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Original poster

Renting a house and estate agent has queried our new pet goldfish

40 replies

Fuckmeitsagerbil · 10/10/2023 17:45

Hi
We rent a property, managed by an estate agent.

Just FYI, the previous tenant had 2 dogs

We have kept the property in perfect condition. We pay our rent on time every single month. We don't even put pictures on the wall. You could move our furniture out and you'd never know we had been there. Luckily we only need to rent for a year

Today was the first inspection (6 months in). The estate agent noticed my daughter has a pet goldfish and has emailed to say we are in breach of our tenancy and the landlord will be very upset that she was not asked if we could have a fish.
It is a goldfish, in a tank. She kept quoting section 8 etc at me - you'd think I was keeping a large family hidden under the floor boards. I honestly didn't even think to ask if we could keep a goldfish. It didn't even cross my mind.

I asked her what would realistically happen if the landlord disagreed with the goldfish and she said that we would be in breach of our tenancy. I pressed her and she basically agreed that nothing could be done but we would be in 'breach'.

It ended up quite nasty and I said that I will not respond to anything else from the estate agent until we leave the property. Thankfully we only have to rent for a year. She said she will report back to the landlord that we will refuse anymore contact with the estate agent.

I'm not really sure what the point of this post is. I guess to convey my absolute horror that people are apparently not entitled to live a peaceful life. And the fact that an estate agent can be this petty and potentially make a good tenant leave a property due to the way they are. If I rented out a house, and had good tenants who were then bollocked over having a goldfish, I'd be beyond angry!!!

Am I correct in saying I don't have to speak to them anymore? I don't want anything to do with them. I will continue to pay the rent of course until we leave

OP posts:
Oldthyme · 10/10/2023 17:57

If they choose to take it further they might serve a Section 21 No fault eviction notice. That would be spiteful but who knows? The agent would get more fees for re-letting it.

Be careful how you handle this.
I don’t recommend it but could you hide goldfish/bowl for next inspection?

Original poster
Fuckmeitsagerbil · 10/10/2023 17:59

We have an assured 1 year tenancy though

OP posts:
centi · 10/10/2023 18:01

A picture says a thousand words.

Send the agent a nice clear photo of the fish tank. Cc the email to all other email addresses in the company.

Ask for clarification about what problems they think it may pose in future.

Then relax.

Longdarkcloud · 10/10/2023 18:02

I might appear to be unreasonable, however the landlord is entitled to inspect the property etc and the term “landlord” will be deemed to include the landlord’s agents and representatives and it is up to the landlord who they appoint. The landlord will just regard you as being a difficult tenant and you may find, depending on your tenancy agreement that you are in breach for refusing to deal with the agent. So what started out as negligible may be exacerbated.
Iwould have laughed and said”really”? Well May we have permission for goldie to live with us?

INeedAnotherName · 10/10/2023 18:05

Is there only the one agent handling lettings? If not then speak to another, or the Head of the EA. Ask for clarification, and what happens next, as the relationship with the first agent has broken down. Be factual rather than emotional.

That said, yes it's fecking ridiculous.

LouOrange · 10/10/2023 18:05

Email back and tell them you can flush the goldfish down the loo but that would probably cause an issue with the plumbing so better to keep in situ. 😆

purpleme12 · 10/10/2023 18:06

Wow this really does hit a new low.

IGoWalkingAfterMidnight · 10/10/2023 18:07

The fact that the previous tenants had two dogs is neither here nor they. In fact, they may have sought permission and paid a damage deposit to enable them to have the dogs.

I believe that when a letting agent rents a property on behalf of an owner they can request tenants with no pets. As insignificant as you may regard it, a fish is a pet.

I'm sure that had you requested it properly then there would have been no issues and you wouldn't need to be so angry and obstructive...

Imisscoffee2021 · 10/10/2023 18:09

I'm surprised as I had fish in one tank and an axolotl in another for years and rented a few places across their long lifespans and estate agents were never bothered as long as it was in a tank and a fish (the axolotl just confused them I think)

sleepyscientist · 10/10/2023 18:10

If the estate agent emailed to say the tenant wasn't willing to deal with them, I would ask why. If they the said they had an argument over a pet fish I don't think I would be able to do anything for laughing and would take our business elsewhere at the first opportunity!

Do you have any contact with the actual landlord? I would be tempted to post on some local Facebook pages asking if anyone knows them.

Imisscoffee2021 · 10/10/2023 18:11

Sent too soon, because short of the tank bursting how can a fish cause any damage to the property? That's a low new as a pp said, eroding one of the few renters perks that remains, a pet fish!

SquirrelFeeder · 10/10/2023 18:11

But OP if you're in breach of the tenancy then it being a 1 year assured tenancy is neither here nor there as a breach of tenancy is grounds for eviction

bemorebernard · 10/10/2023 18:14

Yes a new low. Just ask for retrospective permission. Given the state of some rented houses and the tenants , I doubt they'll say no .

