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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to get a dog even though tenancy agreement says I can't??

203 replies

WannaDoggie · 10/09/2009 18:16

I want to get my DCs a dog. For the last 3 years we have had to rent after having to sell our home and have not a hope in hell of buying again within the foreseeable future!! At our last property (different agent) we asked if we could get one and were told that we could'nt. Am thinking just to get one anyway without telling our current letting agents. I am aware that this will breach the terms our tenancy but so what we are paying lot of money to live here and should be able to live as we please. Why should my kids grow up without a pet because we rent?? We have obviously paid a damage deposit and IF there is any damage, we would rectify it whether from the kids or the dog.

Why should our lives be dictated to just because we can't get a mortgage? AIBU??

OP posts:
McDreamy · 10/09/2009 20:34

plantsitter I agree with you (I think ) I think a "no pet" clause is UNreasonable but a "no dog" exclusion is reasonable and legal. Now I'm confused about what we both think

expatinscotland · 10/09/2009 20:35

Exactly, hecate!

I was at the homelessness office yesterday and this gal was there putting in an appeal and of course, we were waiting in the cooridor (I was there to have my childrens' birth certificates photocopied as proof that we have children so our case can be closed as we've accepted an offer on an HA flat).

She'd been evicted by her landlord for anti-social behaviour (she claimed it was her neighbours over-reacting) and whaddya know?

The council has ruled they have no duty to house her and her kids because she made herself intentionally homeless.

HecatesTwopenceworth · 10/09/2009 20:40

yup. Happens a lot. And no dog is worth risking your kids roof. You don't do anything intentionally that has the potential to do harm to your children.

And getting an eviction notice over a fucking mangy mutt? not worth it.

Oh mum, we had a great childhood in our cardboard box, cuddled up to Rover.

FairyMum · 10/09/2009 20:42

YABU
Battersea dog and cat homes are full of pets aiting to be rehomed because landlords didn't actually agree to pets....

expatinscotland · 10/09/2009 20:47

And poor dog, too!

We'll be in a flat, but I have promised the girls another guinea pig once we get settled (we have an old cat at present).

They'd love a dog, too.

But until they're old enough to take some real responsibility for one, fuhgetaboutit.

Pyrocanthus · 10/09/2009 21:01

YABU - we let our house for a while with the same condition because of allergies. Our children have to grow up without a dog because of that - that's life. We wouldn't have minded something which lives out of the house, like rabbits. Worth a compromise if the agents agree?

ravenAK · 10/09/2009 21:08

OK, so why not ask, OP?

If they say fine, we only put that clause in because the previous tenant was breeding yaks in the attic: problem solved.

If you're imagining that they would say no, but you'll get away with it because who's to know, you're wrong - I had a contraband cat as a feckless student. Landlady knew about it within days - the agent had several properties in the area, so regular drive-bys, & the kitten was sitting in the window...

& if you imagine they'll have to lump it if they do find out, nope. They can quite readily evict your ass.

(& your dog ).

& if rental property in your area's scarce, you'll be stuffed with no reference.

Not worth it, even if you look at it from an entirely selfish POV.

paisleyleaf · 10/09/2009 21:08

wannadoggie: "someone who pays on time, keeps the house cleaner than it was when we moved in and have had no problems with the neighbours"

Well you never know, now that the landlord has got to know you, and thinks you're good tenants, he might well say a dog would be okay.
It's worth an ask.
But you would be mad to risk your family's home for the sake of a dog. As someone said earlier - where would you go if rental properties in your area all stipulate no pets?

ThingOne · 10/09/2009 21:14

We let out our flat in London when DH was posted to a different country. He has a severe allergy to cats and dogs. We would have been unable to live in our own home when we returned if the tenants had been as selfish as the OP. But then the OP can't possibly be for real as surely no sane person would put having a dog for a few weeks over the security of their children's home.

HerBeatitude · 10/09/2009 21:18

The thing is, we all suspect the OP is trolling because she's so unreasonable. But the sad fact is that there are masses of people with her sort of attitude around. People with a massive sense of entitlement and an unwillingness to listen to reason or to try and see the world through someone else's eyes.

DailyMailNameChanger · 10/09/2009 21:32

Your kids can have...

a) a dog
b) a home to live in

I can see why most people would go for a, after all a dog is fab at keeping you all warm and dry at night, especially a small one. Even better is the way that, once you have been kicked out of your current home, they also massivly decrease your chances of getting a new home. All round winners in fact.

TBH, not great trolling is it? There isn't actually anything to argue about. Try something that will really polarise people next time

scottishmummy · 10/09/2009 21:48

dont know or care if she is trolling.maybe she is just fuckwitted

scaryteacher · 10/09/2009 21:53

I am a landlord who rents out my home whilst I am abroad with dh.

I allow cats, as I had cats and will do again when I come back to UK; however, I do not want dogs in the house, as there is no garden, just two patios.

I would be having serious conversations with my managing agent if a tenant had a dog, after signing the rental agreement which specifically excludes dogs.

