Renting With Pets?

[PoppyDog]

Just wondering if anyone has managed to rent a unit or townhouse with a small dog?

Any tips of where to look or such places?

Any tips of ways to enhance the chance of being approved for a rental with a pet?

Thanks!

[persephone]

to enhance the chance of being approved for a rental with a pet?

get references from current landlord/housemates etc provide vacc certs and any obedience certificates/proof of training?

[Keira&Phoenix]

http://www.petfriendlyrentals.com.au/downl...all-search-tool

Your just install the extension and when you are looking at rentals on realestate.com it highlights pet friendly places!!!

I tested it. Works you wait a few seconds after the page loads and it circles around each property that is pet friendly/pets negotiable, hopefully this will be helpful for you

Edited January 7, 2011 by Keira&Phoenix

[DogNerd]

Hi Poppydog!

What Persephone said! References and proof of training. That's what I did, I just added extras onto applications. I know there's this website that makes little dog resumes that you can add onto applications. Not sure how they would be received though.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

You may find that units and townhouses will not allow "animals" because the owner's corporation (body corporate) doesn't allow it.

IF you find somewhere which is "pet tolerant" then you may find it's only for owners of units/townhouses rather than we mere tenants.

You may need to find a house instead, which is more expensive but unfortunately QLD is not overly dog-friendly in my experience. It's well behind NSW and the ACT in that regard...

Brisbane City Council is good. The others? Not so much. They're supposed to be improving though.

I moved away from Brisbane because I couldn't find a dog-friendly rental that I could afford that wasn't in a seriously awful neighbourhood. ;) I do have three dogs though.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I should add that I had information prepared about each of my dogs. A photo (important!), a brief description of each dog and their health needs, and copies of their microchip/registration/desexing documents. This shows I'm a responsible dog owner and it shows the property owner and manager that I care enough about my dogs to present them as part of my application rather than just stating I have three dogs.

[TheFenstar]

I've had pets all my renting life and I've never actually told my prospective landlords/agents about them.

I find that there is a LOT of prejudice against people who have pets when applying for properties and that it's easier just not to mention it.

Sure it's deceitful, but given the state of the rental market in Melbourne, you could be looking for months and months for someone that is pet friendly.

That said, my pets have never caused damage and I make sure I am a top notch tennant in all other ways.

I treat my rentals with the uttmost respect and have always had really positive comments from my landlords as to how well I maintain them.

When I lived in the UK they often made people pay a 'pet bond' so that if they caused damage they were covered. it's a shame that more people in Australia don't do this as it is a really good idea.

[silentchild]

For my dog I had a photo (the cutest photo, or one where the dog is asleep), a resume, a cover letter about the dog emphasizing that she is house trained, any obedience training, her daily routine etc etc, all vacccination, registration, microchip papers etc. It's good to be able to convince the landlord that you are a responsible owner, your dog is well-behaved and is a part of your family. Also include references from vets, groomers etc. I went all out and offered to pay an extra pet bond as well and also had an agreement basically saying that in any unlikely event the house or land is damaged due to my dog I would incur all responsibilities and repair fees etc. You probably won't have to go as fas as I did, as I was pretty desperate and my dog being a Rottie that I was determined to keep indoors didn't help lol! It all worked out in the end tho.

Also I didn't just limit my searches to places that were advertised as pet-friendly, I also enquired after properties that didn't mention anything about pets. Sometimes they will consider you if you show you are a responsible pet owner. It worked for me as the house I'm currently renting with Emma didn't mention anything about pets at all and they approved my application.

Edited January 7, 2011 by silentchild

[DogNerd]

http://www.petfriendlyrentals.com.au/downl...all-search-tool

Your just install the extension and when you are looking at rentals on realestate.com it highlights pet friendly places!!!

