Renting With Dogs

[twodoggies2001]

Money is the most most important thing to a landlord. If two candidates are equal in all other ways, dogs will be a deciding factor against the applicant.

The application forms ask if you have pets and if so what type. Others will ask if you have cats , or dogs and if so what breed. I suppose the agent/landlord is determining size and traits of the dogs from this and whether they may cause issues with the house, garden or neighbours.

In Victoria putting down bull terriers would not be favourable.

Money is not the most important thing to the landlord at all. There is no point from the landlord's point of view in having a higher rent and a poor quality tenant. In our case, we would rather have a lower rent and a better tenant who would ensure the property is swell looked after. In our own case, we have had many long term tenants and have not raised rentals or kept the rises low, because we appreciate good tenants.

[huck house]

Rent on tme is the most important thing to the landlord.

[Isabel964]

I rent with 2 dogs and 2 cats no problem. My rental application came with good references for me and the pets. I included a cover letter that explained that I washed them, fed them, walked them, that they were toilet trained, leash trained, well behaved etc.

I do not bother looking at or applying for houses that are advertised 'No Pets" because on these properties the owner has made that a non negotiable.

I don't bother with properties that show plush carpet, fancy curtains.

I look for houses with non-carpeted floors (alot will have carpet in the bedrooms but that tends to be ok). Non-carpeted houses tend to be more pet friendly, after-all floorboards etc are easier to keep clean.

I look for simple grassed gardens, and very secure fencing.

When you move in, its a good idea to meet the neighbours, introduce yourself, explain you have dogs and if they have any issues to please let you know. It may save some person complaining to the council. fencing is critical. If you do not ensure the fencing is secure it can cost you HEAPS to fix it yourself. The landlord will not fix a fence that your dog gets through. My landlord has stipulated on the lease that he will not incur any additional expenses just because he allied dogs to live here.

if your dog(s) get through the fence into a neighbours property it is not good for neighbourly relations...especially if they have children or chickens etc. You need to avoid all issues as much as possible, and fencing is really important. The other major complaint people have is barking - they complain to the landlord or the agency and its a nightmare for people who go through that.

Since you are new at renting, I would include references from your parents and from respected people who know you. This might be a teacher, what about family friends that are police officers, lawyers, managers...anyone really that write a reference that states they have known you for x years and you are a lovely young lady who volunteers at the xxx, did really well in school, loves her dogs, and is a responsibility pet owner etc.

if you were class caption, in the Girl Guides, volunteered somewhere, have been working part time since xxx, have saved up and bought your own....., are saving up for a deposit on your own home....include whatever you can about yourself that lets people know you are a responsible person who will take good care of the property.

Remember, all property owners and agencies want is someone that will pay the rent in time, and take good care of the property and not annoy neighbours.

PS: If you find it difficult to find a rental with your pets, lower your budget a bit so that you can make an application with all your references etc - and then offer a higher rent. Just $10-$15 a week higher can make a big difference. Also if you can offer to increase the bond, that can also give property owners some assurances.....so if the bond is $2000, offering more might help. While I would prefer lower rent and a better tenant, it is my experience that the majority of property owners are focused on return for investment and money is an important factor. Therefore if you offer references and assurances, plus more money - it DOES increase your chances.

Hope that helps.

Edited January 2, 2012 by Sky

[Jasslyn]

I am in my first ever rental with dogs, but it is an employer provided house so I didn't have to jump through any hoops to get it, therefore I can't help with the hoop jumping. But later this year I plan to rent out my home in Melbourne and I would be happy to rent to someone with dogs, provided they can prove they are the "right" kind of owner. If Troy will allow it, when the time comes I will probably let the DOL community know that the house is available for rent as I think I'd like to have a long standing member of the DOL community in my home.

What I'll be looking for in a renter with pets, and what will get them the house over someone else, is:

- a short bio about their dog(s). I think you can tell a lot about how a person cares for their dogs by how they "talk" about them.

- information about the breed (really important because my yard is secure for big dogs but maybe not little dogs) and perhaps explanations of common misconceptions. For example, most people think that border collies need heaps of exercise and huge yards to be happy. Most border collie owners though will tell you that you can walk a border collie for 10kms without them showing signs of fatigue but working their minds for a series of 5-10 minute training sessions throughout the day will tire them out and keep them happy. So I would explain that and then also go on to say what I do with them to exercise their minds.

- details of any training/trialling/dog sports they are involved in

- details of their vaccinations

- whether they are desexed or not

- if you plan to have them in the house I'd want to know whether they are toilet trained and if they are used to being inside. I.e. do they know not to chew on power cords, etc.

