Six tips to help pet lovers secure the perfect rental property

Six tips to help pet lovers secure the perfect rental property

16:07 PM, 19th February 2018, About 6 years ago 6

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Last week Jeremy Corbyn unveiled a draft animal welfare policy, which included plans from Labour to make it mandatory for tenants to be allowed to keep pets in rental properties. However, property management franchise Belvoir, which has over 300 High Street offices, has many landlords who already support this initiative, and has some top tips to help tenants secure a rental property with their pets.

“For some years now many of our franchisees have worked with the Dogs Trust, which has produced some strict guidelines for landlords and tenants on the Lets with Pets section of their website,” says Dorian Gonsalves, CEO of Belvoir. “By applying this advice, together with some common sense, many of our landlords are very happy to accept tenants with pets. From a business point of view, with over 12 million pet owners in the UK, a landlord would be missing a trick to exclude this huge section of the market as potential tenants.”

Belvoir’s top tips:

  1. Check out the Lets with Pets section of the Dogs Trust website (http://www.letswithpets.org.uk/) to find everything you need to know about privately renting with pets.
  1. Be aware that some landlords are unable to accept pets because of leasehold or mortgage restrictions, so be as flexible as you can about location and the type of property. Be realistic, and do not expect a landlord to accept a large dog such as a husky into a small apartment where the dog will not have enough space and could develop behaviour problems.
  1. Try to find a professional letting agent that supports the Lets with Pets scheme and can help you to find the perfect property for you and your pet. To avoid disputes at the end of a tenancy ensure that a full inventory of the property is undertaken before you move in.
  1. Write a CV for your pet. Include details of his age, breed, background, whether he is neutered, any training he has had, whether he is microchipped and regularly treated for fleas and vaccinated against disease. Make it clear how long your pet is likely to be left alone each day, and if necessary arrange for a dog walker to exercise him whilst you are working.
  1. If your pet has already happily lived with you in a rental property, ask your previous landlord to write a reference that you can show to a new landlord. If possible, invite your new landlord to meet your pet. This is a perfect opportunity to prove that you are a responsible owner.
  1. Be prepared to pay a higher deposit to cover the cost of any damage to a property or furnishings. You may also be asked to take out some type of insurance to cover the possibility of damage.
  1. Offer to pay for the property to be professionally deep cleaned at the end of your tenancy, so that it is restored back to its original pre-tenancy condition.

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Comments

Rod

9:48 AM, 20th February 2018, About 6 years ago

In the real world, many tenants don't clean up. I had 50 odd bags of dog 'what's it' to clear! May be good stuff for JCs money tree though!

Annie Landlord

10:45 AM, 20th February 2018, About 6 years ago

The Dogs Trust/Belvoir points are all excellent, reasonable and common sense. I don't really feel landlords are concerned about the responsible pet owners who will engage with that process. The problem is those tenants who don't notify the landlord they have acquired a pet (happens all the time), allow the pet to destroy carpets etc and, most importantly, don't actually care about the pet. Tenants who breed every year from one poor dog so they can sell the puppies on facebook, with no certificates or vaccinations, and supplement their income. Tenants who buy a dog in the pub, can't cope with it and just pass it on, so the poor thing has no love, no security and is eventually abandoned, drowned or otherwise disposed of. I'm sorry, I will not allow such people to have their 'pet' in my properties.

Paul Kaye

11:38 AM, 20th February 2018, About 6 years ago

I will consider pets,but the deposit will be double and a special insurance will need to be paid for.Other conditions will apply,unless Corbyn will pay for all the problems/damages etc

Rod

12:15 PM, 20th February 2018, About 6 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Paul Kaye at 20/02/2018 - 11:38
All very true! May be a good idea to send your comment direct to Corbyn as I feel many politicians live in a eutopian dream world!

Deoniaeth

19:26 PM, 20th February 2018, About 6 years ago

I have just got rid of a tenant with a dog and 2 cats she did a runner owing me £4000 00p the house was full of rubbish and dog foul . I renewed the carpets that were only 16 months old
the new tenant moved in and strait away contacted fleas left by the kind previous tenant . I now have to foot the bill to put this matter right, Corbyn you are an idiot.

9:33 AM, 24th February 2018, About 6 years ago

We let quite high end properties. We allow pets where we can and for us it makes good business sense. Our tenants look after their homes and stay for a very long time generally. Up till now we've never had a problem. One woman had 2 dogs, various parrots, a chinchilla and a tortoise. She paid to have the house professionally cleaned when she left and we needed to replace one bit of carpet that almost needing replacing when she moved in. Pet owners are very tolerant of marks on carpets and such when they take on the tenancy so it buys you time on replacing.

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