AIBU to be so annoyed about this.

[TeaAndTattoos]

I will try and keep this as brief as possible. My DH and I are looking for a new house to rent I found a 2 bedroom flat the advert said pets allowed when I messaged I asked about pets just to clarify that they are definitely allowed the landlord said yes I told him what pets we have 3 cats and a very small Jack Russell I don’t work I’m a career for my parents so the dog is always with me landlord again said fine I arranged a viewing. We went to the viewing I reminded him again about the pets he said absolutely fine. I’ve just checked my emails now and the landlord has declined our application because of the pets. Why say they were fine and let me waste my time viewing the property if he knew that he would never accept us because of them. Why are private landlords such twats.

That’s a joke they should’ve been upfront about that so that you had a choice about viewing or not.

No we left her with my sister.

Why our current landlord had no issue with the pets neither did any of the flats that I lived in on my own with the cats.

Thank you I hope so too but we’ve been looking since October and I’m fast losing hope it wasn’t this difficult to find somewhere when we found our current flat I know our current landlord has flats empty but I don’t want to stay with the same landlord.

I wondered if your not working might be his true issue also, but he's stated the pets instead.

@TeaAndTattoos this sounds so frustrating but honestly, I think it isn’t that the landlord wouldn’t accept pets, it’s that they won’t accept 4 pets including an adolescent Jack Russell.

I suspect one 4 year old King Charles or a pug or a lone middle aged cat wouldn’t have been an issue. In aggregate all your pets are.

I think his real issue may have been the fact that I don’t work I’m a full time career for my parents but my husband does work but between us we get nearly 40k a year. But he couldn’t use that as his excuse so he used the pets instead.

I think that’s what it was but he knew that from the beginning too and he was told that my husband works and we get 40k a year between us but he chose to use the pets to say no because he couldn’t use me not working.

And that’s fine but tell me that when I enquired not after he’s let us have a viewing and said we fit all of his criteria if that’s not true. That’s what I have a problem with.

Which bit of "I told him what pets we have 3 cats and a very small Jack Russell" did you not read?

I imagine that when the landlord checked his lease he found that there was a restriction on the building with maximum of 2 pets allowed per unit.

No I mean there was another reason he turned you down, nothing to do with pets. He just wasn't honest about what it actually was.

Does his email read like a personal message or could it have been an automated response?

I’m wondering if he has an automated
response switched on by accident as it does sound very strange.

Yes I think so I think his real reason is the fact that I don’t work I’m a full time career for my parents and my DH works but he couldn’t use that as his excuse so he used the pets instead. Shitty way of doing things but I’m learning not to trust people who say one thing to your face and then turn round and do the complete opposite out of the blue.

Sounds like he just doesn't want you in his property and he's using the pets as an excuse.

I’m not sure if you can do automated responses on OpenRent I suppose it doesn’t really matter if I show you a screenshot of his message. Now my thinking is if it was only one pet allowed why not tell me that when I enquired and told him how many pets we had. It makes no sense to me and the only thing I can think of is he didn’t like the fact that I’m a full time career for my parents and my DH works full time but between us we get 40k a year so it’s not like we can’t afford the flat.

Do you evict tenants who find themselves pregnant?

That’s what I’m thinking too he didn’t like the fact that I’m a full time career for my parents and my DH works but couldn’t use that as his reason to say no to us so chose the pets instead because that’s easier even if it makes zero sense.

I'm not in the market for a rental but if I were and you told me no kids you would be spending a lot of time in court.

Haha, would never happen. You are one of those people who think you can bring somebody to court for anything. Myself, a solicitor and the courts would laugh at you.

By letting you book in to view, it makes "competition" that the estate agents can make fanfare about to other applicants to increase perceived desirability of the flat.
Maybe between speaking to you and your booked viewing hes spoken to his current tenants in the neighbouring property and they weren't happy at the idea of 3 cats and a jack russell next door, and he's turned you down in favour of staying trouble free with them.

My inlaws had 3 jack russells and they are an absolutely insufferable breed, never shut up barking, shit in the house all the time, stubborn etc. If i were a landlord your cats would be fine but the JR, no way, and i'd not willingly take a house neighbouring one.

Dogs don't belong in flats anyway.

I wouldn't evict somebody who is pregnant if they still had time on their lease. However I would not renew the lease as is my right. As I stated my leases are for one year and its at my discretion if I chose to grant another years tenancy.

Also my letting agent vets all potential tenants. They know my preference so they don't actually state no children but picks a suitable candidate without children. Very upfront about no pets and no smoking though.

Sometimes people but be ok in theory but they need to get a vibe of the people and decide wether it would be a good fit. and what type of pet owners they are.

or maybe he had another offer and they had no pets so he chose them and it fell through, or he hasn’t had time to remove the ad from open rent yet. It could be a myriad of reasons.

for some landlords after assessment or with the choice of options they are likely to go for 1 or no pets rather than 4.

Not for breaching the Equality Act, they wouldn't. You can't lie your way out of everything.