Do you allow your tenants pets?
Posted by Mikey463@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 199 comments
This is a question for landlords who have properties being rented.
Me and wife have been in the same flat with garden for 4 years now. Never missed payments. Flat is still in perfect condition. Everything is done through the estate agents and we have never met the landlord. We asked last year if we could get a dog and we got an email saying they would start getting new people to view the flat and it took quite a bit of persuading to keep us there. I do understand landlord's don't want damage to their properties and I respect that. But is there also something with like increased insurance for the landlord if the tenants get pets?
ContactSpecial8612@reddit
Many are wholly unreasonable people who will impose their fragile will over any tiny enjoyment in life you can get - like pets.
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Is it really unreasonable for them not to want you having an animal in their house potentially causing damage? It might be your home temporarily but it's still their house.
I'm not a landlord, I'm a tenant and an animal lover before anyone jumps on me. If it bothers you so much you can't have a pet, go buy your own house.
Is it really unreasonable for them not to want you having an animal in their house potentially causing damage? It might be your home temporarily but it's still their house.
I'm not a landlord, I'm a tenant and an animal lover before anyone jumps on me. If it bothers you so much you can't have a pet, go buy your own house and get all the dogs you want.
Experiment328095@reddit
If you don’t want to provide a home for people don’t be a landlord 🤷🏻♀️ Pets are part of a home.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
If that's your attitude then being a landlord might not be for you, you really need to accept that you have given up almost all rights over the property for the period it is somebody else's home.
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Did you manage to read 1 line down where I said I'm not a landlord?
holistic_mystic@reddit
You just clearly love the taste of boot so much you're coming to bat for them regardless.
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Oh yea, that must be it. You got the bollocks to say that to my face?
holistic_mystic@reddit
Hahahahaha how old are you jesus Christ
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Oh look, no bollocks. Always the same, act all tough and edgy when your anonymous
holistic_mystic@reddit
Ironic that the only one acting tough and edgy here is you, Mr "Say that to my face".
-captaindiabetes-@reddit
Why, are you going to arrange to meet up because of a reddit comment? Lol
ContactSpecial8612@reddit
“Potentially” doing a lot of heavy lifting here. How about you can’t own a TV incase you potentially play it too loud?
Also, why wouldn’t you hold a deposit for damage to a property? Surely this happens whether a pet caused the damage or not?
Psychological-Bag272@reddit
Deposit rarely covers the damage caused by pet, especially when a tenant let their pet go toilet all over the carpet. Some tenants promise the world and by the time you find them out be the opposite it is too late. In my case, the tenant didnt ask at all. They turned the house into a backyard breeding facility. Got the house back this week with about 300 cat poo in the garden and it will cost ££££ to get urine smell out of carpet.
I love pet, I just hate dirty people.
-captaindiabetes-@reddit
Well if you're worried about the deposit not being enough, that's what makes services like Reposit very helpful
IIIIllIIIlII@reddit
Picking up some shit in the garden and renting a carper cleaner for the day is hardly ££££ in the grand scheme of things.
MysoreMa@reddit
the last time a tenant sneaked a dog into a flat I own it cost me 4000 pounds to repair the damage
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
a carpet cleaner does not always remove the cat urine smell.
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Playing a TV too loud is exactly the same thing. Peak fucking reddit.
Go buy your own house. Do what you want then.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
Pay your own mortgage.
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
I'm not a landlord. Get over yourself
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
Just a groupie?
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
You bored? Perhaps spend the time buying your own house
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
You seem upset.
Add a drop of lavender to your bath and soon soak yourself calm.
Let go once in a while. You are a loose lily floating down an amber river.
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Think someone needs a straight jacket
ContactSpecial8612@reddit
You clearly can’t grasp what I was saying, which given your opinions isn’t massively surprising!
I do own my own home btw, as I can see that’s the last dig you have at me before you give up 😂
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Good for you!
Point still stands, I've seen houses where the dog is so bored/untrained it's chewed through walls. A £1000 deposit isn't paying to repair it.
If you want the freedom to do as you want in a house, buy your own.
ContactSpecial8612@reddit
Ah great, an anecdotal experience given to represent reality! Again, really highlighting the depths of your critical thinking here.
It’s great that you think people who can’t afford to buy a home don’t deserve to have “freedom” in a property they are paying for
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
The tenants aren't the ones paying when there's thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Again, I'm not a landlord, I'm a tenant. I would love to have a dog or 2 but I understand why and respect my landlords decision to say no. You know, I also don't have that "freedom" I'm talking about.
