Lease holder says no pets

[Beanbateman]

Hi there - I think this might come across as an annoying and silly post but I genuinely want some advice and see if anyone else has ever been in a similar situation.

I have been renting since December, the other day me and my boyfriend found a beautiful 7 month old Dashund online for sale. We went to go see him and both agreed we would love to take him on.

I emailed my estate agent as I cannot contact my landlord directly to ask very politely if we would be able to do this and assured them no damage would occur to the property and we would maintain it to a high standard. The woman came back and told me that it isn’t anything to do with the landlords wishes but the “ head lease “ and that they strictly prohibit pets in the apartment.

I’ve got myself in a real pickle as I have already agreed to take him, we have a bunch of his stuff ( he is an hour and 10 minutes drive away ) and have both fallen totally in love with him.

as you can imagine this feels like a huge blow but I really don’t know what to do.

what are the odds of them finding out? Has anyone ever kept a pet a “ secret “ in their rented home?

We kept 2 cats secret in a no pet flat. But I think it would be much more difficult with a dog especially a daxi as they are very very noisy so your neighbours will hear and if it’s no pets on the lease they will report you

Before you talk to your landlord for permission? It's really bonkers.

I lied and snuck a dog in as I couldn’t find a house that didn’t accept them. I was found out within a week and evicted within 6 weeks. Do you value a roof over your head or the puppy more?

It is an older lady with health problems who bought him too soon after her other one passed away. She can’t give him what he needs. She’s disabled.

Like what?

Makes no difference what the sob story is
You can't live there and have a dog

They will find out.

Other residents will complain / grass you up.

My friend nearly lost her rented flat because a visitors dog was looking out of the window and another resident saw and reported it to the management company. The dog was only there for two hours!

And you cannot possibly guarantee that no damage would occur. Or that you would be blessed with a magical silent never-barking dog.

I’d say let it go to be honest.
dog in a flat isn’t a great idea unless you have ample time to go out for walks and training. Mix that with it being a no pets allowed flat I think you’re asking to be evicted. Someone will tell on you

Please don't even consider this @Beanbateman

Just because your neighbours have dogs makes absolutely no difference to your lease / landlord agreement. If you get found out you will either have to move or get rid of the dog* *and the poor dog is already having to be rehomed at only 7 months old. They need a secure and permanent new home.

Oh @Beanbateman there’s no way you can keep a dog secret. Even if it doesn’t yap, dogs smell. Even the cleanest ones. We keep our house clean and have wooden floors but there’s always a faint smell of dog that visitors can pick up on. I’d be tempted to chat with your neighbours who have dogs but honestly, you run the risk of being evicted and is that really worth it?

Also please don’t buy a dog online! A 7 month old pup being sold…that’s a recipe for disaster. Even if you’ve looked into its background there will be things you don’t know that the owners are keeping from you. Where did they get the dog from in the first place? Why can’t it go back to the breeder? A reputable breeder would take it back.

One thing I’d consider is it’s harder to move as tenant with a pet.

We asked and got no response so got a cat anyway but it wasn’t a leasehold situation. Also saved the LL a fortune in pest control tbh.

I’d explore the chain via the lease and see if you can get permission that way. A dog in a flat is likely to get to reported so not worth trying sneakily but if you have your heart set on the dog maybe it’s worth moving?

You could perhaps make an agreement with landlord that you are taking the dog but you will move as soon as they will allow/ you can - you don’t want to screw up your references. Maybe look at what places are available to you that are pet friendly?

Yes, in my friends flat it is no pets in the building. After all, in is a shared entrance and stairs.

Thank you x

Nice drip feed about other animals in the flats. With that in mind why are you even asking? Sounds like your minds made up!

Anti-barking devices, they are about £30 and emit a high pitched noise that only dogs can hear, ringing in their ears when they start barking. The noise stops when they stop barking. They learn really fast to not bark. I bought one because our garden overlooks a public path and our neighbour didn't train her dog so it would bark 24/7 as people were constantly walking past. Poor thing must have been exhausted, it would be barking for up to 8 hours straight.

So... are we to read this as 'untrained'?

They’re not all barky little twits!

It probably isn't. That's a well known front for unscrupulous dealers.

Ok, one more time
It doesn't matter if the Landlord agrees or even buys her the bloody dog as a present.
The issue is that the building is a no pet building so OP getting one would breach the agreement The Landlord has with the owner of the building.
There can be no agreement with The landlord in these circumstances

OP, it may have been a mistake to post on here. People on this site tend to react very badly to any suggestions of rule breaking, as you are seeing.

In reality I have previously owned a dog for years in a rented house where I wasn't allowed to (no longer the situation as I now own my own place). Sp yes, of course it can be done. I also know several other people who have done this - it's not all that uncommon. That doesn't necessarily mean you would be wise to risk it. But you aren't suggesting the moral equivalent of mass murder, as some of these replies imply.

If you were discovered there is a risk you could be evicted, though more likely you would first just be asked to get rid of the dog, if you are otherwise good tennants. But nobody can tell you this for sure.

They are incredibly unethical to use and borderline cruel for an extended period of time. Barking is a dogs way of telling you it’s unhappy - don’t try and justify what you did. You silenced a scared and stressed animal.

If you had concerns about the dogs welfare you should have taken steps through the appropriate channels rather than doing what most people in the ‘dog world’ would consider to be tantamount to animal abuse.

That’s up there with rubbing a dogs nose in it’s shit when it has an accident in the house:

These devices won’t stop every bark so the OP will be found out. If there are any young children in the building it is probable they would also be able to hear a high pitched noise. I had considered getting one of these high pitched noise deterrents to keep cats out of my garden but there are young children next door.

She should return him to the breeder. Every good breeder would prefer that to a private sale.

OP, this dog has had 7 months of likely no training and poor socialising. Even assuming she’s being honest and he has no medical or serious behavioural issues, he’s going to be a real project.

I feel for anyone who has a neighbour with a Dashie. Noisy yappy little gits

Have they given a good reason if others in the building have pets? I thought landlords couldn't refuse pets without good reason now?