To say that no pets mean no pets?

[Aprilcherry04]

I currently have lodgers in a 3 bedroom semi. They seem nice enough and the neighbours say they are well behaved. However their contract says no pets and I found out they have 2 cats living in the property. I was visiting a friend and saw a cat sitting on the window ( inside) as I passed. They contacted me a couple of months back to ask if I was likely to renew contract and I said yes - subject to a house inspection. They have also mounted a 60 inch tv on the living room wall without permission. I have a strict no pets no smoking clause on the tenancy agreement. I have a cat allergy. Contract needs renewed in a month. Aibu not to renew?

Hont she’s already stated rules are different- she may be able to do this, it’s better than kicking them out

I don’t understand why you did not contact the tenants as soon as you became aware there were cats in the property. I would have been round there doing an inspection and if that caused symptoms at the time so much the better. The animals need removing or they need to find alternative accommodation.
As to the TV bracket it is extremely difficult to restore a wall once holes have been put in. Yes it can be filled and painted but rarely to a standard which leaves it looking like it did before.
I would ask for removal of the animals and an increase of the deposit to cover plastering or serve them notice.

I agree they should have asked about the cats first.

However, I have really struggled in the past finding accommodation whilst having a cat. Despite me being clean, tidy, respectful
of the property and always paying rent on time. Good references etc.
I think as long as the tenant agrees to pay for any damages the cats might make, then it shouldn't be a problem. Although, cats really aren't as destructive as people think! They mostly sleep

The only reasons OP can give for not allowing cats are:
a) I'm allergic

• But she doesn't live there and doesn't even go to carry out inspections, so the allergy is completely irrelevant.

b) I might want to move back in at some point -But if she did need to do that, she would have to give the tenants at least two month's notice and a deep clean would usually be expected at the end of a long tenancy anyway, with the cost to be taken out of the deposit originally provided, so there wouldn't be any extra work or expense created by the cats c) That's just what the letting agent always does

• Who cares?

And some folks wonder why people hate these kinds of landlords!

I wouldn't renew as they have broken the terms of their tenancy not once, but twice, with two cats. They have really taken the piss, cheeky fuckers. The house will probably stink of cats now and you will have to take steps to remove that smell before you get new tenants.

Inspect the property then make your decision. If they’re otherwise good tenants I’d let them stay . A lot more tenants than people realise will be keeping secret pets .
One of our tenants bought a puppy without informing us . They’re good long term tenants( 7 ish years ) with a young family so we let it go . Pick your battles . Good tenants are worth keeping .

The house will probably stink of cats now and you will have to take steps to remove that smell before you get new tenants. Which she won't know until the tenancy is ended... which is why some are trying to give reasonable advice... which depends on knowing what country the property is in... which apparently will result in the OP being 'outed'...

A good tenant looks after the property , doesn’t disturb the neighbours, pays their rent and associated bills . Wanting a pet doesn’t make someone a bad tenant.

Since the cats are already in there, the place will need a deep clean. Otherwise decent and honourable people do sometimes break tenant contracts in this way. It can be very difficult to find a place that will take pets when you're renting. So whilst yes it's bad and wrong to lie, I can understand how that happens.

So, I would do the inspection and if the place isn't damaged, I would draw up a knew contract stating the place must be deep cleaned before they go and the carpets done professionally. Make it a condition of staying that they have an enhanced deposit to cover any damage the cats might do.

You keep good tenants, they keep their home and their pets, you're covered for any damage and a deep clean of the house.

Wanting a pet doesn’t make someone a bad tenant. Given the stats that about 50% of all homes have pets and 37% of all homes are private rental or socal housing that means a lot of landlords have tenants with pets!

If you do renew then put a clause in the new contract to include maximum existing TWO cats on the tenancy but no different types or numbers of pets are permitted. Otherwise you could end up with Cat Lady.

@PurpleTigers

Inspect the property then make your decision. If they’re otherwise good tenants I’d let them stay . A lot more tenants than people realise will be keeping secret pets.

One of our tenants bought a puppy without informing us . They’re good long term tenants( 7 ish years ) with a young family so we let it go . Pick your battles . Good tenants are worth keeping .

This. ^ Well said.

Any landlord who exercises logic and common sense, can see this is a battle not worth fighting. They ARE good tenants, and anyone who cannot see that needs to give their head a wobble!

There is a serious lack of critical thinking (from some) on this thread!!!

Get rid of the tenants by all means @Aprilcherry04 You may find yourself wishing you never had though!!!

Have you never heard the saying 'be careful what you wish for?'

So, I would do the inspection best to get an independent person to do that

and if the place isn't damaged, I would draw up a knew contract stating the place must be deep cleaned before they go and the carpets done professionally. Which would not be enforceable - in the UK (the professional part, the deep clean should be done)

Make it a condition of staying that they have an enhanced deposit to cover any damage the cats might do. Again, no longer legal in the UK

OP's post history shows she is clearly in the UK, and she has said it isn't England or Wales, sooo.... you don't need to be Sherlock.