- An acknowledgement that you are responsible for any damage your dog causes, even if you don't expect any. For example, I like to have my dogs inside. I will happily pay for the carpets to be cleaned when I leave if the dogs cause any soiling (that said, the carpet is not great to start with). I don't expect that they will soil, but if my employer comes in and says "they've made a mess of the carpet", I'll pay for it to be cleaned no worries. If they dig holes in the yard, I'll fill them. If there were any plants for them to destroy and they destroyed them, I'd replace them.

[caninefriend]

I always fill out the application before I go and give it on the spot if I like the place - I think it leaves the impression that your are organised adn eager.

I'm not sure what documents would be useful for you as mostly they want previous rental ledgers, previously i have also been asked for written references, character references, and a statement from my employer about how much i earn.

A friend of mine recently was allowed a dog in her rental if she agreed to flea bomb the place upon vacating - she felt this was a small price to pay to have her dog with her.

happy hunting.

[Nadsi]

I would definitely recommend being super organised and filing out applications with photocopies of IDs ready before you inspect a property, as well as pet resumes. If you provide evidence that you're a responsible person who looks after their animals, they will consider the dogs (if the property is pet friendly). I am so glad that I was honest about my animals when we moved in,we even individually listed the rats we owned. The landlord accepted our aplication for a dog to move in within a day of submitting it. It's allabout honesty and evidence that you're aresponsible person.

Don't be dosheartened if you don't get the places you want right away, it will happen:) I hopeall three of your dogs get to move in with you!

[Silvawilow]

As a landlord myself I would say just be honest! We allow pets in all our properties (but don't advertise that we do on the listing) simply because we're animal owners ourselves, one of our properties was designed and landscaped with animal owners in mind both inside and out!

We get the real estate to ask the potential tennants if they have pets even if they ticked "no" - if they change their answer and say yes then that's great no drama- if they still say no and I find down the track that they do have pets then there's a big problem - which usually results in them vacating in a month or two. Besides liars we have found the biggest issue we've had as far as damage goes is bloody indoor pot plants - people overwater them and spills on carpet and staining it.

[Jade~Harley~Bella]

Money is the most most important thing to a landlord. If two candidates are equal in all other ways, dogs will be a deciding factor against the applicant.

The application forms ask if you have pets and if so what type. Others will ask if you have cats , or dogs and if so what breed. I suppose the agent/landlord is determining size and traits of the dogs from this and whether they may cause issues with the house, garden or neighbours.

In Victoria putting down bull terriers would not be favourable.

I've found that age has been the deciding factor when you have two great applicants, not dogs.

When I was renting I would only ever look at place that stated pets were negotiable. I only lived in two rentals with our pets, we never did resumes or any of that stuff. We did take Bella when she was an adorable little puppy to one inspection though and once we had a rapport with the property manager ended up getting a beautiful house through them.

I suppose if the rental market is tough at the moment, a resume may be helpful. But honestly I will going to be doing a property managers course soon and the deciding factor for me in picking people would be the tenants ability to look after the house and pay rent on time.

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[Guest donatella]

Money is the most most important thing to a landlord. If two candidates are equal in all other ways, dogs will be a deciding factor against the applicant.

The application forms ask if you have pets and if so what type. Others will ask if you have cats , or dogs and if so what breed. I suppose the agent/landlord is determining size and traits of the dogs from this and whether they may cause issues with the house, garden or neighbours.

In Victoria putting down bull terriers would not be favourable.

I've found that age has been the deciding factor when you have two great applicants, not dogs.

When I was renting I would only ever look at place that stated pets were negotiable. I only lived in two rentals with our pets, we never did resumes or any of that stuff. We did take Bella when she was an adorable little puppy to one inspection though and once we had a rapport with the property manager ended up getting a beautiful house through them.

I suppose if the rental market is tough at the moment, a resume may be helpful. But honestly I will going to be doing a property managers course soon and the deciding factor for me in picking people would be the tenants ability to look after the house and pay rent on time.

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Except i'm pretty sure the owner has the deciding factor in who the tenants will be so you can schmooze the agent and hope your application will be the only one he/she puts forward otherwise you do need to make sure it counts on paper as well as you rarely get to meet the owners.

[poochmad]

ohh thanks for the tips about the resumes. sadly down in canberra its pretty much impossible to rent with pets. ive got a dog and cat and there is like zero accomodation. am told straight away no pets. makes it hard so am living with mum who drives me a little bonkers. cant wait till i can afford my own place. dsmn rental market

What about moving out of Canberra, say Yass or Goulburn? They seem to be a lot more relaxed in country towns, the rent is a lot cheaper and there are a lot of commuters that you could hitch a ride and share the travel costs.

[Jade~Harley~Bella]

Except i'm pretty sure the owner has the deciding factor in who the tenants will be so you can schmooze the agent and hope your application will be the only one he/she puts forward otherwise you do need to make sure it counts on paper as well as you rarely get to meet the owners.