Psychological-Bag272@reddit
🤣🤣🤣 I would never get a pet until I have my own home, personally. It just isn't fair if I am evicted and I have to rehome the pet. Anyone thinking the RRA will stop people being evicted is not living in reality. Is it harder to evict? Yes. It is entirely possible? Yes. In fact, the RRA will close the market to certain groups of tenants entirely.
WesternUnusual2713@reddit
Once it's rented out as a business asset it is no longer your home. Also please remember a huge amount of landlords are renting property they've bought to rent out and have never lived in (and often never would).
Plus stating that only homeowners should own pets is dystopian, which is effectively what you're saying.
thirty1twenty1@reddit
Yes. Potential damages are what deposits are paid for.
infieldcookie@reddit
My previous landlord owned about 10 flats and lived hundreds of miles away. It certainly wasn’t their home or they’d have replaced the carpets and repainted more than once every 6+ years.
TachiH@reddit
Houses are unaffordable for the average person specifically because instead of being used as homes, houses have all been bought up for "passive income". Owning multiple homes that you arent using should be illegal, it would instantly fix the housing crisis this country has had for nearly 40 years.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
Parasites.
Hour-Equivalent-6189@reddit
I never asked permission 🤫 secret cat
AccomplishedRain9@reddit
It's so unreasonable not to allow pets. I have known children that are more destructive than any dog I've had.
Master-Definition937@reddit
Landlords would probably ban children if they were allowed to
Drath101@reddit
Strictly they can, just don't rent to parents. They wouldn't explicitly say as much but it most definitely happens
Master-Definition937@reddit
True. They can’t do much if someone already living there gets pregnant though
BeatificBanana@reddit
Of course they can. They can just not renew their lease when it comes to an end. You're allowed to stop renting to someone for any reason you want, as long as you go through the proper process first. You just wouldn't say it's because of the baby. You'd just act like you want your house back
Master-Definition937@reddit
That’s not how it works at all. You have to issue a section 21, potentially go to court etc. it’s about to get even harder from May.
Tenants don’t have to leave just because the landlord wants them to, if they keep paying their rent.
BeatificBanana@reddit
Yes, I never said it was quick, but at the end of that process they have to leave.
pyotia@reddit
Landlords absolutely do evict for that reason
MysoreMa@reddit
I've been told, explicitly, that they would not rent their flat to me because I had a child, three times.
yedhead@reddit
When I was pregnant with my first we were denied 10+ flats/houses because I was pregnant and the landlord didn’t want children in the house. It was so infuriating.
mierneuker@reddit
I'd never understood this position. Then we ended up accidental landlords for a few years, one tenant had a kid during their tenancy. The increased moisture from all the washing caused a major mold issue (the flat is terribly designed for ventilation). Now I understand. I still wouldn't ever say no to a tenant with kids, but I no longer immediately think badly of landlords that do.
Temporary-Zebra97@reddit
I did when I was a landlord, I had the policy of pets welcome - no kids.
Rented to a gay couple with a couple of small yapper type dogs, who ended up buying the place after a couple of years.
MysoreMa@reddit
I hope they set the police on you for that policy.
MysoreMa@reddit
They do.
ZeroFrogsHere@reddit
From may the 1st landlords will no longer be able to unreasonably refuse you from having a pet
treeseacar@reddit
That is true but there is no legal definition of unreasonable. So the landlord can say no for a number of reasons like the property is too small, they are allergic, or risk of damage. The law change just means the advert can't say 'no pets' unless there is a situation like the building freeholder doesn't allow pets (some apartment freehold will have this clause which is out of the landlords control)
KeepMyselfAwake@reddit
Sadly, legally estate agents should also not say "No DSS/benefits" yet I still see it on a lot of listings.
Hellohibbs@reddit
That’s where the landlord registration scheme comes in :)
yeahitsmems@reddit
Not if the landlord is allergic, if other tenants are allergic. And they cannot deny if they are concerned about general damage.
Under the new law, landlords can only refuse a request in certain circumstances, including:
Another tenant has an allergy
The property is too small for a large pet or several pets
The pet is illegal to own
If the landlord is a leaseholder, and their freeholder does not allow pets
However, a landlord cannot refuse permission because they:
Do not like pets
Have had previous tenants with pets who damaged the property
Have general concerns about potential damage or think a pet might affect future rentals
Know the tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog
Hellohibbs@reddit
If the landlord is allergic to dogs they shouldn’t be renting a property given service dogs are legal.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
Refusing guide dogs is already illegal
Confident_Drop8326@reddit
Not a renter or landlord but i do think the property being too small should be considered seriously. People with medium/ big dogs indoors need to be less selfish. Look at what the lovkdown did to all of us and we could freely walk out of the door for a shop and 1 walk per day.
