All the things I wish I knew before I got my first ever puppy!
In a recent survey by dogs trust, 78% of pet owners have had difficulty finding accommodation which accepts pets, 54% were NEVER able to find a suitable property and 8% had to re home their pet.
If you’re currently living in rented accommodation and thinking of getting a dog- or even if you own a lease hold property, getting a dog may not be as straight forward.
Leasehold Property
Starting with the more simple one, if you own a leasehold property you’ll need to check the terms of the leasehold to see if pets are allowed, and if not, then you’ll need to seek permission of the freeholder- getting permission might be easier said that done if you live in a large block of flats.
Rental Property
With an ever increasing rental market, it’s inevitable that a lot of people in rented accommodation will have pets, or will be thinking of getting one. Only 7% of rental properties on the market at the moment are advertised as been pet friendly.
Technically speaking, as long as it’s not specifically forbidden in your tenancy agreement and it isn’t nuisance to the neighbours, it’s okay. And even if it is forbidden, by law it’s very difficult for a landlord to actually enforce this condition.
HOWEVER
1. If you break a no pets condition a landlord could issue a Section 8 notice to evict you under break of clause of contract. You can fight it, but aside from been costly, if your dog is not suitable for the type of dwelling you are renting or it has caused damage then the chances of it going your way is small.
2. Your landlord can issue a section 21 notice to terminate the tenancy at the end of the assured period. The general notice period is around 2 months, this will mean you’ll have to find new accommodation which accepts pets in 2 months. With only 7% of properties advertised as pet friendly this may not be an easy feat.
3. If you’re looking for a property, although landlords can’t legally turn you down for having a dog…they can turn you down on another basis, i.e. they believe you will not look after the property properly, they feel uneasy about you etc.It’s also worth remembering that if you are in a property that is not dog friendly, i.e. not high fences, no gates etc, it is NOT the landlords responsibility to tailor the property to your pet. As long as the property and exterior are at an agreeable living standard, landlords do not need to make any changes.
If your landlord is on board with you having a dog, you can maybe agree something with them where they allow you to alter whatever it is that needs altering, i.e. putting up a higher fence, however this would be done at your expense, and if your landlord wants to, they could say that it would need to be changed back to how it was when you moved in prior to vacating the property. Basically it’s your responsibility- NOT the landlords.
FROM A LANDLORDS PERSPECTIVE
I spoke to my friend who lets out her 2 bed maisonette. To give you a bit of background, she doesn’t own multiple properties, but she was working away so much that it really didn’t make sense for her to stay there. By the time she pays the mortgage and pays her tax on the rental income each month she’s left with around £20- so she’s not exactly rolling in profit from it. Pet wise- she’s grown up with dogs and LOVES them to bits.
WHAT WAS YOUR POLICY WHEN YOU FIRST LISTED THE PROPERTY FOR RENT?
I said to the letting agent that I’d take it on a case by case basis. I ended up turning down 3 people with pets.
WHY DID YOU TURN THEM DOWN?
The maisonette itself is a small 2 bedroom with a tiny garden…and when I say tiny, I mean really tiny! Out of the 3 people who enquired about having a dog, 2 of them had large breed dogs and worked full time, damage aside, morally I just wouldn’t want those dogs living in conditions that were not suited to the breed. The last person had a small dog, but it was young couple and they worked up London all day… I’d completely renovated the property and I really didn’t want the stress of the potential damage that a young dog left alone for 10 hours a day could cause!
WHAT WOULD HAVE MADE YOU SAY YES?
If it was a dog breed that was appropriate to the size of the property and someone was going to be in the property with it, i.e. not leaving it ALL day, then I wouldn’t have minded. Also references from previous landlords would have been needed. In my head I thought well I don’t want to turn down say an elderly couple with a Westie under a blanket no pets ban- but at the same time I didn’t want someone with a whole pack of Newfoundlands moving in!
IF YOUR CURRENT TENANTS ASKED TO GET A DOG WOULD YOU ALLOW IT?
NO WAY. The current tenants have been a nightmare as it is, yes they pay their rent on time but they’ve already caused damage which they are refusing to pay for, the letting agents dealing with it are tearing their hair out with them and their electrician has actually refused to deal with them anymore! I can’t wait to get them out so I definitely wouldn’t be doing them any favours! If they had been good tenants then it would just go back to…will someone be home with the dog and is it an appropriate dog for the property?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THEY GOT ONE AND DIDN’T TELL YOU?
To me I just think it’s disrespectful. I’m not sure what would be worse- them not telling me or if I said no and they got one anyway! But unless I had another reason to evict them immediately I’d probably just give them notice to end their tenancy at the end of that agreement. I definitely wouldn’t let them extend the rental though. I’m not a bad landlord, it’s not overpriced, the property is pristine and if there’s a problem it’s fixed immediately. If they don’t respect me enough to let me know, then I wouldn’t trust them enough to stay there!
DID NOT ALLOWING PETS AFFECT RENTING?
I don’t think so, I ended up having 5 couples want to rent the property, but by the time the letting’s agent conducted the relevant checks only 2 couples passed, after that it was pretty much down to whichever one paid the deposit first- the letting’s agent did all the checks. I didn’t want the stress of been a private landlord!