VanCleefArpels · 10/10/2023 18:15

I wouldn’t worry - even if the landlord is so ridiculous as to issue eviction notice the whole procedure would take longer than the remaining term of your tenancy.

I’d be tempted to send a photo direct to your landlord if you have contact details and say do you realise how petty your agents are!

FloweryName · 10/10/2023 18:15

It sounds like you were quite rude to the estate agent who was just doing their job. They work for the landlord so it’s their job to point out that you have a pet when you aren’t supposed to.

Most landlords specify no pets so they don’t have to get into discussions like ‘what about a gerbil?’ but it’s dogs and cats they don’t want. They most likely won’t care about a fish, but that doesn’t mean that the agent shouldn’t do their job properly. It is extreme to refuse to deal with them just because you didn’t like what they rightfully had to say.

AnSolas · 10/10/2023 18:15

Your fish tank is a flood risk.
If the tank failed the LL is looking at replacing one or more floors.
The agent who works for the LL inspected and spotted a problem.
It would be wrong of the agent to pretend that she had not seen the tank.
she did her job and notified you that you are in breach of contract so now if the tank failed or the floor ended up with an " unknown " source of water damage she has documented proof of a possible cause.

You have to keep the terms of the contract to have an enforcable contract.
Its unlikely that you would be evicted but dont blame the EA for doing her job.

RunningUpThatBuilding · 10/10/2023 18:18

I rented when I first came back to the UK after living abroad and the estate agents were utter dicks. They were super friendly until I signed on the dotted line.

My toilet was blocked (MULTIPLE times) and I only had one bathroom and a 3 year old! They told me we should "try to use another toilet somewhere" where should that be? It was in a quiet street in a fairly rural location! I INSISTED each time that it was an emergency and demanded plumbers each time. Eventually their plumber said it was some sort of "issue with pipes" and they wanted to charge ££££ for a full replacement. Landlord came out with his plumber and it was fixed in minutes and never happened again (apparently it was a simple issue to do with the u-bend configuration?). The landlord had NO IDEA it had been happening so frequently to me and that I'd been told to use another toilet and was appalled - he complained to estate agents on the phone when I was there and put them in their place.

When I'd saved money for a mortgage deposit and gave them notification I was leaving they tried to use legal lingo to say I had to pay 6 months notice. I'd read the Ts and Cs and knew that was BS but they were having none of it. I eventually had to get my solicitor uncle to call them which was amusing to listen in on. At one point my uncle said, quite sternly, "If you are going to throw legal jargon around at least pronounce it right and use it in the correct context". Funnily enough they left me alone after that! Twats.

Crumbcatcher · 10/10/2023 18:18

I would tell them it was a toy fish.

YireosDodeAver · 10/10/2023 18:18

I would call their bluff and email them saying "if it's a genuine problem for us to keep a bowl of water containing a goldfish then go ahead and start eviction proceedings. We are good tenants who pay rent reliably and on time, but if you want to roll the dice to see if you get reliable tenants next time then go ahead. Until such time as you obtain a court order of eviction, or until the end of our 12 month agreement whichever happens sooner, we will continue to expect quiet enjoyment of our home."

When you end the tenancy, if there's any additional wear-and-tear due to the fish (eg if the carpet has a bit of a mustiness to it from being constantly a bit damp due to splashes) then it will be legitimate for them to deduct a little from your deposit. But not much.

Justchattingaboutthings · 10/10/2023 18:23

Of course you can't refuse to communicate with the estate agent. What if there is an issue with the pipes? You're obliged to inform them.

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 10/10/2023 18:28

But you have broken the terms of the agreement you signed, which said’ no pets’ . It didn’t say ‘no pet mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds or insects ‘ , it said ‘no pets’. It doesn’t matter that you have abided by the terms of your agreement in other ways like not willfully damaging the property, or failing to pay the agreed rent, in this one you are in the wrong.

if you had apologised and asked the agent to ask for retrospective adjustment in favour of your fish, you probably would be less wound up, and you might well have got your way…..

I suppose you could claim that you are fattening it for slaughter and will eat it on Christmas Eve, so it isn’t actually a pet.

2jacqi · 10/10/2023 18:30

bloody hell that is absolutely ridiculous! I am a landlord and I have refused only one tenancy on the grounds of him wanting to bring 3 dogs to a one bedroomed flat! all tenants of mine are normally allowed a pet. The Renters (Reform) Bill 17th May 2023 will ensure landlords do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home, with the tenant able to challenge unfair decisions.

purpleme12 · 10/10/2023 18:42

Yes I'm not sure I believe how much difference that will make really. I'll wait and see

Wishitsnows · 10/10/2023 18:43

How ridiculous! Some people have no common sense. Are you allowed to fill a large jug of water or have a vase of flowers. What kind of idiot would even have this cross their mind.