I've been asked to agree to new neighbours having a dog

[whatcolourisyourthursday]

Hi dog experts,
We're the freeholders of a block of flats (converted Victorian) and the about-to-buy purchaser of one of the flats has asked if they can have a dog (the lease forbids it but we can consent).
They are suggesting a labrador which from my point of view seems a good choice as they seem like neighbour-friendly dogs. But I don't know much about dogs. Does a labrador seem like a good neighbour-friendly breed? There's a communal garden but the flat is on the 3rd floor and there's a carpet so there are some practical issues.

I would say that it was almost certainly a very bad idea. Aside from possible barking (I have one who does and one who doesn’t) the noise of them bouncing up and down the stairs several times a day would be horrendous. It annoys me in my own house.

The dog might be well-trained and there would be few problems, but you can’t assume that. Labradors are stomachs with legs. They eat anything and everything given half a chance, which often lends itself to the need to go outside and poo in the middle of the night, with more noise and disturbance. Not always the case, but something to be wary of.

If you say yes there is literally no benefit to you or anyone except the seller of the flat and the proposed give new owners.

The risks are that the new owners turn out to be irresponsible dog owners (signs are already there) and that the dog makes everyone’s life less pleasant with noise and mess.

Why would you give all the benefits to someone who won’t live there soon and someone who doesn’t live there at all yet?

I'm also a freeholder to a Victorian conversion. We have been asked in the past and have stated no to all dogs. Once you set a precedent other neighbours may follow suit and want dogs and you can hardly say no then.

Also if complaints about noise or dog poo start piling in, it is very hard to get the leaseholder to get rid of the dog that you have given permission for. You can take them to court for breech of lease for noise but it is an expensive and long road with no guarantee you would win costs.

Also if they have to pass over communal areas think of the carpets and claws that you would then expect all leaseholders to pay out of the service charge for repair or replacement. You will have a bunch of very unhappy leaseholders.

It is not worth the hassle.

They will absolutely start to have the dog in the communal gardens once they move in and it'll be a battle for the other flats to stop them. I would say no, particularly as it's not a great idea to have a dog in a third floor flat with no direct access to outdoors space, it's really cruel to the dog.

We had a rescue Labrador. She barked constantly at every little sound. We never managed to train it out of her. Luckily at the time we lived in a detached house I can't imagine what would have happened if we lived in a flat.

I wouldn't. It's not worth it at all.

Labradors need a lot of stimulation, lots of walks and are full of energy. They're beautiful, but not suited to flat living in my opinion.

Say they are excellent dog owners, but what happens when they sell and someone else wants a dog because 'the current owners do'?

If they want a dog then they need a dog-friendly property.

Labrador owner here. Obviously I’m biased but I think they’re the best dogs in the world (apart from the bloody shedding) but please don’t consent to keeping a large dog in a third floor flat. While labs aren’t the most active dogs, it would be cruel to keep them cooped up in a flat without a garden of their own to access regularly.

Dd used to live in a converted house and upstairs family would let the dog roam the communal hallway and it would shit everywhere because they were too lazy to walk it.

Don't do it; you don't know anything about the new neighbours except that they have demonstrated total cluelessness about dogs and being a good neighbour. Nobody who knew and loved dogs would purposely decide to buy a third floor flat then get a labrador puppy. WTF didn't they buy a ground floor flat if they planned to get a dog of any kind?

Labradors are large active dogs and the breed is not at all suited to living in a flat. Which tells us, they did not bother to research this.

Large active dog on the third floor, no way.

ALL dogs occasionally need to get out fast for a very urgent pee/poo and few could hold an urgent bowel/bladder down three flights of carpeted stairs. The bigger the dog, the bigger the mess.

An active adult housetrained dog needs far more than a brief daily pee exit. It needs company and excercise and fresh air. Without those it will be bored and depressed, might scratch doors and bark or howl for hours and hours.

If you let one neighbour have a dog, that's a precedent that can hardly be refused to any and all other occupants.