Hellohibbs@reddit
Great Danes are no joke one of the best dogs for small apartments lol
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
Bigger dogs don't need loads more space than smaller dogs, they don't run around inside much, they need regular outdoor exercise and mental stimulation and then they are mostly satisfied curled up on a sofa or dog bed for hours and hours!
TellMeManyStories@reddit
Bigger dogs breathe a lot and can cause damp problems. It turns out most people open a window if a space gets stuffy, but the dog can't so sometimes ends up in a steamy room and before long mould is growing on the walls.
seriousrikk@reddit
Username checks out.
Fine_Analyst_4408@reddit
I was worried about having my large labrador in a small flat but she's a thriving and happy girl. We have a garden that she only uses for the toilet and a sniff around despite having free access and she would rather hang out with us on the couch. She goes out for 3 pack walks a week to play with other dogs and go wild, along with hour long sniff walks each day that includes a swim. She goes everywhere in the car with us that's reasonable and she visits family twice a week that she loves. She loves going to bed and she'll wrestle me back down if I try to get up when she's not ready. She doesn't seem bothered at all about the small living space and she's always wanting to be as close to me as possible despite plenty space on the bed, sofa etc. Maybe it would be more of a problem if I wasn't home all day, though.
Riovem@reddit
Yeah, some big dogs are perfect for small spaces. I'd rather have a greyhound in a 1 bed flat than a Cavapoo
shelikedamango@reddit
Sorry but a dog of any size needs regular mental enrichment and physical exercise, and neither of those have anything to do with the size of your home.
The truth is there are a lot of neglectful pet owners who think having a garden is enough, and it isn’t. In the same vein keeping a pet in a small house isn’t inherently selfish.
RabbitRabbit77@reddit
Hard agree. People who don’t walk their dogs and only let them in the garden are lazy. Dogs need to be walked. That’s how they get their stimulation. It’s fine for the odd day or when they are elderly (even then, they love a sniffy walk). A dog trainer once likened it to us only having one telly channel to watch. We’d soon get bored.
sapphire-sky-dragon@reddit
I have an agrophobic dog who wont even go in the garden, she absolutely will NOT walk anywhere she curls in a ball shaking so there are exceptions, ive also had another dog that absolutely flat out refused to walk as well. Both rescues.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
What are you doing to help her rehabilitate and recover?
-Rhymenocerous-@reddit
I call a sniffy walk "reading the newspaper" when our staff got to old to trot around everywhere 😂
zymoticsheep@reddit
Your heart is in the right place but your concerns are unfounded. Dogs aren't running around the house no matter what size it is. Most dogs just want to lie around where the humans are, and oftentimes the larger the dog the happier it is to lie around - the lil ones are the energetic fuckers (generalising of course).
Dogs need to be properly stimulated and cared for of course, but the size of the property isn't going to matter
fursty_ferret@reddit
Isn't the point of the act that "unreasonable" is defined here? So although they can say no, they must be able to justify it and can't pick random excuses, and if you disagree, you gave a recourse through the ombudsman?
nithanielgarro@reddit
What ombudsman? The law doesn't provide any legal recourse. It's a stupid part of the act that is toothless.
I've already enquired about this and the legal advice is I'd have to take my landlord to court to contest it but the landlord states that the lease prohibits pets and there's no way to contest this. My solicitor friend says I've got no contest to this rule.
smackdealer1@reddit
Well if it isn't in the advert or the letting agreement then there is no issue with getting one.
jiggjuggj0gg@reddit
The legal definition of unreasonable is just what a normal, reasonable person would find unreasonable. It’s the kind of thing our entire legal system runs on.
There will be some cases that go through the courts and set precedents, but landlords cannot just say “I think it’s reasonable to ban you from having a pet because x, y and z” and it’s allowed. A small property, the landlord being allergic, and a risk of damage would all likely be deemed unreasonable, unless it’s a live in landlord or the tenant is trying to house three Great Danes in a studio flat.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
It will hopefully mean that if a landlord tries to evict for having a pet that the court will see through all that BS and throw the eviction out.
RedPlasticDog@reddit
A head lease for a flat banning pets remains a reasonable excuse.
mingebinj@reddit
That's great news tbf. When you say unreasonably are you adding that to say landlords are being unreasonable when they don't allow it or do you mean there will be certain reasons that you're allowed a pet and they can't refuse if you have a one of those valid reasons?
ZeroFrogsHere@reddit
Essentially they can't say no just because they don't want a pet in the property.
An example of a reasonable refusement would be if you rent a furnished property and wanted a puppy, the landlord might be able to argue the puppy would destroy furniture that they own.
Careless_Squirrel728@reddit
Surely in the OPs case it is reasonable to refuse on the grounds that it is a flat and would likely be a breach of the lease and a disturbance to the neighbours?
