Tenants want a small puppy in small 2nd floor flat

[Koete]

I've come across some threads on this before, but my case is slightly different and I would really value people's thoughts on the situation.

I have very reliable tenants who have been in my partly furnished flat for a year. This flat has been decorated by me to the nth degree and is my pride and joy (think bespoke cupboard doors, etc).

Signed tenancy agreement says "no pets". Tenants recently ask permission to get a small puppy. I take time to weigh up pros and cons, whilst also bear in mind that these same tenants (who because they are reliable, are getting the flat at a below market rate), asked a few months ago for the tenancy agreement to be amended so that it would include break clauses.

I grew up with dogs, but they were mostly outdoor with lots of space to roam around in. I don't think urban flats (esp 2nd floor) are suitable for dogs. Plus there's the unknown risk of how much damage they do. I really don't want there to be a dog in the flat.

Is it unreasonable to refuse their request?

Thoughts pls!

No. It is now illegal to get additional deposit.

There are a few things at play here. Firstly you don’t want a dog in your flat so you can of course refuse for whatever reason. Your tenancy agreement is clear.

As a landlord, you have to accept that your flat isn’t your home at this point in time and therefore you may need to let go of the feeling of it being your pride and joy. Perhaps you got it to your desired standard before you let it out, I don’t know. But the reality is, you don’t live there and you have to accept that there will inevitably be some wear and tear and/or your tenants might not keep it to your standard.

(That being said, the tenants are of course responsible to maintain the property to a certain level and would be obliged to rectify any damage).

Lack of animal-friendly rental properties is an issue and leads to some people giving up their pets. A well-trained dog might be less damaging than a toddler!! But in this case that’s not relevant really as the tenants don’t have a pet and know what the agreement says.

I don’t understand why they are getting such low rent when they are not long-term tenants. IF you decide to allow the dog could you enter into a new tenancy agreement that allows the dog, charges more appropriate market rent and has a larger bond for potential damage? (I’m not in the Uk now so not sure on what you can do but seems like it would be a new agreement).

If they get one without permission surely you would be doing regular property inspections so would see any damage and have it rectified by them?

lastly I also agree with pp that a flat isn’t suitable for a dog regardless and if the lease doesn’t allow it you don’t need to worry about any other angle!

In your case absolutely not.
A landlord can refuse to have pets for several reasons, one being that it's a flat - and in the case of a dog, that there's no outside space. The head lease may also restrict pets.
I would also hesitate to let to allow a cat owner as my son is very allergic and even after cleaning the carpets and replacing the curtains is still suffering in his home after several months.
As it happens I do let a tenant with a garden have a pet, but I had to get freeholders agreement.

Of course you should say no to the dog. It's not suitable, and could cause damage to your property. I've been a tenant most of my adult life; the time for landlords considering being flexible on no pet clauses would be if you were renting a country cottage, a house with a good-sized garden, or somewhere with a park next door (and those things would be reflected in the rent) ... or, if your tenant wanted to keep a tank of fish or something self-contained.

That said, I think it's really unwise and unfair to consider this place to be your 'pride and joy' and to think about the bespoke fittings. It's someone else's home - you can (and should) veto pets, but you must let them make it their home in other small ways, and getting too attached is not healthy.

Could you say no to the dog citing the reasons that there is no garden etc but that you would be willing to consider other pets?

They will get a puppy so will have to leave. It depends on how much you want them to stay

You can write in a clause to say that any damage made by pers will be rectified to the same standard at their own cost

Ignoring the dog issue, you really shouldn't rent out real estate that is your pride and joy. You really need a clear head if you are a landlord, and it really makes things complicated if you are emotionally invested in the property. It's kind of unfair to the tenants.

I would say no to a puppy
If it was I dunno, a retired greyhound/dog known to sleep for 20hrs a day then it's a bit different but a puppy...

No. For the sake of the dog and the other tenants.

Cats cause massively more damage and smell than dogs.

This is a business. Make a business decision not one based on sentimental attachment to a prior home.

I've never had a puppy but I don't think it's necessarily bad or unwise having a dog in a flat. I lived in rented flats with my quite large dog and it worked out great. I was lucky that she could come to work with me but she was quite happy to snooze between walks when we were at home. My parents who have a garden liked to have her over sometimes and she enjoyed digging the odd hole but also spent a lot of time on the sofa. I think it really depends on the dog and people involved whether it would work. If they are good cosiderate tenants I would trust them to have thought all this through and give them a chance.

1. Say no to the puppy.

2. Don’t make a rental flat your ‘pride and joy’ or put a lot of emotional store in its decor or furnishings.

3. Don’t describe tenants of only 1 year as ‘very reliable’ or give special consideration. 3+ years, maybe. 5+ years, certainly. But not a year.

My relative lived in a 4th floor apartment with a very small dog, all was fine. Puppy never chewed or damaged flat. Had litter box for wee and poo and was taken out regularly for exercise

it really depends on dog, owner and how they handle the dog

They could have opted to ask for a quiet old senior dog who was out of the destructive puppy stage

But of course it must be a puppy right 🙄

Have 3 dogs in a flat myself & would decline this offer swiftly.

