To think renting as single mum is horrific

[Blueysmum12]

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.

:(

I was a single mam on income support when my oldest was young and had no issues renting the 2 houses I did (both first ones I looked at) only thing required was someone to sign as garantor (which has never been used, rent was always paid on time).

Several of my friends are single parents on assorted benefits and have no issues finding places either (and they move around a lot).

I think you big issue is the dog - very few landlords want to accept pets so nothing to do with being a parent, being single or benefits.

Would it not be logical to return the dog to her ex partner (less stress for the dog and still in the family for the children).

There are no regulations meaning that pets have to be accepted. The government changed the model tenancy agreement to accept pets. Landlords can write whatever they want into a tenancy agreement about pets, there is no obligation to use the model tenancy agreement.

I also don’t know if it’s changed, but when I used to temp at a referencing agency as a student benefits were counted at a reduced rate towards overall income, from memory it was 2/3s. So benefits were generally accepted but they couldn’t compete with a salary because only a proportion was counted for affordability purposes.

I don’t see why a dog should be a bar to renting

Then you have no imagination.

A high rise flat or any above ground floor is not an appropriate home for a dog. It needs to be taken out to toilet multiple times a day and the higher the storey the harder that is for a single parent with two kids. A landlord knows, that dog is going to have wee/poo accidents in his property on his floors, carpets (or the communal areas, like the lift or stairs or hall). So he WILL refuse applicants who have dogs. Also, many dogs bark when alone, bored, frustrated. More likely to happen in a flat.

If a landlord owns adjacent properties he doesn't want to deal with constant complaints from existing tenants or other residents. So he avoids applicants with dogs.

That's entirely apart from the potential damage from dogs scratching doors, floors, damaging furniture, having fleas etc.

What a pompous sounding reply.

@Dave20 the worst houses I’ve rented out for work have been rented to dog owners. Fleas, smells, damaged trims, almost every single time and I’ve rented a significant number of houses as a land agent. It’s also very illegal to take a larger deposit in order to have a dog. The only way round it is to charge a ‘pet rent’, usually £25/£50 per month extra for a pet.

I had similar issues when i was trying to find a place. Unfortunately my dog passed away whilst i was hunting for somewhere but otherwise we would have been screwed.

I've had landlords turn me down because i have kids as (in the "off the record chat"): why would I risk a mum with kids when i can get a couple who are less risk and less chance of damage.

I absolutely agree. I was in similar circumstances and paired up with my mum to rent somewhere big. There are charities that Foster dogs she could look at. Also try messaging holiday cottages that aren't doing very well ie. ones in less popular areas, ones that aren't booked up. They might consider a more reliable income especially over the off season. She can offer a bigger deposit to sweeten the dog idea.

Why don’t you just look after her dog for her? It probably won’t make a huge difference to you and it would take so much pressure off your friend. Or could you ask on NextDoor? There are elderly people near me who love looking after dogs and one in particular who’d happily look after a dog for eight months. You’re not in the east Anglia area are you? Do message me if you are….I don’t pick up replies on threads.

I rented privately for years as a single parent on tax credits with dogs. I was a landlord at the same time and I suppose I wouldn’t have let to someone in my position because I couldn’t afford to lose any money. I used to list all my income from benefits, maintenance and part time work and then offer 6 months in advance. It worked at the time but it wouldn’t work anymore because things are so much worse now. I found that mentioning the dogs after the viewing was the best thing to do because they already knew that I was very well presented. I always found it odd that often the houses that looked indestructible (all hard flooring) still didn’t accept dogs.

Cannot fathom the posters who are suggesting "sneaking a dog in", or lying about it. Really painting the dog-owning, renting population as nice, honest people you'd definitely want to rent a house to...!

The tenants who rented our house before us had a dog, and left stained carpets (the landlord is in the process of getting them replaced, the reason we got the house is because we were willing to put up with the old ones till replacement), and the walls and some of the doors were scratched to shit. The landlord asked us to make them aware if we got a dog, and there's a clause in our tenancy agreement that specifically says that if a dog is brought into the property, then any dog-related damages will be charged to us (on top of not getting our deposit back) if/when we move out. And do you know what, it's their house, so fair fucking play.

