Renting With A Dog?

[Naomi]

Hi all. I'm planning on moving out later in the year (finally!).And I don't currently own a dog. My parents have never let me have one, so the big advantage of finally moving out is being able to have my first dog. But I'm not sure how to go about looking for places to rent that will allow me to have a dog. Do I tell the landlord that I would like a dog, and how am I meant to convince the landlord I would be a good dog owner if I don't actually have any previous references etc?

I would appreciate any help. I'm really looking forward to owning a dog finally, and I don't want having to rent get in the way of this. I'll be 20 by the time I move out and I've wanted one since my childhood.

[kat99]

Hi all. I'm planning on moving out later in the year (finally!).And I don't currently own a dog. My parents have never let me have one, so the big advantage of finally moving out is being able to have my first dog. But I'm not sure how to go about looking for places to rent that will allow me to have a dog. Do I tell the landlord that I would like a dog, and how am I meant to convince the landlord I would be a good dog owner if I don't actually have any previous references etc?

I would appreciate any help. I'm really looking forward to owning a dog finally, and I don't want having to rent get in the way of this. I'll be 20 by the time I move out and I've wanted one since my childhood.

hi , i rent and i looked around for a realstate years and years ago and said i wanted a dog . i found one my best bet would be to look at house when u look at the rental sheets. it will say no pets, or pets allowed, or pets considered .

i now rent and own three dogs. and 1 cat and breed and show gpigs, and also am allowed to rescue puppies. it also depends on the owners as well

[Esky the husky]

Look on websites like domain.com.au or realestate.com.au

You can search rental properties that way. In the descriptions of the properties landlords can specify 'NO pets' 'pets negotiable' or 'pets allowed'

So the best place to start is to go for the places that allow pets.

The land lord/ real estate agent may ask you about your pet. Eg how big is your dog?

IF you don't have a pet, which you don't then give them a bit of a description of the dog you would like. Just say "I dont have any pets yet.. but I'm looking a buying a border collie. "

The land lord won't give two hoots as to whether you are a good pet owner on not. As long as their property isn't damaged. So you don't need references for that.

Since your a first time renter (assuming) and you are the same age as me; I will warn you it may be difficult to get people to consider you.

So long as you can convince them that you are a responsible person and not some feral you should be fine.

[LDR]

We're onto our second rental with Timmy (our fourth in 10 years). Our property manager is LOVELY so when we decided to get a dog she pushed the owner to say yes stating that we were reliable / clean / quiet etc (ie better to have us and a little dog then to have a new unknown bunch of tenants).

We got really over living in an apartment and when Timmy was 18 months I approached our property manager who found us a perfect dog friendly place with a yard, we love it here! She is excellent and I must say having her (and her agency) on good terms has made me comfortable that we'll be able move again if needed to another dog friendly place.

So my tip is keep your property manager on side! Itr helps she enjoys getting regular email updates of Timmy too!

[macka]

Personally I wouldn't rent with a dog unless you have someone you can fall back on who can reliably take your dog in an emergency for a few weeks (or you can afford kennel fees for that period).

I hear so many stories about dogs having to be rehomed because tenants are being forced to move and they can't find a dog-friendly property.

It's also worth including a covering letter with your rental application saying a little bit about yourself - landlords rarely get to meet their tenants so will feel more at ease if they think you come across as a reasonable person on paper.

[Naomi]

Look on websites like domain.com.au or realestate.com.au

You can search rental properties that way. In the descriptions of the properties landlords can specify 'NO pets' 'pets negotiable' or 'pets allowed'

So the best place to start is to go for the places that allow pets.

The land lord/ real estate agent may ask you about your pet. Eg how big is your dog?

IF you don't have a pet, which you don't then give them a bit of a description of the dog you would like. Just say "I dont have any pets yet.. but I'm looking a buying a border collie. "

The land lord won't give two hoots as to whether you are a good pet owner on not. As long as their property isn't damaged. So you don't need references for that.

Since your a first time renter (assuming) and you are the same age as me; I will warn you it may be difficult to get people to consider you.

So long as you can convince them that you are a responsible person and not some feral you should be fine.