I'd be ok with a dog if I trusted the renters. But puppies are destructive!! Biting, chewing, weeing,pooing bundles of energy. Saying that though probably less of a concern than children 😂

My friend bought a puppy into a rented London apartment, all behind the landlord’s back. The dog has terrible separation anxiety and the neighbours started putting notes through the door complaining about the incessant whining.

I have two dogs myself and know the strong urge to be a dog owner. However, prior to owning my own home with a garden, I put that desire out of my head. It’s just not practical in a rental flat with no garden. Sometimes we just have to accept we can’t have everything we want 🤷🏻‍♀️

Anyway, the welfare of the dog would be my primary concern. Small dogs are often the loudest from a barking perspective. What provisions do your tenants have for when they are at work? If they plan to ‘get a dog walker’ and will be out all day, forget it. One hour’s human interaction out of 10 hours is just cruel.

Oh and don’t say they can have a cat if you like your curtains and don’t like fleas.

Myself and DH have a few rentals so we have developed from being accidental landlords to semi professionals now. The simple answer is No no and no again. Do not entertain it. Nearly all landlords refuse let's for a reason. They wreck the place and mean your pride and joy, which doesn't sound like it is set up as a rental will easily deteriorate. Ie, redecoration, full deep carpet clean or replacement and wear and tear to furnishings and kitchen units. In addition a, a flat is even more unsuitable for dogs .

It staggers me that people who need to rent get dogs (appreciate some have before) as getting a landlord to rent to them is incredibly difficult and limited probably to niche landlords with lower quality property. We pride ourselves in our houses being top notch. Regularly decorated, carpets routinely cleaned at end of tenancy unless very short period of time, which is very rare. We never entertain any lets and our agents never even out through pet owners as potential tenants...and they know that

ÝANBU

YANBU

Surely having a dog in a 2nd floor flat is utterly bonkers?!

I would question the intelligence/sanity of dog owners who think this is appropriate accommodation for a dog (of any size)

Thinking about all the potential damage...and what about the potential misery for all the other tenants in the block when the dog starts barking incessantly?!

My poor friend is currently living through this in her new build flat complex in SE London

Thank you all for your valuable comments.

To put my OP into context, I became an accidental landlord over a year ago (flat sale fell through at the same time as a medical issue, so thought it would just be less stress to rent it out). Also worth noting that I have a small family and felt the flat wasn’t suitable for our growing toddler and we would be better renting it and moving further out (renting!) so we could have a garden.
My OH is against it but is leaving the decision to me (as I tend to deal with the he flat and tenants).
The place was in excellent condition, and yes, it is my pride and joy but of course I am aware that there will always be wear and tear (I have been a tenant many times myself). I’m more concerned about having to replace scratched cupboard doors and smelly curtains… there just being a lingering smell and what happens if prospective future tenants are off by there having been a dog there (if they can tell?!).
As this couple asked for more break clauses in the contract, my feeling is they are not going to stay long term.

On the point about being a “pushover”, yes I probably am and people might intuit that a mile off. I’m certainly not yet in the head space too see this yet as a business 😬.
Case in point ‘this couple seem really reliable, I don’t want to lose them so I charge high rent /won’t increase the rent’ (which is based on a market value from 2018). Silly me, but we live and learn.

I have checked the leaseholder agreement (with the council who is freeholder) and it states that no more than two small dogs can be kept in a upper storey flat without access to a garden. So I can’t fall back on that in this instance.
There are two dogs in the block and they are in ground floor flats with direct access to a garden.
No dogs - as far as I know - on the upper floors.

The overriding sense from the comments is to say no. And although these tenants have researched breeds and are looking for a small, miniature dog, my instinct still says no. But I’m still unsure of what to do 🫠

Ex housing officer here. It’s a no from me too. No access to outdoor space, wear and tear on your flat.

A simple- I appreciate this will be disappointing for you but we after careful consideration we have decided to remain with the no pets clause.

'A simple- I appreciate this will be disappointing for you but we after careful consideration we have decided to remain with the no pets clause.'

Perfect. Do it today OP and get it done. As others said, absolute madness to allow a puppy in your flat, they have already agree to no pets, and very unfair on the puppy

I'm a dog owner and I wouldn't keep one in an upper floor flat.
Dogs do chew and bite things, they do wee where they shouldn't and are generally a bit skanky.
There is also the issue that dogs bark and in my experience, many little dogs yap a lot so you could also end up with all the neighbours pissed off with you too.

I once let a tenant move in with his small "well behaved" dog. Despite having a garden space he obviously let the dog use the lounge as a toilet.

he upped and left leaving the place a mess. The stink took over a year to properly go as it was ingrained in the floorboards. The deposit didn't cover anything because he left without telling anyone so it was over a month, after a rent payment was missed, before we could gain access and start clearing up the mess.

I've been firmly no pets since then.

I've been a landlord for 20 years. He was my worst tenant but apart from 1 exception tenants generally do not look after properties well. The wear and tear and outright damage is far higher than you would expect. With a lot, even basic cleaning seems a stretch and gardening, of any type, a complete impossibility. You may need to harden yourself a little and try and switch to regarding your flat as simply a business asset rather than your pride and joy, or you may find being a landlord very tough.

No. And most puppies start off small-how big they grow depends on the breed. A Great Dane puppy is a bit different to a yorkie, and if they got a cross-breed you've no idea how big it would get.