Debyork2

Still laughing at Raz's comment about 'if you don't like renting just go and buy a house! VERY Marie Antionette!! Of course owning investment properties is a luxury-anything over and above our basic needs is, there is a quote somewhere, and I can't remember the exact wording, but the gist of it is that all we NEED is food and shelter, anything else is a WANT. In some countries even food and shelter is a luxury, we are fortunate enough to live in a society where most of us at least have food and shelter, but there are many Australians for whom making ends meet is a struggle-and I'm not talking about no-hopers but people who work hard-not everyone is able to be on a high income, SOMEONE has to do all the low paid crap jobs or the country would grind to a halt, and property prices are generally much higher in places where the jobs are, so how is someone on a low income going to be able to afford a mortgage or even to save up for a deposit, legal fees etc? Lets get real here-investment properties(or any investment for that matter) is all about accruing wealth-and there isn't anything wrong with that, it's the basis of our society, BUT don't try and pretend it's anything other than it is! And owning a rental investment property is not a Mother Theresa like act of charity-it's no different to Woolies selling us food!

Storm in a Teacup....

Geez...where did I say I hated investors, say my landlord was evil, or whinge about renting? I have nothing against investors-I just think it's no good complaining about the problems that are part and parcel of owning a rental investment....'OMG my tenants are awful, messy, don't pay their rent and trash the place', 'I don't make anything out of it-in fact it costs me money', then WHY DO IT? I didn't whinge about renting- I said there are some awful landlords-and there are, but mainly I pointed out the positives of renting & that drew criticism for not 'caring' about the house , a good analogy would be a rental car....it is in one's best interest to take very good care of it and return it in the condition it was when you first took it, but would you care if all the wheels fell off it the day after you returned it...of course not. Because you don't 'care' about it-only in as far as it has any effect on you! My landlord is very good-he keeps his end of the deal by keeping the property well maintained and we fulfil our obligations by keeping it clean and tidy and paying our rent, we've been here for 4 years so obviously we are OK tenants, but that doesn't alter the fact that we pay him money-he doesn't rent it to us out of the kindness of his heart & if there was no benefit to him, either long or short term, then he'd be a goose if he didn't sell it wouldn't he? I haven't whinged about paying rent anymore than a lot of posters have whinged about paying their mortgages-none of us like forking out, but it seems to me some people are a bit over sensitive about perceived criticisms. As for the question about buying a house-well, I would be the first person in the queue if I won Lotto but I don't fancy burdening myself with a huge mortgage & break out in a cold sweat every time interest rates go up, neither do I wish to buy a house for the sake of it, there is a perception that everyone in their right mind wants to own a house and that simply isn't the case, a house can be a millstone around your neck-and one quite frankly, I would prefer not to have in my present position.

No. I'm not an accountant-but I am able to do basic maths & if I have paid 80,000 in rent to my landlord then that is 'income' for him isn't it? Just the same as if I paid an employee 50,000 a year-if that employee then went and spent 55,000 a year the original 50,000 is still income isn't it? So, one way or another he is gaining from the rental 'income' he generates on this property, even if the gain is a long term one! Personally, I don't get all this accumulating wealth thing, most people slave their whole lives at jobs they usually hate-for what? So when they retire they can have financial security-if(and it's a big if) they are fortunate enough to stay healthy they might get twenty or so years to enjoy the fruits of their labour. To provide for their children? I've known plenty of parents who have slaved all their lives for their children only to have the children squander it all or prove totally ungrateful-the accumulating of wealth is in my opinion a grown ups version of a 'blankie', it makes us feel 'safe', but it's an illusion, we become slaves to our possesions and less free to spend time doing the things that REALLY matter, no matter how much money or property we accumulate we all end up the same way...dead! Personally I'd rather look back on my life and say 'I spent lots of time with my family & enjoying the things I like doing', rather than 'I spent all my life working, didn't have much time for anything else-but I do have heaps of money and 'stuff'!' I certainly don't class landlords as being universally awful-there are great landlords, and some that are truly awful-just the same as there are great tenants and terrible tenants. And I can understand the frustration of dealing with less than perfect tenants but that is the 'downside' of owning investment properties, and that is what bonds and insurance are for-I don't agree that the 'big fish' investors are any worse than the 'Mom & Pop' investors-in fact the bigger investors tend not to have any emotional investment in their properties and as long as the money rolls in don't much care about anything else-it's more about supply and demand-if the rental market is tight you'll get landlords applying more conditions and hiking up rents-if there is a surplus of rentals then they'll ease up on the conditions.