Yeah I know it's gonna be pretty tough. Unfortunately. How do you go about convincing them you would be a good tenant? Anything in particular they want to hear you say?

Personally I wouldn't rent with a dog unless you have someone you can fall back on who can reliably take your dog in an emergency for a few weeks (or you can afford kennel fees for that period).

I hear so many stories about dogs having to be rehomed because tenants are being forced to move and they can't find a dog-friendly property.

It's also worth including a covering letter with your rental application saying a little bit about yourself - landlords rarely get to meet their tenants so will feel more at ease if they think you come across as a reasonable person on paper.

Thanks. I will do that. I do have a couple of people who I could rely on. I'm hoping that I can avoid a disaster like that in the first place. Either way, I would never give up my dog.

[Guest Tess32]

I just did it - never rented before so had no rental history, and I had one long coated dog.

I found that MOST places do not specify if pets are allowed, most are on application so you just have to try.

I did a resume from pet friendly rentals website and included references for my dog (trainer and next door neighbour).

I got rejected for a lot but finally got into a mostly new unit, and all the units here have dogs too, so it is possible.

[marinapoint]

Hi I've rented in 3 different homes with dogs. Never have we had an issue getting a home and often had quite a few to choose from!

We found that writing down a resume about you and your dog is very helpful and actually often plays to your advantage as the owners understand how dedicated you are to your canine friend. Include things like showing, obedience, etc etc. I also stated that I was very fussy about cleaning after them and that all droppings were disposed of quickly ie no poo lying round the yard!! Saying things about vaccinating, desexing, worming and defleaing all helps. Even though I've never had to do it I also said that we were willing to pay a "doggie bond". I think this also gives them peace of mind that you really are serious about dog ownership and would never want anything to happen to the home.

Be warned, some agents will ask you to sign that the dog is only to be kept outdoors. If you choose to do this anyway thats fine, but we do keep ours inside, so this clause was a pain. In the end we sorted it out with the owners who I dont think knew that the agents wanted the dogs outside! I think it was a standard thing that the agents had us sign without the real consultation with the owners?

Anyhow if I were you I would just be plain and clear and say you would like to get a dog and would the owners be ok with it.

BTW every rental we have had did not say they were pet friendly!!!! They had nothing mentioned about pets. Remember, they would rather take in someone with a couple of spoilt dogs than someone with less desirable qualities!

[Esky the husky]

Yeah I know it's gonna be pretty tough. Unfortunately. How do you go about convincing them you would be a good tenant? Anything in particular they want to hear you say?

Money talks really. Prove to them that you have a job (pay slips) that will allow you to pay the rent. Just tell them everything about yourself that could put you in good standing.

Are you a non smoker? tell them that

Are you a keen gardener? (the only thing my landlords ever complain about is the garden. Not fair, we had no grass when we moved in. Everything was dead. )

Find a reference that isn't your parents, that will testify how clean you are.

Etc

Don't be surprised if you find some of the application forms quite invasive. I filled out one the other day asking me about my previous jobs; how long i had been there. etc. It didn't make me look too good.. They really wanted to know EVERYTHING..

[blacklabrador]

I rent out a house that is pet friendly. I have my first tenant in it at the moment. He is a security guard and has a GSD who goes to work with him. This told me a lot about the situation - that the dog was probably well trained and under control, that it would probably be great security for the property and that it wouldn't be home barking endlessly while the owner was at work.

Make sure you mention any training that you intend to do with the dog, your income, describe the breed of dog you intend to get etc on your application.

[crazyboutdogz]

I rented with 3 dogs and 2 cats and simply offered "doggy damage bond". I offered to add and extra couple of hundred to my bond to cover any damages the pets my cause, they said in my case it wasnt neccessary but Ive known friends that have paid dog bond

[Aidan]

The biggest problem I found was getting the dog to cough up his share of the rent each week. Apart from that he was pretty good to live with, let me watch whatever I wanted on TV and never complained when it was my turn to cook. We both did equal share of the cleaning - nothing.

[lillim]

The biggest problem I found was getting the dog to cough up his share of the rent each week. Apart from that he was pretty good to live with, let me watch whatever I wanted on TV and never complained when it was my turn to cook. We both did equal share of the cleaning - nothing.

well just rub it in why don't you . My doggy housemate is a nightmare to live with, she sun bakes all day while I'm cleaning the house, drools at dinner time and I highly suspect she wears my clothes are her hairs are always on them.

