Renting out house - do we allow dogs?

[Lucyintheskywithrubies]

I’ve never owned dogs so have no idea what they’re like. We are renting out a large beautiful house that was our home until we moved overseas. We have had a couple with two small dogs ask if they can view. Is it worth considering? I feel sorry for people with pets in rentals and want to help out but I’m worried about damage/smell/barking and it has already been a really stressful process with the last tenants.

@Lucyintheskywithrubies we are overseas too and rent and have 2 dogs, so I completely understand the other pov from a tennants perspective, maybe we were really unlucky with our tennants in the uk ....tbh it's been 8 years of stress. So glad we have now sold up

Oh my god some of these stories lol

We allow pets in our rental. I could not imagine being in the position of not finding anywhere to live with our dogs.
We always meet potential tenants and their pets rather than the agent. Never had a problem.

Are there any types of small dogs that are more difficult than others? Hopefully I don't offend any dogs owners here.

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/can-my-landlord-prevent-me-from-keeping-a-pet/

Doesn't look like that law is in force yet

It does have an impact on the smell though unfortunately. The house I bought had a Dalmatian, lovely couple, well looked after dog but the house smelt of dog until the carpets went.

NDN has a German shepherd, lovely neighbour, tiled floors, house smells of dog.

i don’t have a great sense of smell either.

No, because you have no way of knowing if they're responsible pet owners or not and so many these days are not.
The dogs could be left to bark all day annoying neighbours, could wreck your garden if left to toilet on the grass, trash carpets with muddy paws etc. If they're elderly they could be incontinent. All sorts of potential problems.

Yes, because it's so difficult to move to a rental these days with pets. I was looking recently and som LLs ban CHILDREN. (London). I mean, come on, these are families looking for a home! If you are so worried, include the cost of cleaning into the deposit?

@FunsizedandFabulous i believe the amount of deposit is limited nowadays

I actually prioritise those with dogs, once I have prioritised the prospective tenants. This is as a dog owner I sympathise with the difficulties and also have seen how dogs and cats are often left homeless, which is then another problem for the shelters.
I did get a bigger deposit, but not excessively, and when the time comes will see if a deep clean and carpet clean, which I always do, solves any smells.

I've been lucky the dogs have been small.
I also consider the length of tenancy, and if I'd be replacing the carpets anyway, and for long ones the cost is outweighed by the income gained.
I'd request the estate agents see these dogs and offer six months tenancy to start with doing a three month viewing and one prior to renewal.

Judging a smell is very objective but if they can see it's clean and no damage, surely they'd notice if a carpet was a toileting area versus a general dog smell.
Hope it goes well whichever way you go.

This.

I'm a landlord. Although I don't use an agent and don't charge a larger deposit (is that even legal)?

I've never not allowed pets. My parents are landlords too and same.

I do a thorough clean and new carpets if necessary between tenants.

I hate seeing pets rehomed because people can't find a house.

I've never had a problem at all I have from kids though .

I’ve been an accidental landlord twice and I’ve always said ok to 1 pet (the restriction on 1 was to do with space). One set of tenants had a cat, the other a large-ish dog. No issue whatsoever with either. It’s not that easy to find a rental with pets so I’d hope that makes them inclined to be good tenants!

Another thread here that highlights the issues that the government putting limits on deposits will cause- if you can't recover the cost of damage caused by a pet, you're less likely to choose a tenant with one.

I have allowed a pet (and my tenant has actually ended up with 3 🤦). I already know there are various carpets that are going to need replacing in the property. I obviously couldnt charge a higher deposit, so instead a homeowner, working guarantor was a requirement for her. If needed, I can take a guarantor to the small claims court for that plus any arrears.

@Lucyintheskywithrubies
You need to read the Government white paper on renting homes to tenants. There is a lot in it, that if it becomes legislation, is a big red flag for casual landlords who use the property as an income but might want the capital at some time. No fault eviction. Allowing pets. Insulation of the property and lots of other issues will make it very difficult for some landlords. I’m selling up. Many will. I would be very wary of being a landlord right now. The tenants have all the “rights”. Join the NRLA.,

I love dogs, I have a dog but no I wouldn’t allow them.

Going to the small claims court does not work if the tenant goes back overseas. Prepare to spend money and get a professional rental company to do all the work for you. The best tenants are short term ones who have sold up but are waiting to find a property.

I might if i met the dogs and could see they were calm and housetrainef

Honestly don’t know what to do. Are there any breeds that are worse than others for small dogs - that might help

As a long term tenant ( 18 years) who has had 2 cats in that time I have to say that being able to have a pet has been something that my sons and I have been grateful of. We had to leave the family dog when we first moved and our first cat came to us by accident. I have always looked after the property as if it were my own, paid for new carpets, decorating etc. I think that if you are unsure you could ask to see a video of the dogs to see how they behave. You could also make it a clause in the contract that any damage be rectified and a deep clean happen if they leave. Family pets are a part of the family and personally I would find it hard to have to re home them.

A deep clean is the least of your issues. A deep clean will be covered by the deposit. Scratched floors, scratched carpets and furniture and worse cost thousands £ to replace. I’ve seen dogs left unattended destroy kitchen cupboard doors. It’s hard to take and you cannot specify which breed of dog. Small dogs can be destructive too as can cats. Allow a hamster. In a cage and doesn’t do any non rectifiable damage. You might of course have no issues but if the government does tighten tennant rights it’s a nightmare.

It's impossible to say - dogs could cause anything from no damage whatsoever all the way through to wee soaking the floorboards and carpets, chewing the doorframes etc.

Unfortunately you're not allowed to ask for more deposit for pets, and the max deposit itself has been reduced so there's no way it would cover replacement carpets.

Also, you can rent to a family with no pets, and then if they subsequently get pets there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

I'd go with your gut on whether they seem like good tenants. At the moment you need to pick whoever you think is the best bet at continuing to pay their rent in the face of crazy price increases on everything else.

Also, I'd try and adjust your mindset about it being a beautiful house. I get it - the house I rent out was my home and it was beautiful but tenants just don't treat it the same way and while I do a lot of work on it between tenants (eg new carpets, repaint etc) they just don't treat it the same way as you would. So I'd take a deep breath and accept that if you decide to move back in at some point, you'll need to take some time and money to put it back into the state you'd want it.

@TizerorFizz hence it being a home owner guarantor. It's possible they might move, but a lot less likely, so more chance of them repaying the debt, in order to avoid court action/ adverse credit.

We acquired our current DCat because his previous owners moved rentals, and their new landlord said no pets. I adore him, but it broke my heart knowing his previous owners also loved him and had to give him up.

Also, my university housemate had a cat and just lied to the landlord about having a pet. Hid all evidence of cat when inspection was due or we had workmen in. Landlord never knew as cat was super clean, neutered and outdoor toilet only. Not saying what he did was morally right by lying to landlord, but just to say excluding pet owners may not exclude pets.

Pet owners appreciate stability and somewhere that will take their pets, so are likely to be long-term tenants if they are allowed to stay.