To think that the renters reform bill is going to kill people with allergies?

[Petallergysufferer]

Just that really. I know many people will see this as a good thing. I know too that the severity of allergy to pets which means they can kill you is rare. But it does happen. I am that severely allergic. So if landlords can't give a blanket ban then there are no pet-free properties for me to move into.

For those who don't know - antihistamines make no difference and the only way to get all allergens out of the place is to remove all soft furnishings including carpets and underlay. Deep cleaning things does not work. So unless the landlords change all carpets, curtains, sofas etc. in between tenants, then it still has enough allergens to trigger a life-threatening reaction. For me that reaction is asthma and I already see a hospital specialist so there is no further treatment that can be offered. Avoiding allergens is the key advice. I'm really worried that the full implications have not been thought through.

Honestly, I say this as someone with such bad pet, hay and dust allergies I’ve ended up on immuno-suppressants, you’re being ridiculous. What about people who own homes, go to friends or… literally ever leave the house.

I'm not trying to be flippant and I'm sorry your condition is so severe. However, surely this affects you in houses other than those that are rented - it would be an issue anywhere.

Presumably you brant work if you are thar allergic so get sickness benefits and social housing?
I am a landlord and I always allow pets and children because there is still a tiny grain of sanity in the UK where I am allowed to choose how people live in my.properies.

Furnished lets are quite rare round here, so could you look for unfurnished and have the carpets cleaned before you move?

They day we moved into our house, next doors cat waltzed in and we couldn't catch him until he'd been all round the house, so I don't know how you could ever guarantee no animals ever. We had the door open moving boxes from the van.

Of course but I can't go to friend's houses when they have pets. That is something you can manage without. You can't manage without a home.

Carpet cleaning does not work as I said in the OP.

You should be more worried about the amount of LL that are about to sell up tbh.

Most landlords still won’t allow pets- they’ll just do it by preferring the pet-free over the pet owners. Sad but true.

You already can’t guarantee that a property has always been totally pet-free forever - people lie or get pets against the term of the lease all the time, or people allow friends and family to have pets to visit.

I’m sorry for your allergies, that sounds really tough. You’ll just continue to mitigate your risk as you can - choose an unfurnished rental with hard floor not carpets, get it professionally cleaned etc.

Wow. I'm surprised at the responses. I'm sure there are landlords who won't want to rent to pet owners.

Well aren't you a nice person? Would you say that to someone with a physical disability who was campaigning for accessible toilets in public places? I guess you wat the world to revolve around you then. I am not the only person with this severity of allergies fgs.

Yes I work. Allergies can be managed well by avoiding allergens. I've had to choose work that is never in other's houses but there are plenty of jobs where that's the case.

The renters reform bill will stop them being able to have a blanket pet-free clause so they will have no choice.

Tennants sometimes get pets in whether it's allowed on the contract or not.

Last time we had to clean the carpets twice before the dog smell faded. You can't guarentee animal-free regardless.

I still find the occasional dog-hair emerging in my house 11 years after the dog owner moved out. They work their way into things like underlay or behind skirting boards/ fitted furniture then sometimes re-emerge.

My DM was in a wheelchair & so had to have a special low height kitchen fitted.

By your reckoning every rental property should cater for wheelchair users over & above regular height kitchen users

Sorry, but you are being ridiculous

If you really are that allergic, I think in any other period when the UK was civilised, you should be allowed social housing rather than change the law for millions of pet and children owners.

Even if pets are banned there's no way to guarantee animals have never visited. My DH's dog visited my rental flat before we moved in together and although we don't currently have a dog we (a) still find his hair on things and (b) absolutely would welcome friends with pets for a visit so despite not having a dog on the tenancy agreement would not leave a house without hints of pets without thorough cleaning.

If it's soft furnishings based you'd need an unfurnished rental with hard floors (currently pretty common).

Not allowing dogs to be owned by tenants doesn't mean dogs will never visit!

Yes this, I'm not allowed pets in my flat but my landlord is fine with me looking after my parents dog when they go on holiday.

I’m sympathetic to your plight but I don’t think it will be so much of a problem as you think. In the area I’m in, there are dozens of people who apply to live in every long term rental that comes onto the market and the majority of landlords will simply choose people without pets as tenants in preference to those with pets.

I think with the shortage of rentals and landlords selling up more than ever, there’ll still be a ‘ban’ just unofficial. If you have 10 people apply for a property and half of them have pets, if the landlord doesn’t want them then she can just narrow it down to 5 and pick the best candidate out of that list.

I am really sorry about your allergies, that must be beyond tough to live with. Plus expensive for you, if the only way you can keep yourself safe is to rip out and recarpet every property you live in.

We allowed pets once , never again. It was cats and when we went for the inspection the whole house had the most awful cat piss stench. All the carpets had to be ripped up.

If your allergy is so severe then how can you work with pet owners? Or go to a pet friendly pub/cafe/restaurant? Or anywhere really that you might come across a dog or cat?

I think the problem now is so many people are unable to get onto the property ladder that they are having to rely on rental to be their family home and pets are a large part of that dynamic. Being denied pets just because you can't get a mortgage seems unfair.

The other issue is people losing homes or being moved from a pet friendly rental and then having to rehome a pet simply because of the lack of rentals that will allow them.

Hopefully this will widen the market for many families. Severe allergies to pets will be rare and I know people who have sneaked pets into non pet rentals anyway. Some will have had visiting pets. Unless a property is your own you can never guarantee how much contact it will have had with animals.

What about guide dogs? Should people with guide dogs be refused a home because you have allergies?

Just because people have the right to have pets doesn't mean that 100% of them actually will. Just look for a flat where the previous tenant didn't have pets: or even better, a flat where the landlord also has allergies and is exempt from allowing furry pets.