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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think renting as single mum is horrific

329 replies

Blueysmum12 · 05/10/2022 11:57

My bff is a single mum to two young boys. She works in a nursery and gets universal credits. She has a small dog who she got when she split with her husband and is her baby.

she’s lived in the same house for 6 years, rent paid every month on time etc.

the owner is selling their house and obviously she has to move. Between us we have rang 40 properties in this town and surrounding villages. Not one will accept her because she’s either on in universal credits and she has a dog.

the council rang today and said they suggest she takes anything and rehomes her dog because they will put her in a bnb for around 8 months.

I would have her dog, but I have a cat and a dog and 3 kids already, my husband isn’t keen.

I feel so bad for her. She’s lost weight, she looks an anxious mess.

:(

OP posts:
Hintofreality · 05/10/2022 12:40

I think it has more to do with the dog than her being a single parent.

QuietQuietBang · 05/10/2022 12:40

I don’t see that it’s about being a single parent. We rent out a flat that we used to live in, and don’t rent to anyone on benefits or with a pet. We choose to rent only to couples in professional careers without children, as we think that this gives us the best chance of avoiding missed or late rents, or of the property getting damaged.

The government has made life far more difficult and less profitable for private landlords who do not run it as a separate business, so many have chosen to sell, with the results that we now see, of too few properties for those who want or need to rent.

MissMaple82 · 05/10/2022 12:41

HangOnToYourself · 05/10/2022 12:17

What has this got to do with her being a single mum? The issues are universal credit and he dog not her parental status (I say that as a single mum btw)

Because she's basically being discriminated against for only having 1 income (low income) coming in

QuietQuietBang · 05/10/2022 12:41

Blueysmum12 · 05/10/2022 12:24

Actually yes it is about being a single mum, one estate agents said that the owner has a “no single parent” Claus in her mortgage.

I find that very hard to believe, have you any evidence for it?

redredwineub40 · 05/10/2022 12:42

My dad would definitely say don't mention the dog, they have to give you notice to view the property. I know it's not honest but blanket discrimination against dog owners is hard. You pay for damages either way.

QuietQuietBang · 05/10/2022 12:45

redredwineub40 · 05/10/2022 12:42

My dad would definitely say don't mention the dog, they have to give you notice to view the property. I know it's not honest but blanket discrimination against dog owners is hard. You pay for damages either way.

That’s not true. It’s pretty much impossible for a landlord to recover the costs over and above the deposit, and quite hard (plus significant work) even to retain the whole deposit even when a dog has caused far more damage than the deposit will cover.

I was renting out our second home for a couple of years to a couple with a dog, and the deposit didn’t come close to offsetting the cost of the chewed shutters, clawed furniture and piss-stained carpets.

CheezePleeze · 05/10/2022 12:46

Blueysmum12 · 05/10/2022 12:24

Actually yes it is about being a single mum, one estate agents said that the owner has a “no single parent” Claus in her mortgage.

Behave yourself 😂

Xdecd · 05/10/2022 12:46

Yes, it's appalling. To those saying she should have to get rid of the dog, I would say it's a scandal that we are so short of housing that simply having a dog means you are ruled out of renting a home. FWIW I'm a landlord and I allow dogs, the risk is low, I suspect the problem is that landlords have so much choice they can use virtually any criteria they want to rule someone out.

HangOnToYourself · 05/10/2022 12:46

MissMaple82 · 05/10/2022 12:41

Because she's basically being discriminated against for only having 1 income (low income) coming in

Show quote history

Many couples are on low enough income to receive benefits so being a single parent isnt relevant, she is being discriminated against for being on benefits (which is obviously wrong). She could have a partner and be in the same position if he also had a low income.

lapasion · 05/10/2022 12:46

Unfortunately this is the state of private rentals in general. Our LL sold up last year and we were so lucky to find another place. 25 people also applied to this property. I am constantly sick with anxiety that this LL will sell too. It’s such a horrible gut wrenching feeling.

To be honest, your friend needs to get rid of the dog. LLs are massively put off by pets and this will work against her. She could look for a private landlord through Openrent or Gumtree, although they are very thin on the ground. Private LLs are sometimes a bit more understanding. Can she get a guarantor too?

BBBBMushroom · 05/10/2022 12:48

Even if there are regulations about UC and pets if a landlord sees anything they don’t like they can choose another tenant. They don’t have to give a reason. I can see why a Landlord would not want a pet even if they are pet lovers. My cat has messed up the carpet in two rooms but she is my own pet and I adore her. I am not a Landlord but I can see why some tenants are preferable to another, just as two income streams are.

HangOnToYourself · 05/10/2022 12:48

HangOnToYourself · 05/10/2022 12:46

Many couples are on low enough income to receive benefits so being a single parent isnt relevant, she is being discriminated against for being on benefits (which is obviously wrong). She could have a partner and be in the same position if he also had a low income.

