To think it’s going to be really hard to find a house to rent with a cat?

[GustavaoFring]

I’m privately renting and have lived here for 4 years. My tenancy said no pets, but soon after I moved in I asked if I could get a cat and the landlord agreed which was wonderful.

I’m now looking for a bigger property as my DC are outgrowing our tiny 2-bed, but every house I see on Rightmove says no pets. One perfect house came up and I decided to call the agent directly to see if it was a negotiable criteria and they said absolutely not.

I’d be happy to pay an extra deposit and pay for a deep clean or whatever they wanted when I move out... it’s the moving in that’s the problem.

Is it worth calling the agent of each house I see to double check if a cat can be considered? Has anyone got a success story of finding a cat-suitable rental property?

Its always worth asking, I am fairly sure every house we have rented has said no pets on the Ad, but when asked we have been allowed the cats, yes we have to pay more on the deposit and usually agree to a professional carpet clean when we leave. Good luck, it is an additional stress when renting.

I moved with a cat and I'm afraid that I just didn't tell prospective landlords that I had one.

Once they found it they didn't mind at all.

*found out ^^

I've been renting for about 10 years, 3 different properties and have two cats - one ad did say no pets and when I asked they just wanted an extra £100 deposit the other two didnt mention pets and were fine with it.

I think if you're open and honest and use an agent you will be able to find something. One cat is very different to two great danes.

Just ask - I have a dog and have not had too many problems renting somewhere with him. Lots of ads that say no pets actually do once you get In touch.

I've never had a problem with it - if the ad' says no pets, I ask if they would object to one small, very housetrained cat, and they've always said no worries. We did pay more deposit though.

Didn't the law change to say landlords had to consider pets and not withhold consent unreasonably?

Are you asking if you can have a cat; or are you "offering extra rent or guaranteed professional cleaning to ensure cleanliness, if you permit me to bring my single housetrained cat, oh and I have excellent references from my current landlord too."

I'm a LL and have a strict no cats or dogs policy after the mess left by previous tenants.

We always just rang estate agents and said what have you got that allows pets but ringing individually is probably worth it.

It certainly makes it a lot harder but not impossible.

But there not allowed to take more for a deposit now. That's the new law. The law unfortunately is not in the favour of tenants having pets!

Yeah you need to ask and consider going a little out of your desired area

I’ve just moved with two children, two dogs and a cat.

We’ve had to move 4 miles out of town but it worked out well

New laws ‘for tenants’ always just makes it more difficult.

I think it’s worth asking about each property. I have put ‘no pets’ when I’ve rented out properties. It’s easier then to say ‘yes’ to a family with a cat or a dog than to end up with a single bloke with 3 huge dogs in a small house/immaculate garden.

It’s more difficult, but definitely not impossible just make it clear it’s well housetrained

It limits the choice available but it's far from impossible. Offering upfront to pay an additional deposit and/or to get the property professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy helps, as does a good reference from a previous landlord who can confirm your cat didn't cause any damage.

The law's changing to cap the size of deposits, so it is about to become much harder to find a landlord who will accept one. There is no law to say that a landlord has to accept pets.

I had no problem finding two long term private lets with my cat. No higher deposit, they just required me to get the carpets professionally cleaned before we left (which cost about £50 each time so not much at all). Always worth asking! 😊

It's worth asking...we saw a property that said no pets on the advert but when we rang up the rental agent asked for more information about us and the dog (breed, moultiness, how long she was left alone for daily etc) and then put all the info to the landlord and they said yes. I think we paid a fairly small extra deposit but got it all back at the end as we left it spotless.

I rented 2 flats in London and just didn’t mention the cat. The landlords never found out and there were no problems.

Definitely ask, my dad had issues as they have two cats but this landlord was fab .. they now have 4 cats
(my dad took in 2 that a neighbour abandoned )

I'm sure there have been similar threads to this. May be worth asking. I feel for you as cats are an important part of the family. That said, I also feel for (some) landlords. I am allergic to cats. Properly, seriously, life threateningly allergic (asthma). There are no current treatments other than avoidance. Deep cleans do not remove dander. When I have moved house before I have had to remove all carpets before I moved in as previous occupants had a cat. By all means call the estate agents and ask. Please don't sneak a cat in. I'm not actually exaggerating when I say you could kill someone by doing that. It's like food allergies - people need to know what they will be exposed to.

Landlords don't usually mind cats too much. It's dogs that are the problem.

Would your present landlord be prepared to mention in a reference that the cat hasn't caused damage to the property?

But there not allowed to take more for a deposit now. That's the new law.

You are now not allowed to ask for or accept an increased deposit to cover animal damage.

It is worth asking each landlord of any house you want to rent.

If it’s a flat there’s a head lease which often says no pets and that’s not down to an individual landlord. Houses will be easier. I allow a dog in my houses. However I know people who’ve had real problems and ruined subfloors from pets.

We had a dog in our previous 3 properties. One said no pets when we took th house, but a few months later we asked about getting a dog and he was fine, the second didn't care and the 3rd was very against pets. We phoned and said we were young professionals, our dog was housetrained and slightly older and we were happy to include in the contract we would have the carpets professionally deep cleaned upon ending the tenancy. We had to pay additional for the deposit. We mentioned we were good Tennant's, didn't miss rent and looked after the property. They never had an issue.

I’m a landlord and I have a “no pets” clause cos I don’t want Noah’s Ark moving in, but a well behaved cat or dog I wouldn’t mind

I have two cats. The last time I moved I basically phoned up a bunch of estate agents, told them my requirements and that I had two cats, and they only called me with properties that were suitable. I'm in London, so might be more competitive, but if you're a good tenant you'll be fine. Just give yourself a bit of time -- we had a property fall through because of the freehold (landlord was happy to have us) but found a place within a month.