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
I doubt that would be considered reasonable. Landlords can't ban their tenants from playing the drums or putting the volume all the way up on their TV/music etc.
Noise nuisance is dealt with through a different process.
DrMoneybeard@reddit
And also, it’s not up to landlords to enforce. Do not give them space to pretend their decisions are for the good of the animals, instead of their own economic benefit.
Queen_of_London@reddit
Just being a flat doesn't mean it's automatically going to be a breach of the lease, especially since it's a flat with a garden. And it certainly doesn't mean it's going to be a disturbance to the neighbours any more than a dog in a house would be.
Does anyone know if those leasehold conditions that ban pets are also covered under the law change?
ZeroFrogsHere@reddit
Potentially, I still believe it's a conversation worth having with the new act coming in
mingebinj@reddit
Ah right, thanks. I like that they have to come up with the valid reason. At first I thought you meant the onus would be on the tenant. E.g. having a guide dog but I thought surely they can't refuse that already
roxieh@reddit
They can't say "because I don't want you to" or "a future tennant might be allergic". But if they are in a leasehold that forbids it then that would be acceptable for example.
I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit
They also won't be able to no-fault evict, so threatening to get new tenants after your existing ones ask about a dog will be out.
Charlie_Yu@reddit
I thought the law was already there for a few years? Doesn’t really stop landlords, they simply deny it
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
The law might be there but as a landlord I still tell my management company we don’t accept dogs.
pyotia@reddit
And from the 1st of May you can be fined for that
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
I wouldn't tell them that's the reason. Just say we went with a different offer. I'm sure many tenants with dogs will find that suddenly they aren't being rejected for having a dog, but they seem to be getting outbid on properties more often.
pyotia@reddit
And councils will have the capacity to get information from estate agents to do enforcement. So if you're reported for doing that and the council get emails between you and the estate agent then you'll still be fined. And it's not an insignificant amount of money either
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
pyotia@reddit
I highly doubt estate agents are going to allow/ encourage you to break the law either. They can be liable if acting on your behalf. 100% they'll choose to cover their own arse over yours.
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
Oh of course, hence why they would put nothing in writing. Estate agents act for the landlord, they will know which houses don't want dogs, and just will not offer viewings on those properties to potential tenants with dogs. It is that simple.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
Or you may find that you are missing out on really good tenants and end up with ones that only stay short term, or leave the place or a mess, or don't pay reliably.
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
Tenants with pets could also stay short term, leave the place a mess (ever tried to get cat pee out of a carpet), or don't pay reliably. I'd still rather go with the tenants without a dog.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
Out of interest do you break the law in your day job too?
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
I'm not breaking any laws.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
You plan to.
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
I'm not planning to, i don't want to but If the time comes I will try and work out a way to not have a tenant with a dog in my house (cats are fine), its different if the tenant requests to have a dog during a tenancy, and I can see there being occasions where the request can't be refused, at which point, it is what it is.
But if I have two couples looking to rent out my house, one has a dog, and one doesn't, there will always be a reason that I can give to choose the tenants without the dog.
smarky55@reddit
As a landlord, you should already be aware that rental bidding will be illegal from the 1st of May:
Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
I am very aware, bidding was possibly the wrong word to choose. I meant they would not be chosen when there were two offers or more (at asking price) of the same amount.
mazzy-b@reddit
With that approach you’ll be finding tenants simply stop telling a landlord in advance and make the request once they’ve signed the agreement
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
Easy ways around it, will just say there is the potential for property damage (this is the reason we already say no), and there is a risk of neighbourhood disruption due to barking. Both are acceptable reasons under the renters right act.
Very few landlords will not be able to argue one of these reasons to stop a dog in the property.
pyotia@reddit
Would like to see any reference you have of that. I work in housing and we have specifically been told that potential for damage etc is not an acceptable reason.
ZeroFrogsHere@reddit
The renters right act come into place on may 1st in the UK
miklovesrum@reddit
As far as I am aware that rule only applies to new tenancies, not existing ones.
SnooHamsters5480@reddit
Who decides what is unreasonable? I am a landlord, is me having new carpets in my property that I don’t want ruined unreasonable?
gr33nday4ever@reddit
i thought this was introduced years ago? :(
TheLonelyWolfkin@reddit
1st May. Let’s keep it British lads.
Bacchus_Bacchus@reddit
I’m a landlady and have always allowed pets. My reasoning is that tenants with pets are more likely to stay because they don’t want the hassle of finding another pet-friendly place, they are usually more responsible and connected to a place, and the damage deposit would cover any damages which I feel are just as likely with a pet or not. Plus, I love animals!
