itegoa Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Currently living (renting) in the UK, and have learnt what a nightmare it is to try and find a house to rent with our 2 dogs. We eventually found a place that would accept our dogs, but we got rejected on 10+ other houses before this one - even though we offered to pay double deposit and the landlord could keep half guaranteed to pay for a professional clean. For the future, we have decided to not mention the dogs when looking for another rental (which we may have to do temporarily again before we move to Oz next year) and deal with it if/when an issue arises. What could happen if we did this in Oz? In the UK the landlord could serve notice to evict us, or maybe landlord could just decide to allow the dogs as we're already in the property taking into account that they would have to re-advertise the property if they did terminate the tenancy. This is immoral, sure, but if you're desperate to get a roof over your head and your famly, then needs must. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Currently living (renting) in the UK, and have learnt what a nightmare it is to try and find a house to rent with our 2 dogs. We eventually found a place that would accept our dogs, but we got rejected on 10+ other houses before this one - even though we offered to pay double deposit and the landlord could keep half guaranteed to pay for a professional clean. For the future, we have decided to not mention the dogs when looking for another rental (which we may have to do temporarily again before we move to Oz next year) and deal with it if/when an issue arises. What could happen if we did this in Oz? In the UK the landlord could serve notice to evict us, or maybe landlord could just decide to allow the dogs as we're already in the property taking into account that they would have to re-advertise the property if they did terminate the tenancy. This is immoral, sure, but if you're desperate to get a roof over your head and your famly, then needs must. If you did that here you would be told to leave. There are normally three monthly inspections here by the property managers - good luck trying to hide the evidence of two dogs. You would also find it extremely hard to rent again. There is also a national renting database and anything like that would be recorded. All real estate agents refer to the database before they let a house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Not only could you be evicted, you may find yourself liable for the re-letting costs. If you break a lease you are and breaking the terms of the lease may be classed the same. Pets aren't always a bad thing, we had guinea pigs and I was getting grief off my OH as he thought it was going to make it harder to find somewhere, we viewed our 'dream' property along with over 20 others and got selected because the owner had guinea pigs! Carpets have to be professionally cleaned at the end of a lease anyway (in WA at least) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Sammy is right if you rent somewhere that is no pets then they can kick you out and blacklist you. Look people still take the risk but obviously you need to be aware of it. I can't remember where you are heading but what I will say is that Cairns and Townsville are really great at renting to people with pets, in fact I would say 95% of properties would accept pets. Melbourne was different and I'd say around 25% when I was there, I don't know if this has changed. Remember though unless the ads distinctly say No Pets then it is worth checking. Obviously they would prefer to rent to someone without. I know in Melbourne people use to offer to pay 6 months up front and a pet bond (legally agents can't ask for this) and that always worked in their favour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itegoa Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 I didn't realise there was a blacklist. Ok, cheers all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxlornaxx Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 yes there is a blacklist that you never want to be on! But i have lied about pets and when three month inspection comes round i just put dogs in kennel for day or get friend to take them..every house i have left i have had to prove that i got carpets professionally cleaned so no trace of dogs is left anyway, if i did ever get caught, i would just lie and say i was looking after them for a day..but im in a place that accepts dogs now (well they accept one pet, i didn't tell them about the other dog!)..easier to find in North Qld, but sometimes places don't allow dogs as it just wouldn't be suitable, like no fences or sharing areas, so depends what reason is for no pets too as to whether i would lie..i don't like lying but i had no choice a couple of times...and my dogs aren't chewers/barkers or anything so i knew they would be discrete! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest226914 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 yes there is a blacklist that you never want to be on! But i have lied about pets and when three month inspection comes round i just put dogs in kennel for day or get friend to take them..every house i have left i have had to prove that i got carpets professionally cleaned so no trace of dogs is left anyway, if i did ever get caught, i would just lie and say i was looking after them for a day..but im in a place that accepts dogs now (well they accept one pet, i didn't tell them about the other dog!)