Landlord issues..... posting here for traffic

[Icanflyhigh]

We had a social distant street party yesterday and had some lovely chats with our neighbours.
We've only lived here for 9 months and it's a very quiet cul de sac.
Other residents have been here since the houses were built in 1976 and they're all lovely, but they were very quick to tell us about our landlady, who they fondly nickname Mad Maria.

Apparently, she is mad as a box of frogs, is tight as a ducks arse and only interested the money.
She hasn't registered our deposit correctly- I've had no certificate etc, and apparently she has been coming and looking through our windows when we're not here.
She used an agent tenant finder service to initially sort the tenancy, and we had to pay a years rent upfront (my financial situation means I wouldn't pass a credit check). She has sorted a couple of issues out for us fairly quickly - electrical issues although the guy she got to come was older than the hills and didn't really know what he was doing it seemed.

She hasn't arranged any property inspections since we moved in, despite saying she would, so I was a bit perturbed to find out she has been peeking through the windows.

She doesn't live locally so it's a special journey to check this out. The neighbours locally do not speak kindly of her and have warned us to tread very carefully with her.

The last tenant suffered a bereavement here (very young male) and within a couple of days, the landlady was asking equations about the rent payment for the month.

We are also desparate to have a dog, but apparently she will NEVER give permission for that.

Any advice about the tenancy deposit and how we may be able to persuade her to let us have a dog?

We're responsible tenants, we look after the house and garden - it's our home.

@fridgepants - just over 15k including deposit so yeah not a small amount.

@fridgepants my tortosie has outlived both of my previous dogs and tbh they all got on fine!

I rarely let them mix though, the tortoise is permanently in a Viv so no issues with them being kept together etc.

If anything my Springer was scared to death of the tortoise!
My husky/collie cross was interested but not overly so.

I'd also be more interested in a rescue than a puppy, both of my previous dogs were rescues.

I wouldn’t believe everything your neighbours have to say. Is it not strange that anytime your neighbour has called to peer through your windows, you’ve been out ?? Yet you work from home ?

@DillyDilly I did think that, but I do school run each day and she would know that so would give an opportunity I guess.

It would be odd for her to have never caught me at home though, I don't tend to go far!

I think on balance I may have just listened to gossip a bit too much and I need to give benefit of the doubt here.

I panicked a bit as I really can't face moving house again and will do all I can to avoid it.

Don't listen to gossip

Second ask the question about the dog but don't try and blackmail her with letters re therapy dogs, it likely that she will just refuse to renew your contract of she doesn't want a dog in the house.

I wouldn't allow you to have a dog. They leave a smell and no matter how much you clean you can never get the fur and dander out of carpets and furniture. My dd is allergic so we would never be able to live in a house that had dogs.