If you a first time renter, you can always ask your parents to act as guarantors for the lease.

[Naomi]

Thanks for all the awesome advice guys. It will be really helpful when I finally get around to moving out! I will keep you updated when that happens. I'm a bit more hopeful about it all really. Just a matter of applying everywhere I guess.

[rose of tralee]

Hi, lost a reply to you yesterday. Main points were to by all means go for the ones that don't specify no dogs as well and be prepared to walk the talk.

We're on our fifth lot of renters with animals on our acreage place; nothing has put me off though I do like to be informed/asked, don't like turning up on an inspection and being told that the Lab I saw roaming along the busy country road was theirs on trial

Although The Dog was not your topic, perhaps you'd seriously consider starting with a mature animal from a reliable source since presumably it will be home alone in working hours.

Good luck!

[Mas1981]

I have rented with pets, 2 cats and a lab, we had no references from where we were with animals and I never battled to get a place, was offered 2 that we applied for and we could take our pick.

[Naomi]

Be warned, some agents will ask you to sign that the dog is only to be kept outdoors. If you choose to do this anyway thats fine, but we do keep ours inside, so this clause was a pain. In the end we sorted it out with the owners who I dont think knew that the agents wanted the dogs outside! I think it was a standard thing that the agents had us sign without the real consultation with the owners?

Anyhow if I were you I would just be plain and clear and say you would like to get a dog and would the owners be ok with it.

Ok so here is my update/current situation.

My older brother lives in NSW, and is buying an investment home in my area. He is willing to rent it out to me and my friend (who owns a cat) and he is happy to let me have a dog but he said outside only...

I was surprised he said this because he loves dogs and owns and inside Labrador and also a cat.

Although my friend and I are still looking elsewhere for pet friendly rent. Soon soon!

*sigh*

[Simply Grand]

How exciting, moving out and getting a dog, yay!

Like others have said, there are properties out there that will accept pets, keep an eye out for them, and anything that doesn't specify no pets is worth a try. I agree with the suggestion to get on the good side of the property manager! If you can talk to her/him about the situation rather than just putting it down on the form you probably have a better chance.

As a landlord, I like the idea of having a 'dog bond', if that can be worked out. I'd also be insisting that my property manager do regular inspections (as often as allowed) and look closely for any damage caused by the dog - so you just need to make sure that if there is any damage you repair it before an inspection!

And for your protection, I'd make sure you have a VERY thorough condition report, and take photos of every area of the house and garden when you move in, with dates. Don't just rely on what the property manager gives you, they can be totally inaccurate or not specific enough. If you're unlucky you may end up with a landlord trying to claim for damage/wear and tear that wasn't caused by you, just because you have a dog!

[Katdogs]

I hate to be the misery-guts here but considering you haven't owned a dog before, and you haven't rented before, could you perhaps wait?

Responsible pet ownership starts BEFORE you get a pet (as you are doing now by asking for thoughts). You have to consider that the dog may be with you for many years. Building up a good rental history might reduce the risk of having problems in the future. Also I remember renting when I was 20 and having to be home by a certain time (any time!) to feed/exercise a dog would have seriously constrained my social life - are you really not wanting to enjoy the fun part of first moving out of home? Maybe another type of pet would be a better start, if you want to build up references for renting with a pet?

Responsible pet ownership may even mean NOT getting a dog. So many of them end up in pounds or otherwise rehomed, in spite of the owners' best intentions when they first bought them.

Just putting this out there, of course there must be many responsible young people now renting who 15 years later will still have their dog with them.

[lanabanana]

I go my first dog when I was 17 and was already renting a flat - we had 3 dogs in the flat - and have been renting ever since (13 years).

Always with at least two dogs. Both here and in NZ.

To be honest, I find it harder here due to meetign the agents, but we were really lucky with our current house as I managed to meet the LL directly and if you can do first impressions that always helps. No good if its an agent though.

I quite fancy a move though and have been looking at houses and there seem to be plenty out there that are dog friendly at the moment.

Good luck