..easier to find in North Qld, but sometimes places don't allow dogs as it just wouldn't be suitable, like no fences or sharing areas, so depends what reason is for no pets too as to whether i would lie..i don't like lying but i had no choice a couple of times...and my dogs aren't chewers/barkers or anything so i knew they would be discrete! When my partner and I rented we had cats without anyone knowing and when it came to inspection time one of us took them for a drive for a few hours. I thought it was worth the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 It really isn't that hard to find a rental that accepts pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Currently living (renting) in the UK, and have learnt what a nightmare it is to try and find a house to rent with our 2 dogs. We eventually found a place that would accept our dogs, but we got rejected on 10+ other houses before this one - even though we offered to pay double deposit and the landlord could keep half guaranteed to pay for a professional clean. For the future, we have decided to not mention the dogs when looking for another rental (which we may have to do temporarily again before we move to Oz next year) and deal with it if/when an issue arises. What could happen if we did this in Oz? In the UK the landlord could serve notice to evict us, or maybe landlord could just decide to allow the dogs as we're already in the property taking into account that they would have to re-advertise the property if they did terminate the tenancy. This is immoral, sure, but if you're desperate to get a roof over your head and your famly, then needs must. If you're that desperate get rid of the dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeGirl Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I don't think "get rid of the dogs" is ever a solution - once you adopt them, an animal is part of your family. I'd never get rid of mine (thus why I imported my rescue kitty all the way from the US to Australia). There are places that will rent to people with animals, though it is challenging to find the right ones sometimes. Worth it, though. And make sure if they say "yes, that's okay" that there's no accidental "no pets" clause in your lease. We caught a clause like that in our current contract and had to have them correct it before we'd sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itegoa Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 If you're that desperate get rid of the dogs. <sarcasm>Sure i'll just get rid of the dogs. And when the weekly shopping bills gets a bit costly i'll get rid of the kids. And when I can save a few quid on shampoo bills i'll get rid of the wife too.</sarcasm> Sometimes things are worth a risk. You have to weigh up the pros and cons (which is what i'm doing at the mo). I had thought of taking the dogs out for a few hours at inspection time, could be a good idea if inspections are announced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest226914 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Inspections are arranged so you can always plan ahead with regards to hiding the dogs. Personally as long as I knew the dogs wouldn't damage the place I would take the risk. My cats were way too important to us to just get rid of them and it is hard finding a landlord that will accept pets. It's your decision but from experience as long as your pets aren't really noisy or destructive you will probably be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy1 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 <sarcasm>Sure i'll just get rid of the dogs. And when the weekly shopping bills gets a bit costly i'll get rid of the kids. And when I can save a few quid on shampoo bills i'll get rid of the wife too.</sarcasm> Sometimes things are worth a risk. You have to weigh up the pros and cons (which is what i'm doing at the mo). I had thought of taking the dogs out for a few hours at inspection time, could be a good idea if inspections are announced. They normally give you notice of a couple of weeks and it is generally in working weekday hours. If no one is home they let themselves in. My big tip to you would be to get a reference for your dogs, it may sound mad, but when I rented I had one and it helped me get a house that had previously had a no pet rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest226914 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 They normally give you notice of a couple of weeks and it is generally in working weekday hours. If no one is home they let themselves in. My big tip to you would be to get a reference for your dogs, it may sound mad, but when I rented I had one and it helped me get a house that had previously had a no pet rule. True but if you know when it is you can take a day off or a few hours off to hide the evidence. That's what I did when I was hiding my cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I've seen several rentals where pets is on a case by case basis. I'm sure the concern is the pets damaging the house or being a nuisance and I've met a few people who claim to be pet lovers yet seem to take such poor care of them. In a furnished rental id say that it would be very bad to breach the policy, but otherwise you take the risk. I'm sure my kids when they were a few years younger did more damage then an average pet could do to a rental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 We don't advertise our properties as pet friendly but have often agreed to allow pets. We have only had one couple lie about having a dog and we evicted them and had them blacklisted. It was more the fact they had lied rather than the fact they had a dog that ticked us off. How did the agent find out they had a dog? - he checks with the neighbours as part of the regular inspection process :cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blossom Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I have also had agents talk to