landlord and pets - unfair?

[andreaxo]

I rent and have been doing so for the past 7 months (the same house), when I moved in I was pregnant and had 2 rabbits, asked if rabbits could come too, landlord agreed.
I am a good tenant, try not to moan about things unless they become a big issue which so far has been 1 thing (the front door sticking) the landlord sends his son to do repairs as they don't live around here.
A week ago I decided I would like a kitten and did the right thing by asking the agent who then emailed the landlord to ask for permission, I got an email 3 days later saying 'unfortunately the landlord has declined your request, so a no to the cat im afraid' I feel really upset by this, I always Co operate and am more than happy to help them when they need to come round to inspect and ask me to sign things. I've even stained the woodwork in the living room which includes all skirting boards, fire surround and doors (with permission) whilst 8 months pregnant and have made the house look better. The radiator in my bedroom which is quite large does not work no matter how many times I bleed it and I've not complained as didn't want to make a fuss but now he's declined my cat and not even given me a reason I have complained as I have a newborn that sleeps with me and last night had to have 3 blankets on as it was so cold.
I just feel it's unfair he didn't give a reason, didn't offer me the option of paying a higher bond or a new term in the contract - I feel I'm a good tenant which is hard to come by as the house was up for rent months before I rented it as he could not find a tenant and was on the verge of selling the property.

I also rent unfurnished, the only thing that's in the property which belong to him are the carpets (one is out of a bedroom in the living room and blinds) the doors have seen better days and one has a huge crack in it and they have replaced 2 panels with plywood in one door which looked ridiculous until I've stained it and made it look less obvious.
I'm open to anyone's opinions on whether I am being unreasonable etc
Thanks

Hah! x-post and I see that I am right. Brilliant. Be offended all you want. I'm not the one that has to have my finances managed by a government appointed agency because I have routinely ripped people off.

At the end of the term, the landlord can deduct any expenses incurred by tenant's damage.

Not true. Suppose a rental house has carpets that are three years old but in perfect condition. The tenant's cat then ruins them beyond repair. The landlord cannot charge the tenant for the cost of a replacement carpet (unless it was brand new when the tenant moved in). Only for a percentage of it based on what the adjudicator thinks is the "useful" life of a carpet. If the adjudicator thinks that sort of carpet "should" last 3 years the landlord can claim back nothing despite it having been in perfect condition before the tenant's damage. If 5 years then landlord can claim 40% of cost, if 10 years the landlord can claim back 70%. The landlord still has to pay 100% of the cost before they can relet it.

So it pays for landlords to be cautious about anything which might cause damage when they know they will be out of pocket.

I'm not saying that the deposit scheme is unfair or a bad thing, just that it incentivises landlords to pick tenant's who are least likely to cause damage and where possible restrict activities that might cause damage (such as diy redecorating and pets).

But that is deducting according to the tenant's damage! If a carpet is three years old, then it is three years old. Clearly they should not be able to claim back the full cost of a new carpet because they've already had three years' use out of it. I can't see how that is unfair or weighted in favour of the tenant.

I am offended precisely because I have never ripped anyone off. I resent being lumped into your so called class of untrustworthy landlords who "need to have their finances managed by a government appointed agency". You don't know me or anything about me yet you think you can rant on in this way and it's amusing to you. That says more about you than anyone else.

Fine. Be offended. While you're at it, you might want to look up the Equalities Act and see if you, as a landlord, are part of a protected group. I don't give a shiney shite, to be honest.

Clearly something has embittered you cruikshank - I'm not going to rise to your goading. You do your arguments no favours.

But only in the areas that require licences, obviously.

All we landlords around must be perfect.

Is it Ok to talk about tenants as a group because there has been a lot of legislation about them as well?