of them to lose? Hmm

DopeyDazy · 17/10/2018 08:00

supply and demand allows ll to be choosy and it will get more that way as a) bit to let is not so attractive any more b) more houses will be on market when people have to pay the help to buy deposit back and can't afford it

IAmAllAsttonishnent · 17/10/2018 08:18

YABVU

Sorry but it’s their house and you have no right to tell them who they should be renting to. If you don’t like the restrictions I suggest you purchase your own home, if that isn’t an option then acknowledge that you’re going to have to find someone willing to rent to you!

Smokers, students and DSS would be a no go for me. May consider pets but would have to be named/ agreed upon at the time of moving in. I wouldn’t want someone taking a lease then buying 45 cats 🐱

Children are a sticking point, until recently I would have argued that excluding them was ridiculous but since the new law about the boiler repair has come in (any rental home with a child in it can’t have a broken boiler for more than 48 hours *I think 🤔 ) I wouldn’t rent to people with children either.

I get that it’s been brought in to protect kids but in the middle of winter you simply can’t always get someone to see the boiler in that time frame. It can be impossible- in which case you’re hit with a big council fine 🤔 no thanks, just another money making scheme from the council

swingofthings · 17/10/2018 08:24

You talk about irony mrcharlie when your post ws the one that showed the most! Accusing LLs of becoming so through luck of inheritance from parents when your own son is going to become a homeowner thanks to his parents finances. How lucky is that!

Unlike your lucky son, I got no help from my parents to become a home owner. I worked hard, even when I was a single mum and through promotions managed to save and buy my house. My OH did just the same. When we got together we didn't need to housectogether. We put both on the market and couldn't sell so when the agent said mine would rent well, we opted for this option.

We now have lovely tenants who are grateful to be able to rent a nice house whilst putting money aside to one day become home owners. They are not lucky either to have parents to help them buy a property!

serbska · 17/10/2018 08:30

I do wonder why some people rent property out with so restrictive requirements

Because one can.

Got a nice place, well maintained in a good area and renting at the appropriate rate? People bite your hand off to rent it so you can pick the nice non-smoking professional couple with no children, no pets who's hobby is quietly stamp collecting.

Got a badly maintained shit hole house in a shit hole area at a toppy price? Yeah you might have to lower your standards!

swingofthings · 17/10/2018 08:38

And of course there is the consideration that LLs might themselves have rented before becoming LLs. I rented for 10 years before I could afford to become a home owner funilly never once had an issue with the LL, always got my full deposit back.

Saving was tough but then I didn't have a car, didn't go on nice holiday, didn't go out to eat or drink. I too have young colleagues who rent and complain they can't afford to save than the next day announce they have just signed up to a new lease car, and a week later that they are going yet again on another break abroad because as they say, they are young and might as well enjoy it now.

They are both young people who genuinely struggle and those who don't prioritise saving.

Bluelady · 17/10/2018 08:51

How MN makes me laugh sometimes: "I wouldn't allow smoking, not even outside", so how would you propose stopping that?

I was an accidental landlord, the house was newly refurbished from top to bottom and there was no way I'd have allowed pets on thousands of ££ of new carpets. Or smokers - obviously they could do as they liked in the garden.

The majority of btl mortgages stipulate no tenants on benefits so the landlord's hands are tied.

MovingThisYearHopefully · 17/10/2018 14:52

Sorry about your situation Greenkit. You have enough on your plate as it is without having to potentially rehome your beloved pets. Flowers We are in a situation where we're buying a newbuild & looking into potentially renting somewhere & are shocked at how hard & expensive it all is now. I completely understand the pet thing. We have one destructive little bastard small cat to consider & may have to look into putting her into a cattery, or the kids may see if my ex will have her. You/we have more luck trying to sort something out privately. Have you thought of asking the question as to if anyone has a suitable property to rent on Facebook?

fuzzyduck1 · 17/10/2018 19:43

@thisneverendingsummer

Thank you I like being smug as a bug in a rug.

Oh and if it wasn’t for buy to let landlords there wouldn’t be any properties to rent.

Bluelady · 17/10/2018 19:48

No, there would be a lot more affordable properties for people to buy.

OftenHangry · 17/10/2018 20:06

Just curious. What do people imagine under "affordable property" to buy?
Where I am, and obviously I understand it's completely different in different counties, you can get a nice 3 bed semi with a garden for 60k. Or a 2 bed victorian terrace with little yard for 50k. But people still say there are no affordable properties here.
I imagined houses under 100k were in affordable bracket?

EthelHornsby · 17/10/2018 20:20

I wondered that too - currently trying to sell a rental property in a not very desirable area - was told that it’s not what private buyers go for (Victorian terrace) so it’s going to auction Guide price £25,000. I’m certainly not making loadsamoney from it - but no struggling young couples seem to want it either

OftenHangry · 17/10/2018 20:23

25k! You would think it would be snapped up within hoursShock
I think sometimes people don't realise that even the not so desirable area doesn't have to be a sh**hole.