I tested it. Works you wait a few seconds after the page loads and it circles around each property that is pet friendly/pets negotiable, hopefully this will be helpful for you

Oh that's the website I was talking about, you can create like a 'resume' for your pet to help and show how responsible you are. http://www.petfriendlyrentals.com.au/resources/pet-resume/

[luffy4688]

For my dog I had a photo (the cutest photo, or one where the dog is asleep), a resume, a cover letter about the dog emphasizing that she is house trained, any obedience training, her daily routine etc etc, all vacccination, registration, microchip papers etc. It's good to be able to convince the landlord that you are a responsible owner, your dog is well-behaved and is a part of your family. Also include references from vets, groomers etc. I went all out and offered to pay an extra pet bond as well and also had an agreement basically saying that in any unlikely event the house or land is damaged due to my dog I would incur all responsibilities and repair fees etc. You probably won't have to go as fas as I did, as I was pretty desperate and my dog being a Rottie that I was determined to keep indoors didn't help lol! It all worked out in the end tho.

Also I didn't just limit my searches to places that were advertised as pet-friendly, I also enquired after properties that didn't mention anything about pets. Sometimes they will consider you if you show you are a responsible pet owner. It worked for me as the house I'm currently renting with Emma didn't mention anything about pets at all and they approved my application.

That was about the same thing I did. Currently renting a townhouse. It wasn't advertised as pet friendly but we just asked anyway as it was in a location we really wanted.

We included all vacc certs, registration papers and training certs. Included references from trainers, vets we used and our old neighbours.

[Simply Grand]

Here's my perspective - I work as a Property Manager here in the ACT, I'm a tenant with 2 cats and a small dog (toy poodle x maltese) in the ACT and I'm a landlord in ACT and QLD - so I have kinda a broad perspective...

Basically, best option is actually to be honest about having a pet, if I discovered a tenant lied to me they would probably lose the property regardless of how good a tenant they may be. Rental properties in a body corporate situations have not only the owners' restrictions but the body corporate/strata restrictions that generally don't allow pets - it is possible as either owner or tenant to apply for pet apporoval but it's most often rejected and takes time, even as an owner... so possible as a last resort but not ideal. Any property manager that has or has had pets will probably figure out if you have them but haven't said... ok maybe that's just me but I don't think lying is a good plan.. as a Property Manager, if I found at an inspection that you had an undeclared pet (and you'd have to hide it VERY well for me not to know) I'd be issuing a legal Notice to Remedy...

In a house or seperate title townhouse complex, it is basically up to the owner. Then it seems to depend on the competition for the property and what the tenant will agree to. For example, in my current personal situation - a private rental of one unit in a duplex property - we have an agreement that I can have the pets (two cats and a dog) but I will replace the laundry external door - where I installed a cat/dog flap - and the lounge/dining and hallway carpet (where the pets have access) when I move out.

So the deal is basically that we agree the pets will do minimal damage and I will restore the property to how it was before I moved in, including new door and carpet, no matter what the pets do in the meantime.

As a property manager and property owner I have no problem with pets but I would expect pet owners to take responsibility for their pets and agree to repair ANY damage, including REPLACING carpet for inside animals and paying for a landscaper to maintain/repair any damage or wear in the garden. If you are willing to pay ANY cost resulting from you pet/s, go for it, be honest and put in writing your commitment and references... It's always worth asking about pets, a lot of people will consider them, you just have to be genuinely ready to repair any damage they do.

Also, as a general "how to get a rental property" recommendation, try to get in touch with the property manager and talk to them, explain your situation, it will quite likely help... no guarantees obviously!

Edited January 7, 2011 by Saxonpup

[Kissindra]

Just wondering if anyone has managed to rent a unit or townhouse with a small dog? - yep, and they were fine with us fostering an additional dog and having cats also.

Any tips of where to look or such places? I've found that some suburbs to tend to have a higher amount of pet friendly places, unfortunately the realestate.com.au search function which allows you to search for "pets ok" seems to miss out a whole lot of places who say they are open to pets so I think it is better to just look through all the listings and call and ask the agent of the places you like the look of if pets are ok, unless it says definitely NO pets.