MysoreMa@reddit
How much is the damage deposit though? I got stuck with a 4000 pound cleaning bill, with only a 700 pound deposit.
Bacchus_Bacchus@reddit
The damage deposit is one months rent plus an extra pet damage deposit of 1/2 rent, which is legal.
I find it crazy that a dog did £4000 damage, but even if that happened you could have a shitty tenant without a dog doing a lot of damage. Like if they had massive parties or broke things. I don’t see damage as being exclusive to animals….
Leader_Bee@reddit
Guarantee you don't want me as a tenant.
enygma999@reddit
We do, as long as the tenant tells us and accepts that we will require a deep clean at the end of their tenancy to ensure no allergens are left that might affect the next tenant. Does mean we tell them it doesn't need them to clean beyond not leaving it a tip though, so most have been understanding and liked that they don't need to bother trying to clean everything themselves.
Used to be a lot more important when we did a lot of the maintenance ourselves - Dad's allergic to cats, so if one was present someone else in the family had to deal with that property. Got a little annoyed with one tenant who had decided to just breach the tenancy and get a cat without telling us, despite telling people this was our policy when they moved in.
I can understand both sides. Tenants want companionship, landlords don't want to have to clean or repair afterwards. But as long as the tenant is willing to take responsibility for a deep clean and any damages, I don't see the harm.
Mikey463@reddit (OP)
I was going through the email again from last year and it was actually mentioned about the leaseholder. So it might not actually be up to the landlord if I have that correct. But I think what I might do is contact the owner of the building to find out myself before going through the estate agents again with this new bill coming into place.
enygma999@reddit
Yeah, this is also a thing - sometimes there's a headlease in place that bans pets in the building. Normally seen in flats, which I kind of get because some can be noisy, or stupidly heavy (e.g. fish tanks), but I dislike them because they're such blunt instruments and make the landlord look like they're making excuses.
Mikey463@reddit (OP)
I have actually spoken to a manager from the company who owns the building on quite a few occasions and she is a very nice person. I might discuss it with her and see what she says. If it’s not the case and pets are allowed I will put my case forward again to the estate agents and landlord. We love this flat it works perfectly for us but we’ve had some setbacks creating a family so having a pet would really help more than ever now.
meyo89@reddit
We were tenants and our landlord allowed us a dog, puppy at the time and this was around 2 years into renting. I think we were lucky as the landlord had dogs of their own when they lived in the property prior to renting to us. House suffered no damage and we kept it well maintained, next doors dog (owners of their property) chewed walls, skirting and carpet....so I can see why landlords may not want to agree to pets.
DameKumquat@reddit
I have been a landlord and allowed specific named and described pets, in reasonable numbers.
So a small flat, woman advertised looking for something local with her two small elderly dogs. Suggested she come by, met her, met the dogs, was satisfied she walked them enough, kept them under control, etc. Agreed to have them, just not replace the carpet I'd have otherwise replaced. And a max of two dogs of that size.
They were great except a short period when dog 1 was doubly incontinent and they'd let it into our shared garden, and not find all the poo in the dark. Had a word and then they did check each morning.
A 3-bed flat had a cat and a corn snake - they could have had one more cat. Two, even. What I didn't want was a cat hoarder living there - my godmother was one, and it wrecked the house, having 32 cats. Having the snake named on the lease was just a precaution - what you don't want is sending a tradie round and they meet an unexpected python or something.
If you manage one or two places, it should be feasible to put a sensible clause on pets in, to ensure you don't end up with a huge dog (or dogs) neglected in a tiny flat, or a screaming parrot, or similar. The larger businesses don't want to do anything that's extra work.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
Honestly, everybody else might be fawning over you but I find the fact that you think its ok for you to scrutinise someone else to this extent quite disturbing.
DameKumquat@reddit
Does it make a difference that they'd be living right underneath my bedroom? But I don't want to be party to anyone neglecting animals, either.
Queen_of_London@reddit
Yup. Having a limit on the number of pets seems reasonable to me (my HA landlord allows up to three non-caged pets, though it's only because I have my own entrance to the flat, which presumably won't be considered a reasonable restriction any more; oddly, they don't take into account whether you have a garden or not), and so does being notified about what pets there are.
I'm not sure how either will stand under the new law, and it will probably take a couple of test cases to figure it out, but there certainly is a middle ground between no pets and a complete free-for-all.
4321zxcvb@reddit
This thread is chipping away at my opinion of landlords
DameKumquat@reddit
No-one ever complains about or even talks about the boring adequate landlords.
