Landlords have been asked by an animal home during National Pet Month to spare a moment for our fury friends.
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The Mayew Animal Home in London has appealed to landlords to consider accepting tenants with pets rather than implementing a strict 'no pet policy'.
Mayhew Vet, Ursula Goetz talked about her difficulty finding a property as a cat owner, she said: “I looked at hundreds of properties online and visited many of them only to be continually told that the landlord’s policy meant I could move in but would have to leave my cat behind. In the end I paid hundreds in extra rent to secure a property even though I wasn’t going to be living there for another two months.
The Mayhew CEO, Caroline Yates, said: “We hope that by raising the awareness about this issue over National Pet Month, private landlords will take into consideration how a well-trained pet can present them no problems whatsoever. They will also be directly helping rescue centres like The Mayhew by reducing the numbers of animals arriving to be handed over.”
The Mayhew proposes that Landlords ask pet owners for references from previous landlords and their vet in order to establish they are a responsible owner. They should also ask for all pets living in the property to be neutered, therefore eradicating any territorial marking of the property and unwanted litters of puppies or kittens.
Chris Horne Editor of leading landlord website Property Hawk comments "Landlords with a heart should also see this as a business opportunity. Landlords are experiencing high rates of 'churn' amongst tenants because of the numbers of 'accidental landlords' flooding some parts of the rental market. Securing a tenant with a pet, because of the tenants difficulty in finding alternative accommodation could also mean a premium rent and a long-term secure tenancy."
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I have in the past taken pets, normally wth a higher depsoit been paid.
ReplyDeleteThe other 'issue' that should be pointed out is in leasehold properties the lease will often state no pets so a landlord knowingly taking a pet is breaking clases in their lease.
Best option for tenants is the normal keep quiet about the pet and once they are in and paying on time / otherwise been a good tenant there is no point ending their tenancy due to the pet!
I've recently taken in a couple of tenants with two dogs. I'm hoping Buster and the tenants behave themselves! I agree with the larger deposit because there is inevitably an issue with potentially higher cleaning costs. What a landlord hopes is that the tenants appreciate the landlords gesture and become a long-term tenant. Thats when the strategy really pays off.
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