Any tips of ways to enhance the chance of being approved for a rental with a pet? - have references from your vet and neighbours ect. detail the ways in which you are a responsible owner and the ways in which your pet is well mannered. Include a photo of your pets and some dot point info. Photo copy any membership cards to things like dogsQLD or dog training clubs ect. and include those too.

we currently rent with one Cavalier, a Great Dane and two cats - I had pet resumes completed with references ect. and copies of my membership cards, proof of up to date reg. vaccinations and de-sexing certs. and microchip numbers. All of this was slipped into one of those document folders with the clear plastic sections to hold pages and was handed to the agent on the day of the walk through if we liked the property - get in first, have everything together, make it clear they can contact you for any information or to meet your pets in person if they like (they won't bother but it shows willing!).

No offense to Lillysmum but I do recall that she has very definite requirements and views on what fits her criteria, and I think most of us are not anywhere near as exacting in our standards and so would have an easier time of things I know a great many people renting with pets - a few opt not to disclose they have animals but personally I would rather be up front and honest so as to avoid potential dramas if your landlord happens to drive past or is friendly with the neighbours. Most of us seem to have no great drama finding a place

[zizzi]

As a landlord and a pretty lenient one I'd be really angry if someone didn't tell me about their pets. I'm all for people having pets and wouldn't turn down a prospective tenant because they had dogs of cats. We went halves in installing floating floors throughout our rental for the previous tenant as she wanted indoor dogs but previously I had white cream carpet. She pointed out it could be an issue with her older dog so we addressed it.

A pet owner who supplies me with training certificates, vet references, obedience classes, trainer references and especially neighbour references is much more keen and responsible compared to the fulltime worker who gives me minimal information about themselves and all I know is where they work... I like the photos and the personal touch to the applications. Makes me feel you won't be afraid to ask when you do need things done and gives me more of an idea who I am allowing in my house. The tenants in there now invited me over to the rental they were in before ours to meet the dogs and have a coffee.

Remember landlords are people to and many of us have dogs as well!

[Danois]

IF you find somewhere which is "pet tolerant" then you may find it's only for owners of units/townhouses rather than we mere tenants.

Actually, they cannot differentiate between owners and tenants. If they allow an owner to have a pet in a strata then they would struggle considerably to say no to a tenant under the way Body Corp laws work.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

No offense to Lillysmum but I do recall that she has very definite requirements and views on what fits her criteria, and I think most of us are not anywhere near as exacting in our standards and so would have an easier time of things I know a great many people renting with pets - a few opt not to disclose they have animals but personally I would rather be up front and honest so as to avoid potential dramas if your landlord happens to drive past or is friendly with the neighbours. Most of us seem to have no great drama finding a place

That was my ex. You should see the house I'm renting.

It's older and needs work, and in is words, is "a shitter". I disagree. Yes, it's old and needs updating. But it's not forever and it's big enough for me and the dogs. The yard is securely fenced so I have no worries about the dogs and the best bit is the dogs are permitted inside (I have that in writing).

I would never not disclose I had pets. Having been an owner-occupier, property owner with a rental, and a property manager, there is no way I would be dishonest or deceptive about my dogs. If you think lying is okay, when you are found out, you ruin it for everyone with a pet, not just yourself. One of our former tenants didn't advise she intended to get a pup so we didn't know until we visited the property (from interstate) and saw the dog turds all over the verandah (block wasn't fully fenced which is why we said no to pets). PM insisted we had been informed and we had approved it. We insisted otherwise. She eventually checked her records and found that approval was for a different property and owner.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

IF you find somewhere which is "pet tolerant" then you may find it's only for owners of units/townhouses rather than we mere tenants.

Actually, they cannot differentiate between owners and tenants. If they allow an owner to have a pet in a strata then they would struggle considerably to say no to a tenant under the way Body Corp laws work.

Not in my experience.

One of my predecessors had approved an application for a tenant with a dog and a cat for a townhouse. A few months into the tenancy and the neighbours began to complain about the dog and cat. Upon investigation, it was determined that the property owner had never given permission for the pets to be at the property. Therefore, even though two owners in the complex had pets on the property, this tenant did not have permission granted either by the BC or the property owner. It went to court. The tenant won on a technicality but I had to decline to renew their lease a few months after I took over the portfolio on owner's instructions because they were never asked about the dog or cat and they would never have agreed to rent the property to anyone with pets. Their property, their choice.