Storm Warning....Storm Force.....

Exactly-well said Nekhbet There are many people in this country who would be thrilled to own a house of their own, and there is no doubt that the 'investment' buyers have made it a lot less affordable to do so-I just try to look on the positive side of renting. Beats me why people take on these huge mortgages that must be a constant worry-I'd rather rent thanks!!

Our mortage on our rental has gone up $400 a month in the last year, yet our rental income is exactly the same is it was a year ago and you whinge about $40 in 3 and half years As for the second comment I am sure your landlord who has paid for your dishwasher, air conditioner and plumbing to be repaired and probably done it tough themselves to ensure the repairs were carried is probably esctatic you care so little about the home you rent. Seriously after listening to all the landlord bashing going on, it makes me wonder why I bother going to the trouble of having PET FRIENDLY rentals, maybe that's why so few long term landlords bother So if it's such a burden...sell it! And I don't feel too bad about the landlord having to cough up for repairs, he's generated about 80,000 in rental income whilst we've been here, had the house perfectly cared for & never had to worry if the house was being kept up to his standards. I have no emotional investment in this house, and no, I don't care about it as such, I do however look after it very well, we ALWAYS get 100 % of our bond back, always pay the rent on time and are generally perfect tenants-what more could a landlord ask for? Don't expect me to get all misty eyed about a rental house!

Australia is so behind in some ways-there must be thousands of dogs living happily in apartments in the US and Europe yet it seems rare that units here allow pets. And rents go up and up, ours has risen by $40 a week in 3 1/2 years. I think in a lot of cases renters are regarded as 'second class citizens', God knows why-I can afford to rent a much nicer house than I could buy, don't have the burden of a huge mortgage to pay, don't have to have a nervous breakdown every time something blows up (we've had dishwasher, air conditioner and plumbing repairs in the last six months and was very relieved not to be footing the bill!), never stuck in one place longer than the length of the lease, if a cyclone blows it off the face of the planet I don't care as long as we are all safe, so there are big advantages to renting as well as the obvious drawbacks.

We have been renters for quite some time and have never had any great difficulty finding a house. I think it is probably easier with small dogs, when we applied for this house we had to provide photos of the dogs with our application. Have been here nearly four years with no problems. I think it is easier when you have a previous record of no problems, 100% bond refunds etc., but there are sometimes problems thru no fault of the tenant-there are a lot of dodgy landlords and real estate agencies out there! It always makes me angry to see some dreadful old hovel advertised for rent and they say 'no pets'-they should be so lucky! I would NEVER give up the dogs for the sake of a house-I'd rather take the tent and live out in the bush somewhere!!

Oh no-not poor ratties! I have two pet rats and they are delightful, and despite all the bad press they get they are very clean-they even wash their 'hands' and faces in their water bowl after they've eaten!! Cats get bad press too-so many people seem to have an unreasoning hatred of cats for some reason, as another poster said it's humans that are the problem.

Beautiful Luckypup! I worked for 12 months in a salon and we used to get some dogs come in in a dreadful state-I remember one that was so flea infested that the bath water just looked like blood, lovely sweet dog too, the owner said 'she might have a couple of fleas', couple of thousand was more like it! And dogs so matted that their hair came off in a single piece, and owners who brought matted dogs in and then said 'I don't want it cut too short'! No idea, some people. I suppose at least they care enough to bring them to a salon-makes you wonder about all the dogs that are out there in an awful state.