Sure, kids can make messes, but usually they will grow up and become accountable for behaving appropriately - a dog won't, unless you train it. I totally understand why a landlord would be hesitant about letting to someone with a dog.

Really?

We rented out a BTL flat to a dog owner - handed back in a perfect condition, rented it for 2 years to a lovely couple with a cat NEVER AGAIN. I don't blame the cat, I blame the tenant.

Cats badly looked after in a flat - STINK, litter trays not cleaned daily for starters, , they leave fur against walls, and damage furniture in the abscence of scratching posts and not grooming them

Any decent dog owner would have their dog flea and wormed, exercised and claws clipped and regular washes , well house trained, washed everytime they come in from a very muddy walk. Dogs are clean animals as are cats, but owners can be the real animals.

OP- Zoopla have a filter for landlords that allow dogs.

AS a landlord, you should NOT be signing a tenancy agreement that reads:

then any dog-related damages will be charged to us (on top of not getting our deposit back)

A tenancy agreement that says dog -related damages foreits your deposit ON TOP of charges is dodgy as fuck....

Their is a shortage of rental property in a lot of places. I have heard that landlords don't want to take people who are on benefits or with animals.
In your friends case she needs to have her dog re-homed to give herself a better chance of getting into temporary accommodation or a longer term rental.
The reality is that a lot of landlords are selling rental properties because of more regulations, higher tax bills or because they have ended up with bad tenants.

Can I just mention 'borrow my doggy' we rent nice houses and have done since 2002. We don't have a pet purely because of this issue, hence why I like using Borrow my Doggy- I still get other peoples dog for the odd weekend or a weekend walk etc but without the hassle. I know it's not the same and not the solution in this case ,but if she can't keep the dog, might be worth thinking about for her

She’s making it much harder for herself by having the dog. It’ll be shit to give it up but will save her some money too I’d have thought, and that can be used for her children instead.

If one has a dog that needs to be taken toliet multiple times a day, you take it to the vet!!

Our dog wees and poos on its morning walk and again on its afternoon walk, twice a day like clockwork. We have a garden and it never wees or poos out there, unless its pissing with rain and the dog refuses to leave the house for its walk.

A dog shouldn't be left alone for more than a few hours, if you go to work you have to pay for a dog walker,

The situation you describe are shit dog owners , (and dogs with bladder problems) not the average dog and its owner.

I'm a landlord and never had problems with dog owning tenants and I've rented a flat to a few , cat owners on the other hand.....

It's awful, your poor friend. I waited for ten years to get a dog, because I was renting during that time and knew that having a dog would really limit what was available to me if/when I had to move. The ads always said - no pets, no DSS, no students. How are those people meant to find somewhere to live then??

Renting is horrendous full stop due to the high prices and insecurity. Awful situation for your friend.

I wouldn't rent to anyone on benefits either. A drive round the local council estates tells you all you need to know about the potential risk these people pose to landlords.
Also wouldn't want a dog in the property, as they can cause damage and mess the garden.
I would rent to a single parent though happily, providing they are in employment and could manage the rent payments each month.

Isn’t her dog an emotional support animal? Think very carefully about that answer.

So what if it was? I’d be even less willing to rent to someone that said that than to a normal dog owner.

So many posters on here are demonstrating why landlords are pulling out of the business, the dishonesty just isn’t worth dealing with.

Isn’t her dog an emotional support animal? Think very carefully about that answer.

Eh? That's a question, not an answer.

@Doubtmyself maybe cats are worse, I’ve never worked anywhere that has allowed cats. They’ve all been large conservation charities or country estates that were concerned with the impact of cats on local native bird populations.

I have dogs myself but the majority of homes let to people with dogs have needed works to rectify damage. More than a few houses with flea infestations too.

@Doubtmyself We were happy to sign it. The landlord was horrified at the attitude of the previous tenants, and wanted assurance that we wouldn't be bringing in any pets without their knowledge.
We've got no pets and no plans to get any, besides which we've been actively working to improve the condition of the place while we're living here, so I'm not worried.

I wouldnt mention the dog and I hope she finds someone to hold on to it for awhile.

As a dog owner, these type of owners give all dog owners a bad name...shame really. I mean, why get a dog if you can't afford/be asked to give the poor animal regular flea and worm treatment??