And many of the tenants complaining their landlord won't let them have a pet were wanting a giant puppy in a top floor flat, when they work out of the house 9-5 every day - and no, they weren't planning on paying for doggy daycare, nor did they have a plan to train the dog... But they don't mention that, either.
In many cases, like with much of the UK's problems, it's the insurers and banks. Pretty much no mainstream mortgage will allow pets or people on unemployment benefits in a rented-out house - so your accidental landlord just responds 'no pets'. Only if you've had to track down a mortgage and insurance that can cope with two houses that legally are still one, with a complex roofing situation, are you then free to rent half out to someone with pets...
WesternUnusual2713@reddit
Normally yeah, however for me ratio of decent human being landlords to ones who were exploitative, difficult and in a couple of cases actually criminal is 2 to 8.
Landlordism is a business unlike most others in that a random unlicensed person can control how you live with minimal oversight, affecting a human necessity in a way that shouldn't be legal.
Cole-Palmer-phd@reddit
Yep, I rented a few places before buying, never had a problem with any landlord, they always replaced stuff when it needed etc. People like me aren't gonna be ranting online though
bfp@reddit
I rented when I first moved to the UK, in a big uni town
Landlord was fine with me bringing my single cat as, an Di quote, "cats are less destructive than students"
He destroyed a single cord on a (off) storage heater we paid to have fixed. Otherwise he caused no harm and we were all happy!
WesternUnusual2713@reddit
Come visit tenantsintheuk where landlords have explicitly stated they're section 21ing their tenants out of spite for the reforms.
AussieHxC@reddit
There's a UK landlords sub and it's full of reasonable people tbh.
Nice_Back_9977@reddit
'Full' is a stretch
4321zxcvb@reddit
Reasonable people profiting from basic human needs….
AussieHxC@reddit
We're not communists here
blacksmithMael@reddit
Of course. We’ve never had a ridiculous request: mostly it is just cats and we put cat flaps in for a reason.
It might be different if someone wanted a dozen Great Danes in a mid terrace.
ZoltanGertrude@reddit
Tenants with pets make far better tenants than those with children.
MysoreMa@reddit
It's always seemed so weird to me how much Brits openly detest children. I've never lived anywhere that's had such hatred.
Mikey463@reddit (OP)
I think you're overreacting slightly. I wouldn't say Brits openly detest children and thats coming from a Brit. This person might be speaking from previous experience.
ZoltanGertrude@reddit
Just making a point as a landlord. Never had a problem with tenants who have pets, even large dogs, whereas tenants with children have often been a problem. Things are broken, property needs redecorating more often, other tenants complain. Perhaps it's because tenants with children feel entitled whereas those with pets appreciate being allowed to live there with their pets?
FornyHucker22@reddit
Used to rent from from a company called Jamie Lewis, they had the standard no pets clause on the agreement but many including myself had pets. All they cared about is rent being paid on time.
MysoreMa@reddit
I'm sure they cared about damage to their properties.
FornyHucker22@reddit
I’ve worked in enough homes with my work to know that has very little to do with pets. Especially unfurnished
fleurmadelaine@reddit
I rent a flat. I’d allow a cat but not a dog purely because when I lived there I had both and I just wasn’t fair on the dog not having outdoor space.
TachiH@reddit
It's insane that landlords have had a choice this long. They own a house they aren't using, houses shouldn't be considered a business. If they don't want to live in it, should be sold so someone can.
People can cause way more damage to a house than an animal.
MysoreMa@reddit
Houses are always, 100%, a business. That will never change.
Glittering_Stock3475@reddit
I'm a tenant and mine hasn't a problem with it. My previous landlord took me on with two dogs, he then sold after 2 years and new landlord purchased knowing I had two dogs. He did ask me for dog registration stuff and I was like idk what that is and they don't have that (not a breed that needs it like an XL bully) and he never mentioned it again. But he knows now the one dog I have left is fine and causes no damage. Thankfully both dogs I've had I've fully house trained and have never been destructive
Queen_of_London@reddit
Maybe he meant evidence that the dog is microchipped?
ukreader@reddit
Yes, our tenant has two dogs. Pets bring me so much joy and I can't imagine preventing someone from having that joy in their life just because they don't own a home.
WesternUnusual2713@reddit
A surprising amount of people believe renters shouldn't be allowed pets at all. "Buy a house if you want a pet" stuff, from the "nation of pet lovers" no less.
You sound lovely and the kind of landlord who make renting a joy. I've had exactly one of those in my adult life.
4321zxcvb@reddit
Tell me you don’t charge the earth and keep the maintenance up to date and we may have found the least bad of a bad bunch .
ukreader@reddit
My personal belief is that people shouldn't own multiple homes, but my husband already owned a house when we met and didn't want to sell it. We don't profit off of the rent, he keeps it in very good condition, and we lowered the rent by £100 last year because the tenant told us she was going through a hard time and struggling to pay her bills.
