Should I allow my tenants pets?

[QuintessentialShadow]

According to the contract, no pet ownership.

But they have emailed me and asked permission to keep a hamster.

They are lovely and responsible young people.

I cant imagine a hamster should cause many issues?

Ah go on, what trouble could a hamster be, really.

And they must be nice to have asked first.

For a hamster, yes of course!

(I thought it was going to be an iguana or breeding colony of tarantulas!)

PMSL - it wouldn't have even occured to me to ask if it was OK to keep a hamster!! Of course it will be fine!

Only if they let you give it a cuddle.

I'd say yes but I'm biased as we're about to move into rented with a cat!

However it may not be a good idea for me to tell you the tell of a friend who had to have part of her floor ripped up to rescue an escaped gerbil who'd found a way under there!

A hamster - yes. A cat - maybe. A Dog, NO NO AND THRICE NO! We did, the house and garden were trashed. Never again.

Or perhaps the quotation from the Libby Purves book about house rules: "No hamsters in the bathroom. Ever. Not since the plughole incident".

And indeed not in the kitchen.

bleurgh (hamster stew)

DD hamster was allowed the run of the lounge when we were in there. BIG mistake he managed to squeese down the gap between the radiator pipe and skirting!
He came out to play when we were in bed.
Damage done in two weeks
Ate through tv cable
Chewed carpet in lounge and frayed it
Chewed lounge curtains x 4
chewed arcitraves around patio doors.
Then one day he came out in daylight and the dog bit him end of!!!
So I would NEVER allow a tenant to have a hamster just in case they were stupid enough to let it out to play!!!

let them have a hamster -at least they asked and it will be in a cage most of the time

2 year olds can cause more damage and you wouldn't say no 2 year olds or would you??

Ah, gwan. But have a pet bond, they have them in Oz, and may have them in UK as separate contingency to pet-related devastation.

We rented in two places which were no pets, but waived it as we were tip-top tenants, asked in the first place, and left the place pristine.

let them have the hamster but put it in writing that the damage caused will be deducted from the deposit.

What mouse said, and if you're letting furnished, I would get a bond anyway, in case it escapes and chews stuff up.