I am also very aware of the restrictions on tenants as we are renting whilst abroad, and if you think landlords try to screw you over in UK, you should try Belgium. I sublet from the MOD and there is no lee way on how we hand the property back - it has to be pristine (even down to the inside of the window frames being sparkling) otherwise we get charged lots.

Not having a pet is nothing to do with renting. We didn't have pets when growing up as Mum didn't want them and we lived in our own place.

TheYearOfTheCat · 10/09/2009 21:56

My sister's tenant got a dog, in breach of the tenancy agreement. It utterly destroyed the house - I mean absolutely totally - she had to pay an industrial cleaner to gut the place (costing £2000), and then set about having to replace EVERYTHING in the whole house. Even after that, and redecorating from top to bottom, the house stank. She ended up having to sell the property at a significant loss. She was broke as a result.

The tenant lost the £350 deposit. Big deal.

You are being outrageously self centred, and show a complete lack of respect for your landlord.

piscesmoon · 10/09/2009 22:07

YABU-which you know or you wouldn't bother asking the question!

curiositykilled · 10/09/2009 22:09

theyearofthecat - did you sister not sue the tenant for the costs of cleaning the property?

skidoodle · 10/09/2009 22:11

I agree that the OP is BU, but I'm shocked at the number of people who think that a tenant does not live in their own home.

That is the responsibility of being a landlord - you own the house/flat, but it is somebody else's home, with all the importance for their well being and security that implies.

This obsession with property ownership has done so much damage to this country.

The OP has a point - why should not being able to afford to own a house (or choosing not to) mean her children can't have a dog? Should only the well off have that as an option for their children? Is that really how most people see things? That people who rent have effectively no rights at all to the place that they live or any kind of a normal life, except at the whim of a property owner?

That doesn't sit well with me at all. And I speak as someone who rents out a flat.

ByThePowerOfGreyskull · 10/09/2009 22:12

I kind of hope you live in the house I let..

if you asked to have a pet, I would say yes (but not to a dog). If I find you have one without asking I will have no hesitation in asking you to leave.

scaryteacher · 10/09/2009 22:23

The tenant does live in their own home, but if the building is damaged by the pet then they have to pay, just as I would pay if my ds did damage to the house that we currently rent. The landlord can decide to minimise the risk of damage by not allowing pets.

You have to be aware when renting that the fabric of the building is NOT yours to do with as you please; it belongs to someone else.

When we were growing up we were OK financially, but Mum wouldn't let us have pets. The OP needs to find a landlord who is happy for her to have a dog; but I wouldn't allow it.

TheYearOfTheCat · 10/09/2009 22:26

Curiosity - my sister looked into it (our Dad is a solicitor) but the tenant had no money to speak of, and she was advised she had no hope of recovering any money from him.

TBH I am shocked that so many people view dog ownership as an entitlement. It is perfectly possible to have a 'normal' life without dog ownership. I think it is a sense of entitlement which makes so many dog owners completely oblivious to the annoyance that their animals cause people. {Disclaimer - I'm sure not all dog owners are bad, I think I may have been unfortunate in my dealings}

ravenAK · 10/09/2009 22:51

There I agree with you TheYearOfTheCat.

Dogs are smelly & destructive, & why shouldn't they be - I imagine wolves & hyaenas are too. Dogs are just more 'domesticated' - ie: they slobber on you rather than eating you.

Ugh.

Just not fair to keep them in a house which you are handing back after a year or so. It's all very well to clean it, but the stink is pretty pervasive & long-lasting. & that's assuming a nicely-behaved dog that doesn't destroy stuff.

I'm making an assumption here, but OP doesn't strike me as Dog Whisperer material...seems that the damn thing would be trained NOT to eat sofas & crap everywhere.

Original poster
WannaDoggie · 10/09/2009 23:18

A bit flabbergasted that the assumption is that a tenant would allow the dog to wreck the place and stink it out - after all this is my children's home, so why would I do that?? I had a dog as a child and I can assure you that our house did not stink and was in pristine condition (I take after my mum actually) - do all dog owner's houses stink .

OP posts:
ObsidianBlackbirdMcNight · 10/09/2009 23:19

It's to do with insurance, Most insurance companies specify no pets, even for owners (who can choose to disregard, much less risk for them). I had my cat in several flats against my tenancy agreement but I think a cat is very different to a dog.

paisleyleaf · 10/09/2009 23:20

I think like smokers don't smell nicotine, dog owners don't smell their dog. You perhaps get used to it.

ravenAK · 10/09/2009 23:27

Yes, to a non dog-lover, your house would stink. My MIL's did - she had a Staffie, so a short-haired dog, & she was a scrupulous housekeeper.

When I smoked my house stank of fags. Now I have cats & I bet my house smells of cats.

The point is, if it's your house you can whiff it out how you like. But when you move out of your tenancy, your landlord's going to lose potential tenants who think his property reeks. I'd dismiss a doggy smelling property out of hand - I hate the smell.

So he/she'll be balancing your 'good tenant' rep against the subsequent off-putting stench. It's business.