neighbours. And I have known a few people where the landlord lives on the same street. It really isn't that hard to find a rental with pets. I speak as someone with three house cats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tina0101 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I agree that it's not that hard to find a rental that'll accept pets. Lying is is a huge risk - usually it's a 6 month minimum rental term. If your landlord or any of their friends or even the agent are local, do you want to take the risk they see you going out for a walk? If the dog is barking because of storms/other dogs barking would you want to take the risk the neighbours won't say anything? Seems ms like a massive risk to me, considering there are pet friendly rentals out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Baggins Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Wow! I can’t believe the utter disrespect to someone’s property some people have by having pets in rentals when they shouldn’t. As a landlord myself on a house in the UK, if I found that my tenant was keeping a pet when I have clearly said that I do not allow pets, I would immediately terminate their lease. My house is my family home, I have spent a lot of time and money putting decent carpets in and maintaining it so it is nice for tenants so I would be exceptionally angry if a tenant had deceived me by keeping a pet. I play fair with my tenants so I expect to be treated with the same courtesy. I am also a tenant myself out here in Australia and I would not dream of being so deceitful to my landlord. Perhaps it is down to morals, mine are pretty high. I totally respect any house and its rules when I take it on but I guess that it just the way I have been brought up. For anyone saying that they are doing it to put a roof over their families head and it is a desperate measure, there are other options. It may cost you more money, perhaps this is where the problem is. You say your pets are part of the family but maybe they are only to a certain price. Speak to a letting agent, explain you have pets and ask them what properties they have that will allow pets. It may not be the property of your dreams but that is the compromise you have to make. If it is short term put them in dog kennels, ask a friend to temporarily take them on or even advertise for someone local to look after them in their own home for the time being. There’s always a way round things if you are prepared to put the time, effort and money into looking rather than pushing your problem onto an unsuspecting landlord. For the record, I don’t have pets here in Australia because I am renting and whilst all the houses I have rented are pet friendly (as a lot of them are here in Australia) I have taken the conscious decision not to have pets until I buy a house out here so if they cause any damage it is to my own home and not someone elses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 TBH It isnt a risk i would recommend anyone takes. I was involved in the rental process for quite a few years and even though some posts above say you ''can get rid of them on the day of inspection'', it is worth knowing agents may have more than one home in that street so may drive past on any other day and if there are dogs in your garden you will be in trouble and have some explaining to do, not to mention the struggle you may have renting a decent place again. Lots of rentals take pets but don't advertise the fact, so always ask and even offer a pet bond upfront if necessary. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 As a landlord, if a tenant lied to me about pets I would wonder what else they were lying about. The lease is a legal contract. BB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 <sarcasm>Sure i'll just get rid of the dogs. And when the weekly shopping bills gets a bit costly i'll get rid of the kids. And when I can save a few quid on shampoo bills i'll get rid of the wife too.</sarcasm> Sometimes things are worth a risk. You have to weigh up the pros and cons (which is what i'm doing at the mo). I had thought of taking the dogs out for a few hours at inspection time, could be a good idea if inspections are announced. But the kids and wife aren't preventing you from getting a roof over your head are they? You can't be that desperate mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest66881 Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 One missed hair a faint doggy whiff in the air, a shite missed out in the yard the yellow stain on the grass all signs of a dog living in the house, inspectors know what to look for and who to ask if they need to confirm a suspicion (it's the job they signed up for). Put it this way mate are you and the family ok with being out in the street if caught out, on a blacklist with no real hope of finding another house, look around they do exist plenty actually as more people like the idea of a family pet the home owners are on to the idea of a rent increase/bigger bond for such cases:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Why start your new life with the constant anxiety of having lied and worrying about being found out - moving to the other side of the world is stressful enough. I have a friend who rescued a 3rd dog (you are only allowed two in our shire), neighbours complained and they had to get rid of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Can only speak for perth, but we never had that much difficulty in finding a rental with a dog, and that was when rentals were really hard to get. Now, it is a much easier market, so should be very simple to get a rental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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