4321zxcvb@reddit
World needs more like you
4321zxcvb@reddit
World needs more like you
box_frenzy@reddit
You and your husband are good humans ❤️
everyoneelsehasadog@reddit
My old landlord was like this. We got a dog. He offered to put in a dog door for the yard. He didn't put the rent up in 4 years so according to market rates, we were probably underpaying by £400 or so by the time we left. He was so great.
Toastinho@reddit
We have just had to fill out a form asking if our landlord was ok with pets. She responded to the rescue immediately, then sent a message to us saying she would like a picture as soon as we get them. While I'm here, please meet Dorothy and Pig.
Riovem@reddit
Look at Pig's snout!! 🐽
spellboundsilk92@reddit
Ok, I’m curious, where did the name pig come from 😅
Toastinho@reddit
It's not so clear on the photo, but the guy in the background has two black dots on his nose which looks like a snout. My girlfriend immediately agreed, but obviously she named the other one.
spellboundsilk92@reddit
Omg I see it! Perfect name. I love the name Dorothy too.
Thanks for posting your cats - they’re so cute!
Toastinho@reddit
You're welcome, yeah we have hit the jackpot with them I think 🙂
Kind-Tie5236@reddit
Double congrats!!
Weird_Fun1493@reddit
Little sweethearts
ParisLondon56@reddit
We have two cats. I moved in with my bf. Even though they say you aren't allowed them in the listing, they said yes to us. We signed a pet addendum and now we're all together.
Rough-Sprinkles2343@reddit
No I do not. And I won’t be commenting why. I guess this will be an unpopular opinion.
Mikey463@reddit (OP)
No please do comment on why or even DM me I am easy. I understand the difficulties landlords have also.
Itsstillyourturn@reddit
No I won't be due to previous problems & to be honest I could do without the hassle. Luckily I'm in Bristol so it'll just be the next prospective tenant on the list that doesn't have a pet.
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
By leaching from society?
Legitimate-Dream-111@reddit
Leeching from society? You're hilarious. Got a hard on for hating landlords
Representative_Pin80@reddit
In a couple of weeks when the law changes around this, if a tenant asks, what are you going to say?
genxerrr@reddit
No.
moreidlethanwild@reddit
You’re not helping yourself by not giving an explanation. Yes pets can cause damages but Jesus so do tenants.
Harrry-Otter@reddit
In fairness, “you already have one thing potentially damaging your property, so you may as well have two” isn’t the strongest argument I’ve ever heard.
Blind_Warthog@reddit
Why did you call them Jesus?
dbxp@reddit
I'm not a landlord but unfortunately there are assholes who'll get a dog then leave it at home all day so it's constantly barking distrubing others. With how noise complaints don't really work in the UK I can see why landlords wouldn't want them. If it was easier to get rid of shitty tenants it would be easier for the good ones.
Kind-Tie5236@reddit
I live near these bloody people, there's constant loud barking every day, the dog clearly isn’t happy being outside for hours. I'm trying to ascertain which house it is, wondering if the Dog is ok. Family members have been these dog owners, they're homeowners so no-one could prevent them getting dogs when they worked long hours.
I was a Dog walker years ago, met some lovely dogs, great times! There are loads of people wanting dog walking jobs/pricier doggy day care providers.
I didn't charge much, I enjoyed it.
Mikey463@reddit (OP)
Yeah no I agree. And have been in that situation before myself with a loud dog left at home all day. And I have seen on TV how difficult it is for landlords removing non paying tenants, it looks hellish.
MadWifeUK@reddit
We do, but none of our tenants have had pets.
We moved away but didn't want to burn our bridges incase we didn't like it here, so we rented out our house and rented a house here. We have cats so it would have been very wrong if we didn't allow pets for our tenants! Well, we love it here and are settled, so we're buying a house here and when our tenants leave we're selling up. We don't like being landlords. It was a great way to be able to give living here a go, but we're settled here so very pleased to let our house in Wales go.
beernon@reddit
Another skewed question. User asks something on Reddit, a demographic who are more likely to be self-aware and understanding. These responses will not reflect real world landlords or situations.
Mikey463@reddit (OP)
I have had some stupid "All landlords are arseholes" sort of thing. But there have been some useful replies from genuine landlords.
Namiweso@reddit
There’s plenty of evidence of pets causing damage but there’s also plenty of evidence of pets not causing it.
Ultimately it’s a risk tolerance and with landlords, it’s their property, their rules. A pet isn’t a necessity (for most), it’s a luxury.