It's always interesting seeing different breeds, the market is always great for dog spotting and for the most part everyone is well behaved, it's nice to see people enjoying a day out with their dogs, I can remember seeing some of the first Bichon's and Chinese Crested's in Qld and I used to have a Dandie Dinmont-still a rare breed, my Mum and I actually bred the first litter of Dandie Dinmonts in Qld for God knows how many years, nobody was interested in the pups for showing, I think all but one went to pet homes. Now, thanks to Harry, Dandies have a much higher profile. I also saw a Flat Coated Retriever last week!

At the local markets today saw a Catahoula Leopard Dog, a Boston Terrier & two Tibetan Terriers, guess the Tibbies aren't really rare but Catahoula Leopard dogs are a bit thin on the ground!

Still laughing at all these posts...I have to CARRY mine outside to a the concrete floored garage if it's raining, I do cut them a bit of slack due th their age but still...... Reminds me of a story I read by American humourist Dave Barry who is obviously a dog lover, he has two dogs and a screened in porch, when he removed all the screening but not the door one of his dogs would still sit expectantly in front of the door waiting for it to be opened. If he didn't open it she would pee on the floor and despite his best efforts never cottoned on that she could just walk around the door!

You may be able to find a job in a grooming salon-they seem to be everywhere these days, obviously you wouldn't be let loose with clippers etc at the beginning , I used to work in a salon that a young girl used to just do bathing and drying-she had the opportunity to go on and learn to clip, scissor etc, as it happens she didn't want to but I'm sure there would be positions such as hers available. I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it (to early in the morning to read all the posts!) but AQIS uses dogs and I have seen them advertising in the past for trainee dog handlers... also the armed forces but not sure if they have female dog handlers-surely they do in this enlightened age

I've had toy dogs for the best part of thirty years (I know, I'm ancient!) and I would say a definate yes to the fact that they can be more difficult to toilet train, I have a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chi, both quite elderly now and although I invested a lot of time & effort in toilet training them when young neither of them are trustworthy, if I go out I crate them. My Mum had a Great Dane that would rather have died than do something inside, mind you it is a lot less of an issue if a Chihuahua has an 'accident'! Toy breeds don't need the same level of exercise as a big dog-not to say that a walk isn't beneficial for them, when mine were younger they had a decent walk every day, now they just have a gentle evening stroll. The main issues, I have found, with toys (and my main experience is with Yorkies) is teeth-you really need to keep on top of keeping their teeth clean, some toys are very fond of the sound of their own voices (a nice way of saying yappy!) and this drives some people nuts, grooming can be an issue, I used to work at a grooming salon and the state of some of the little long haired dogs that came in had to be seen to be believed, matted, overgrown nails etc. etc. Some toys can become tyrants-mainly because they tend to get away with stuff that a big dog wouldn't. There are lots of good points about owning a toy, they are great company as they tend to be very people orientated & like to be with you all the time, they are very 'portable' and can go just about everywhere with you, they make great 'footwarmers' in bed, they don't cost a bomb to keep well fed and they usually have a long life span. Another thing with toys is that as an owner of a little dog you always have to be aware of potential dangers from big dogs-I have never let mine off lead in public areas, just too risky-and toys aren't terribly obedient and usually have an inflated idea of their size and capabilities! I think the lady in question would be fine with a toy dog, it's not the end of the world if she doesn't take it to obedience or go for long hikes-as long as she can live with the cons of a toy and is prepared to deal with the special needs of a little dog.

Thanks Crisovar.....I'll give them a ring.

I'm trying to find a supplier of MalAcetic shampoo in Australia but not having any luck-do any DOL'ers know of someone who stocks it? I have found the wipes but not the shampoo, I bought some from UK and am very pleased with it-seems to work as well as Malaseb but not as laden with chemicals. I can continue getting it from UK but it works out to be a bit more expensive than Malaseb because of postage costs. It is made by DermaPet. Thanks in advance for any help!

Make sure your knicker elastic is in good nick......back in the Jurassic era( late 70's early 80's)when I was showing I saw a lady handler lose her knickers in the ring, luckily she had a toy dog so wasn't travelling at great speed, her knickers just slid down her legs and landed around her ankles, now here is cool, calm and collected for you-she just paused, took them off and continued gaiting her dog. Everybody was hugely amused of course but nobody said a word-the judge and ring steward were very tactful and pretended it didn't happen!!!