Now now, Hont Don't out her

Is this your only or first property op? Honestly this is not something to get overly upset by . Cats spend most of their days sleeping anyway and are incredibly clean if well looked after . I have two in my own house and they’re no trouble whatsoever.

I would hate to deny someone the enjoyment that a pet can bring simply because they rent. It’s not fair .
I could understand if it was a husky or a collie in an urban property but cats are not a big deal .
Our tenants got a Bernese cross . He’s massive and bouncy but they have a huge garden in a rural property so it’s worked out ok .

So really we’ve to base our assumptions on the legalities of madeupland?

You should’ve been inspecting the property regularly, you’d have known at one cat or maybe even before if they’d seen you to discuss getting the cat.. not a guaranteed thing some people hide Great Danes in rented houses so that’s just luck. But regular inspections tend to put people off as well where do you put the cat and it’s things every 3/4months.

I’m also assuming it‘s furnished? Hence the big fuss about allergens? If not it’s probably just the carpets which can be shampooed or more than likely if you’ve done the standard landlord thing will need pulled up because they’re crap quality and don’t wear well in the first place.

The fact you call them lodgers though makes me think you’ll be a prize twat and attempt to bill them for any reason you can fart out.

Bare in mind you could kick the cat people out and land with crackheads pissing off neighbours and actually damaging the house.. cats don’t punch holes in walls.

I voted YANBU. You stated no pets, and they got pets. So of course you wouldn't be unreasonable to refuse to renew their contact. However as they are good tenants, in your shoes I'd go round and inspect the property and decide based on what you find.

I have several cats myself. We also rent out a flat and we said no pets. Because I have cats I know the type of damage they can cause by scratching flooring/furniture, 'inappropriate toileting' or chucking up a furball. Even shorthaired cats also shed a lot of fur which gets embedded in carpets. The tenant may also want to put in a cat flap so again there would be damage which needs to be repaired when they leave. So I'd really want to have a look and see what was going on in order to make a decision.

-But if she did need to do that, she would have to give the tenants at least two month's notice and a deep clean would usually be expected at the end of a long tenancy anyway, with the cost to be taken out of the deposit originally provided, so there wouldn't be any extra work or expense created by the cats

The cost of a deep clean at the end of a tenancy would be the Landlords

The only time it would be acceptable for it to be billed to the tenant would be if it was more than wear and tear

A lot of LL's forget they are not entitled to betterment. If you hand a property over for 5/6 years then you get it back with 5/6 years worth of wear and tear

The cost of a deep clean at the end of a tenancy would be the Landlords Depends on the difference between start and finish of the tenancy. But it would be reasonable for a landlord to pay for one after a long tenancy and the refurbishment they will be doing to make it ready for the next tenant.

ALTHOUGH outside the UK it is can be 100% the tenant's responsibility to return the property to pristine, ready to let condition...

As a fellow landlord and ex-tenant (rented for many years), I'm another one who would say to let this one go if they are otherwise good tenants.

Most pet owners don't tell their landlord precisely because they are terrified of being thrown out, not because they are being underhand. You can add a clause to the lease which says that they have to make good when they leave (but there's probably something like that in there anyway).

The problem with all this talk of 'making good' walls that have had massive holes drilled in them is that they are never 'good' afterwards!

We had a tenant who put up shelves (without asking first) on a painted plaster wall. Their 'making good' was some uneven polyfilla which wasn't sanded properly and some blobs of paint which were a different colour. Restoring it back to 'normal' involved us sanding it back properly and then painting the whole wall. Then , of course, the other walls didn't match (paint had faded slightly) so we ended up redecorating the whole room.
We made a claim against the deposit which was upheld so it ended up costing them a few hundred pounds.
I just wish they'd asked us first then we could have put up better, permanent shelves for them and then no deduction/ redcoration would have been needed!

You posted asking for opinions on whether to renew?

I think you should renew. You haven't had any problems with them paying rent, keeping it place. So from a LL pov whats the problem.

It is not your home anymore, it is their home. It is your house. And while you wouldn't have cats in your home in the grand scheme of things does it really matter. Yes I get you have an allergy, but in honesty if you were moving back in, you wouldn't use the soft furnishing that was in a rented house and you would have the place cleaned.
Not to renew would in imo be petty and spiteful.

A good tenant looks after the property , doesn’t disturb the neighbours, pays their rent and associated bills . Wanting a pet doesn’t make someone a bad tenant.

A good tenant doesn't break the rules outlines in the contract. Getting a pet, against the rules absolutely does make someone a bad tenant.

And also cheeky fuckers. Get rid, who knows what else they may do?

We have pet. Our old landlord wasnt happy and we eventually moved out. His house has been waiting to be let now for 9mths. His loss!