[Danois]

The owner saying no and the Owners Corp saying no are two different things

An owner can say no to a tenant and that's the end of it as its a condition of renting the property. If the owner says yes then it will be subject to OC approval.

The OC can say yes or no and per my previous post, under the bylaws, if they've said yes to other pets in the strata it is very hard for them to say no to the tenant.

They cannot unreasonably withhold their consent.

This is how it works in NSW in any event.

[cointreau]

I would never rent a property with pets without a written agreement. Once with a rental property with permission to have our dog after moving in and being there for a while we discovered our neighbour was also the landlady. No way could we have hidden our dog from her but as she was aware from the start we had a dog it was never a problem.

[Lucyella]

I have a labrador and a cat and live in a body corporate unit, comprising of 6 in the complex. They are like little houses with a common ground driveway and the area we have is very spacious and private. The agent I rent through had to apply for me to have my pets via the body corporate and seek their approval before my application to rent the unit was successful. Both animals are well behaved and quiet and I had references for my dog from my dog club and previous agents I'd rented through. The agent asked to see my dog, as she's a large breed and she was concerned about the smallish yard (it's not that small, people seem to think labradors need acres) so I introduced my dog to the agent prior to moving in, which was a hit, luckily the agent is a doggie person. I live in a large country town and work close by so I'm very lucky as I can nip home at lunchtime and play with my animals then go back to work knowing they are happy and not causing any problems.

I also live opposite a huge park so the yard was never an issue for me as she sleeps all day and the cats inside. May I say the '4 year old child' in the unit next door to me causes more problems for me and the other tenants with her yelling late at night when we are all snuggled up in bed trying to sleep.

There are other dogs in the complex, a little pug and another neighbours girlfriend has two lhaso apso's (spello) which visit frequently, no one really minds about dogs unless they bark and cause annoyance or if someone on the body corporate doesn't like dogs then you'll have a problem. Good luck with your search and be honest and upfront with the agent and you won't have any worries.

So far I've never had any complaints about my animals (touch wood) while renting, and I'm aware of the other tenants requiring peace and quiet so I make sure she doesn't put a foot out of line when we go to the park via the common ground.

I did have complaints when I had my GSP many years ago, she was whinging when I went to work, and I owned the property and that was extremely difficult to resolve without literally gagging the dog, so she had to be kept inside during the day and I came home at lunch time, just to keep the peace so to speak. :D

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Danois, it's different in the NT. A permission for keeping of pets in a strata title complex is given on a case-by-case basis, and in the case of this particular tenant, as the property owner didn't give permission, the BC also declined permission. The next tenancy had to proceed on a strictly "no pets" basis and this came from the BC, not the individual owner. Hypocritical? Probably. But the strata laws in the NT can allow an owner to keep a pet and not a tenant even when residing in the one complex under the same strata title plan.

BTW - Bodies Corporate are still very old-fashioned (read: backward) in many jurisdictions and this is why so many people (owners and tenants) can have problems occupying these types of properties if they keep pets. I had a landlord refuse permission for a single fish in an appropriately-size tank and only because, "the Body Corp prohibits the keeping of pets," even though the BC allowed both fish and birds to be kept as long as it didn't cause a nuisance or interference with other residents.

I managed another unit in an upstairs/downstairs unit complex...this unit had approval for a dog to be kept (by both owner and BC) even though it's an upstairs unit with NO YARD...so it really depends on individual circumstances and the attitude of whomever is at the Chair of the BC.

There was a case in QLD not long ago where someone had migrated from the UK with their small dog and they had bought a super-expensive apartment in a high-rise complex. They then found out, when trying to move in, that permission for their dog was not going to be given despite earlier "promises" in writing that it would be okay. This is a multi-million dollar property I'm referring to. The owner threatened court action and was finally given the okay to bring their dog into the apartment. This is also a property with other pets but because ONE owner complained about one dog's occasional barking when the owner came home from work, the policy had been revised and there were to be no further or future permissions for pets to be kept at the apartment complex.

It's always going to be tricky whilever you have strata title complexes...it only takes one objection for pets to be banned altogether and that can happen to people already in residence being forced into removing their pets.