OPs landlord didn’t really handle the situation the best and should have had a discussion first.
What I will say though there is a big difference between a fish, hamster, guinea pig, cat, dog, reptile, etc. A blanket refusal would be odd to me but I could understand a dog being refused without much discussion.
Not a landlord but if I was, it would depend on the type of property and type/size of pet before I’d allow it. Flat and a dog? Absolutely no chance. Pet has to suit the property.
pickindim_kmet@reddit
We rent out a property and have come across this issue a couple of times. Only two tenants had dogs; the first one got a dog a month before moving out and in that time made such a mess. The second never declared she had two dogs and hid them each inspection. They caused damage to furniture and stains on carpets meaning when they moved out, work needed to be done when it previously didn't need to.
The simple answer is it's just easier, cheaper and less hassle to have tenants with no pets. Last time it was up for rent, we had 8 people in the first day book a viewing. So simply put, why wouldn't we just choose those without pets and give ourselves less of a headache in the future?
Gold-Creme-9597@reddit
I had to rent my place out for a bit and allowed pets. I figure most do far less damage than potential kids.
And I was right, the dog did zero damage, the owner was a different kettle of fish lol.
Illustrious-Star1@reddit
I own a flat and there is a legal covenant for each flat set by the freeholder that no pets are allowed. Therefore I can’t have one there as the owner and neither can my tenants if I rent it out.
grouchytortoise@reddit
If it’s a flat it may be that the freeholder doesn’t allow it (or has limitations - we could only have 1 pet and had to apply + pay a fee as freeholders).
RecentTwo544@reddit
Not a landlord, wouldn't like to be one, however -
Depends on the dog really. Most are fine, most dogs don't smell and any trained dog shouldn't be damaging the property with chewing/fouling/etc.
However a mate had a bulldog, lovely thing but she stank to high heaven. Something to do with the oil produced by their skin apparently.
Once he was on holiday and at another mate's house. I popped round to check on the house and grab a spare X-Box controller. The dog hadn't been in the house for two weeks by this point, but the smell hit you like a wall when you opened the door. He was very clean and tidy, he kept the dog clean and well looked after, but the smell was just pervasive.
When he moved out he had to spend quite a bit on gutting the place to get rid of the smell - replacing carpets, underlay, wallpaper, the lot.
Bear in mind there are non-parastitic landlords out there, perhaps an older couple who downsized but kept their previous house on the rental market to help with retirement. Is it fair on them (or their kids) to require spending possibly several grand redecorating the place if a pet does cause such issues?
TL;DR - I'd check what type of pet it is and judge each case on its merits.
ChrisRR@reddit
My partner rents a flat and pets are banned by the terms of his leasehold, so I'm guessing that'll still apply in May too
No_Worth_2271@reddit
there are next to no affordable properties that allow pets in my area which is why i hide my senior cat whenever an inspection is due. i imagine dogs are harder to hide as they may bark etc but honestly if u want to get a dog, do it. pets make a home
Flashy-Nectarine1675@reddit
4321zxcvb@reddit
Superb!
Brsuk1@reddit
I think if you say no and then they might do it anyway, then starts a bad relationship. Or be reasonable and get honest tenants. Not a landlord but family member is. He did something really reasonable for his tenants I think. 1) Added a clause to wet shampoo carpets either professionally or to that level when they leave. 2) They separately (and legally) did a “£200 Dog Deposit” and that was more just peace of mind.
Blind_Warthog@reddit
Sorry I’m not a parasitic landlord so I can’t answer this.
NarrowOwl4151@reddit
Yes. It means they're more likely to stay.
Cal_PCGW@reddit
I rent out a flat and while I haven't had any tenants with pets so far, I am happy to entertain it, with a couple of caveats. A very barky dog would likely upset the neighbours, which could blow back on me, and any damage or extra cleaning would have to come out of the deposit. Beyond that, I'm fine with it.
YouSayWotNow@reddit
The regulations are changing and from May 1st landlords will need to give you specific reasons for not allowing a pet, and these can be challenged.
So unless they legally get you out before then, you may find that they have to allow pets when you ask again after the new regulation comes into play.
Easy-Equal@reddit
I would allow small pets not dogs though I have done and it has always been a mistake to allow dogs
Low_Understanding_85@reddit
They don't go to heaven when they die!!
Comfortable_Love7967@reddit
I wanted to sell my house and move home but wanted to rent first, 2 working, decent incomes, stable jobs.
Couldn’t find anyone to take us because we have a velocidaschund
DerGregorian@reddit
Changes from may 1st, landlords need to give you a written reason as to why you're not able to have a pet which you can challenge.
buttmunch1416@reddit
I feel like it's unfair to do that to people
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