You've actually got to get it to the owner though. And I would say the owner would be taking recommendations from the property manager as they are the professionals ;). The last house we rented the owner wasn't 100% sure how many dogs we actually had until we met him and he asked. He was very anal about everything to do with the house too.

And it all depends on the PM as well.

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[Guest donatella]

I'd be pretty unimpressed if a property manager decided not to put my application forward just because I didn't schmooze him up.

I never stand and make friends with the property managers, I come to look at the properties, my application says it all and i've always gotten every property i've applied for.

[mace]

Question: Can they actually throw you out if caught with a pet against the lease contract? Someone told me one if the landlord accepts the rent payment knowing you have a dog is an admission of acceptance and can over-ride the contract? I know a couple of people who have not declared owning a dog and were in the rental for about 3 years after they got dobbed in by a next door neighbour?

I am not advocating to be dishonest when applying for a rental, but I did wonder what the law actually is in this regard as I have never known anyone to be actually booted out for breaching pet rules, seen dramas over it, but no evictions?

[Isabel964]

I always make sure I make a good impression with the property manager, even though my application stands up very well on its own. Alot of people's applications stand well on their own. Good job, good income, good references....alot of people have those. If you have pets you are likely to be at a disadvantage so ensuring you make a good and memorable impression on the property manager is a good thing to do.

Interested in responses to Mace's question..... can a tenant be evicted when found to have a pet not disclosed on the application?

I suspect the answer is yes because all leases I have signed have a default section that states you have no pets - if you don't get pets added to the lease and that no pets section crossed out - you sign the lease, and you are found to have pets, then you must be in breach of the lease....so you I would have thought you could be told to get rid of the pet or be evicted for breach of the lease.

That said, I can't understand how tenants refuse to leave premises.....as seen on A current Affair ads from time to time. I thought the police came in, the locks were changed....and you would be forcibly removed. So I obviously don't understand the law properly. Since I intend to become a property owner with tenants, I am very interested in how this all works.

[Guest donatella]

Question: Can they actually throw you out if caught with a pet against the lease contract? Someone told me one if the landlord accepts the rent payment knowing you have a dog is an admission of acceptance and can over-ride the contract? I know a couple of people who have not declared owning a dog and were in the rental for about 3 years after they got dobbed in by a next door neighbour?

I am not advocating to be dishonest when applying for a rental, but I did wonder what the law actually is in this regard as I have never known anyone to be actually booted out for breaching pet rules, seen dramas over it, but no evictions?

I presume they can be given notice to evict (which is usually a few months time) for breaking terms. It gives enough time to find another property but they won't get the reference from the agent.

[coogie]

You can be evicted for having a concealed dog(s) under general breaches - the amount of time you are given to vacate would depend on the breach in Qld. If you are in arrears in rent for example, it is 7 days before you can send a breach notice, seven days for the tenant to remedy and then if they don't it is 14 days after you get the notice. General breaches are usually around 1 months notice. We have always allowed pets at our rental,money has never been the deciding factor,rather number of people,pets, references etc. We get to see all the applications that pass the property manager checks and referencing. Sadly not all property managers are honest and we have had some shocking experiences.

Tenants are not always honest about the number of pets either , which is a major problem here because the number of dogs allowed depends on the size of the property - not sure if this is true in other states. We had one tenant who ran foul of the council after complaints from the neighbours,they had stated they had two out door dogs. They had 5 dogs -all indoors as well as out, the dogs barked incessantly and fouled the carpets in every room. (We don't stipulate indoor or outdoor as I figure it depends on the owner and the breed), we do ask that in addition to the usual carpet cleaning they get a professional pest controller to spray when they leave. Anyway back to the tenants from hell -the yard was full of poo and the flies and smell was horrendous. The neighbours asked them a couple of times to sort it out, reported them twice to the property manager and then finally rang the Council - it got very messy and eventually they had to leave - they left owing rent and the house was in a shocking state,the bond did not even come close to covering the repairs,fumigating and cleaning and combined with the bills and the loss of rental income whilst it was all sorted out, we very nearly lost the house.

Needless to say we got rid of the property manager along with the tenants as we had received reports saying all was fine when the filth in the house was clearly months old - I now insist on any pets being listed on the lease, proof of registration of any relevant animals with the Council within a reasonable time of them moving in and an undertaking to maintain the yard in a reasonable (poo free) state. I am past caring if the property managers think I am picky and obsessive and find most decent pet owners would do most of the things we ask anyway and so don't see it as unreasonable. I don't ever want to say no pets but came pretty close after this little episode,luckily our current tenants(and pets) are lovely.

I guess my point after all that rambling is I would do a resume for the dogs, I am always impressed when people go to a bit of trouble and certainly here the owner does get to see all the applications and choose the tenant.

Edited January 4, 2012 by coogie