Show quote history

Also there are many single parent who earn enough to not need benefits so the single parent status doesnt dictate whether they are being discriminated against, the individuals income does

MeowMeowPowerRangers · 05/10/2022 12:48

YABU to say it's because of being a single mum. It's all people who rent whom are experiencing severe difficulties.

Strawberrypicnic · 05/10/2022 12:48

If you contact local animal rehoming charities they may be able to put an appeal out for someone to do a long-term foster for the dog while she waits for permanent accommodation.

fallinover · 05/10/2022 12:48

The issue with the dog is that you don't pay for damages either way.
The amount of deposit a landlord can take has been reduced, it isn't legal to ask for extra deposit to cover potential pet damage.
So a dog can easily cause more damage than a tenant has to pay for.

She might to best to foster the dog out and get council accommodation because in the long term it is stable accommodation.

lapasion · 05/10/2022 12:48

whynotwhatknot · 05/10/2022 12:38

I thought they werent allowed to say no pets anymore-although theres ways round that they just say someone else was more suitable i guess
it will be easier without the dog isnt there any family that could take it in

They don’t necessarily say ‘no pets’ now. But if a landlord is inundated with applicants, they will probably just choose a person without pets.

peachgreen · 05/10/2022 12:48

Yes, it's awful. My current tenant has four children and a big dog and was in temporary accommodation for six months before she found my place. And she's the best tenant ever, the house is immaculate, the garden is kept beautifully... Devastatingly I'm having to sell as well – I'm also a single mum who is renting and I can't afford to do it any more so am having to sell my own house and downsize, and move into it myself – which means she's having to go through the whole process again and I'm absolutely gutted for her.

Bestcatmum · 05/10/2022 12:48

Don't tell potential landlords about the dog. If I had a choice between lying or giving up the cat I love I'd choose lying any day.

Moveoverdarlin · 05/10/2022 12:51

Definitely don’t lie about the dog. That’s terrible advice. If she gets found out she will look dishonest and be in breech of her contract and then be in a bigger mess than she is already, especially if she needs a reference from her former landlord.

MissyB1 · 05/10/2022 12:53

Xdecd · 05/10/2022 12:46

Yes, it's appalling. To those saying she should have to get rid of the dog, I would say it's a scandal that we are so short of housing that simply having a dog means you are ruled out of renting a home. FWIW I'm a landlord and I allow dogs, the risk is low, I suspect the problem is that landlords have so much choice they can use virtually any criteria they want to rule someone out.

This is the most sensible post on the thread.
The fact is demand is outstripping supply, so Landlords/agencies can rule people out for any reason they like (legal or not legal).

OP I have huge sympathy for your friend, I was a single parent in private rentals for 5 years, it was incredibly stressful.

QuietQuietBang · 05/10/2022 12:53

Bestcatmum · 05/10/2022 12:48

Don't tell potential landlords about the dog. If I had a choice between lying or giving up the cat I love I'd choose lying any day.

If I had a tenant lie to me I’d start eviction as soon as I was able. I don’t want to rent to someone who’ll cheat me from the beginning.

It’s people who’ll act like you suggest that mean I now use my other property as a second home rather than renting it out. It’s just not with the hassle for the poor return.

Fupoffyagrasshole · 05/10/2022 12:54

children cause more damage than dogs tbh!! I had a dog in a rental for years - never mentioned it - landlord never even noticed! place was unfurnished so furniture was ours! but the dog did nothing to damage anything in the place! except maybe hair on the sofa

my daughter however has coloured the walls and the kitchen island with crayon

pulled up a bit of carpet that was a bit loose

Chucked food all over the place

broke the bath plug

broke off the toilet roll holder

i could go on,

Menwithvenn · 05/10/2022 12:56

I'm not a single mum but recently became a mum and we've always rented. Never had a problem being chosen when applying for a property before, even with 2 cats. When we had our baby and needed to move because our landlord wanted to sell we applied for multiple properties but were passed over in favour of people with no children (who still had pets!). Our joint income is about 57k. The only thing that changed was the baby. Our last landlord (we moved in before we had our baby) said he chose us because we had no kids and he would rather have animals in his house than children!

Wetblanket78 · 05/10/2022 12:57

This infuriates me as a single mum I am so glad to have got out of renting private when I did. I wasn't allowed to make any adaptations to make it safe for my children with special needs. Always took ages with repairs even when we had a socket that blew and burnt.

threegoodthings · 05/10/2022 12:58

Buckland123 · 05/10/2022 12:19

She needs to get rid of the dog. It’s just the way it is. I wouldn’t want to rent a house out to someone with a dog (& I have a dog) - they smell and make a mess in the garden. She’s not in a position to be fussy unfortunately.

This. I would have thought arrangements to rehome the dog would have been made as soon as she realised it was going to be a problem, not keep on trying dozens of properties in the hope somebody says yes. The rental market is a shit show, it's hard enough to find a property even with no pets. She should be prioritising her children here.