I think you should ask all of the other residents and it would have to be unanimous to allow this. If just one resident objects that should be the end of it. They may have bought the flat just for that reason, no pets.
Personally, and I say this as a dog lover, it would be a no from me. It sets a precedent.
As a PP said, Labs aren't good with stairs, and even more so as they get older.

I'd say no. All the people who bought flats did so on the basis there would be no pets. So no dog hair and paw prints on the stairs, no dog wee or poo in the garden and no noise from dogs in the flats. If be furious if you changed the rules.

If I was one of the other occupiers, I would expect the place to stay dog-free. I think that if you allow this you are making a big mistake and just asking for trouble.

As a dog owner, I would say no. For all the reasons PP have given. This is cruel to the dog and will quickly become a nightmare for every other person living in the building. I once lived in a converted victorian house and a ground floor tenant has a small toy breed. She NEVER picked up after her dog and the lawn of the garden was thick with dog shit. It was so bad, the we couldn't have our windows open at the back on hot days because we could smell it! You have no idea if these people will be responsible dog owners and you set a precedent. Don't do it.

Our otherwise lovely neighbour got a Labrador puppy a few months ago - we are semi detached and his house is very large, so the dog in theory is well away from our living spaces - she barks constantly, and loudly too. It’s a nightmare. Cannot imagine having one above or below me in a flat.

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit

How do other flat owners feel? Or have I misinterpreted the set up here? I'd be pretty pissed off if I'd signed up for pet free living.

^ This, and then where does it stop?

You need to consider the other flat owners. They'll be expected to share the communal garden with a dog. Considering they might have moved there precisely because it was an animal free space. Also the added noise to the flat below from the dog running around inside.

I have a 2yr old Lab and he's the best thing in the world. I wouldn't have him in a 3rd floor flat though.

My Lab isn't a chewer but some of them are (one of his litter mates chewed the entire bottom step off the staircase). Carpets, skirting boards, furniture - all fair game if the dog isn't mentally stimulated, physically exercised or has enough social contact.

My Labs barks are also LOUD. Like vibrating your eyeballs loud. He can also be a nuisance barker at any sort of 'intruder' sound like letterboxes, doorbells or voices outside the house.

Toilet training as many PPs have mentioned before is going to be difficult without direct access to a garden. Puppies need to go outside every 20-30 mins when they're young. Lab wee is also pretty damn bad for urine burns all over nice lawns so that also needs to be considered.

I would ask them:
Age of dog
What their plan is during working hours or for periods of leaving a dog for more than 4 hours

My advice would be to say no. Otherwise, I'd say you'll need to agree on things like compensation if the dog damages anything (including pee stains on carpet underlay, don't forget that) or the right to remove permission to have a dog if it becomes a nuisance to neighbours (I hate the thought of this but I'm not sure what else to suggest). Nobody wants to live below a barking dog who does zoomies round the flat every day and I love dogs.

I agree it's a no. I love dogs and I love labradors, so from me this is because of the hair and the potential noise. If they have wooden floors people below will hear the clatter clatter of paws constantly and although I haven't found labs to be very barky, it all depends on how they are trained. Also, if it's a puppy it shouldn't be climbing up and down all those stairs, they should be carrying it until it's basically full grown - that's the main reason big dogs don't fit well in third floor flats.

oh blast (I nearly typed something else).

I clearly need to reset expectations before they exchange contracts.

Smaller breed?

I’m a landlady and a large dog owner. There’s no chance in hell I’d be allowing a Labrador in a 3rd floor flat. What flooring does the flat have op? If it’s laminate I almost guarantee severe flooring damage.

As others have said, it’s. It about the dog, it’s the owners. With a communal garden I’d say no

A labrador in a flat is cruel. They are big dogs, MIL walks her lab for 6+ miles a day and he has a garden to run about it. Are they going to leave it in a flat alone all day? This sounds bad to me...

What everyone else said, plus hearing a dog skittering around on wooden floors would do my head in.

No dog at all rather than smaller breed. I'm sorry but I cant understand why you are even thinking about allowing it?

Can anyone give me any positive stories about smaller breeds in 3rd floor flats?