pondhopper2014

Okay, not to raise a panic here, but can someone please encourage me that there are indeed properties to let in the UK? I am looking at the letting agency pages (mainly the ones LetswithPets recommend as we do have a labrador dog) and there are lettings listed, but they all are "let agreed" or "under offer" ?!?!

Someone suggested a private rental, but how do you find those? Hunny is leaving to go find work onSunday (pretty good feedback on his CV so far) but some articles are suggesting it can take up to two months to find a place to live, which he's not going to be able to commit to till he knows what city we are moving to... Which could take a bit. We all want to be there by Christmas, but is this even realistic?!

WOBBLES ALERT!!! Help?

HartleyHare

I know that it can be very difficult to secure a rental with a pet and it may take a little longer or you may have to make compromises on the quality of the rental.

We rent our property out in the UK and even though I'm a dog owner I would have been very hesitant to rent our property out to a pet owner. It's slightly different for us as it is our home that we are returning to (which we have spent a considerable amount of time and money renovating) rather then an investment in which we do not have an emotional attachment. However, I would have considered a per owner if certain conditions were met, so don't loose hope.

I am assuming that hubby will come over and begin to look for work. Like you say, until he's secured a job you don't really know which area you'll be living in. The plus point for you is that as you home educate you're not tied to school catchment areas and the premium that properties in these areas attract.

Once hubby's found the job, personally I would use the Rightmove or Zoopla websites to search for properties. If you find one you like, then contact the agent to find out whether your dog would be allowed. There's some tips here on how to make yourself a desirable tenant: Lets with Pets – Top Tips for Pet Owners Looking for Rented Homes | Property Blog by Rightmove

I don't know too much about locating a private rental directly. Maybe Craigslist or local newspapers.

As to whether you will be in a property for Christmas really depends on how soon your hubby secures employment and the availability of properties. Sometimes there are properties empty and other times you'll need to wait for the tenants to vacate.

I don't know about renting in Canada, but long term fixed leases are as rare as hens teeth in the UK. The vast majority and most common of leases are fixed for 6 months (this is law) and thereafter on a month to month rolling basis. At anytime the landlord can ask for the property back with just 2 months notice to the tenant (although the tenant needs only to give a month's notice to leave). There's plenty of information out there regarding tenancy agreements and this site is very useful: Assured shorthold tenancies with private landlords - Shelter England

When you do find a rental ask what the landlord's position is - is the property a long term rental investment or just a short term let. We made it very clear to our tenants that we would be abroad for initially 2 years and although possible we would remain longer, they should plan for our return.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Shirtback

I'd look at local newspapers (many are online).

The dog may be a problem : I'm a hypocritical cat owner, with a house up for rent in the UK. We won't accept pets . My parents own rentals, and sometimes accept *a* dog or cat, depending on references from previous landlord.

Good luck!

S

fulwood

Well when I move back a) too old to buy property and don't want to; b) will have 2 dogs with me. I am beginning to feel I will need to start a search way in advance of my move which is fine..

pondhopper2014

I have no references from previous landlords as we owned our own home here, we could get personal references about our dog (clean, well behaved, super friendly, never destroys anything except the errant kleenex she finds trying to escape... Good dog. ) but can I prove it? Not really... My husband is getting quite a few calls regarding his CV so I am praying it won't take too long to secure work, but what good is that if we can't come because no one would rent to pet owners? Slightly odd considering the negative reaction I got from people (ex-pats here) when I mentioned cutting back on the number of pets we have i order to make the move easier on potential landlords... Sheesh. Now I've rehomed one cat (happy as a lark), am rehoming the other, rehomed the rabbit, and jave just one dog - going to a supposed dog-lovijg country, and no one wants people with a dog. What's THAT about??

Sigh.

Tirytory

As a general rule, people do not take as much care of as home that doesn't belong to them. Factor in a dog to that equation and it's easy to see why... I don't allow pets either as they can a lot of damage to floors, skirting boards, gardens etc etc..

HartleyHare

Some people are also allergic to pet hair thus narrowing the pool of possible future tenants for a landlord.

dunroving

For private lets, try Gumtree and spareroom.co.uk.

pondhopper2014

So... Then it would stand to reason thatif I started a thread about rehoming pets as we'll be looking to rent a house, no one would attack me like ladt time? Maybe that's the cincher, you can only have a pet IF you among the wealthy enough to buy your house as soon as you get there. *shrug* Makes perfect sense. I just wasn't clear the first time... So I will start looking for a home for the dog now, I guess... Though it's a little frustrating since I've just paid all that money to get her microchipped and all her vaccinations uodated. Someone's gonna get a good dog...

HartleyHare

Back now from making a cup of coffee. Most landlords are going to be concerned with:

Damage
Smell
Barking
Cleanliness/Fleas


Some suggestions when approaching landlords to show you are a responsible owner are:-

Explain that you will be home for most of the day so will be a) able to supervise dog and b) can ensure that exercise/toilet breaks happen.

Be prepared to fit a stair gate to prevent the dog from going upstairs. Our dog was/is not allowed upstairs either.

Explain that the age of your dog means it's out of the chewing/puppy stage.

Landlord will only have your word that the dog doesn't bark all day long, so again point out that you will be at home the majority of the day. If your dog is a barker and you have close neighbours, it will likely get back to the landlord.

Already have planned what will happen with the dog if you need to be out for an extended time - day trips for example. This is more about showing that you are prepared to pay for someone to either walk or allow the dog a toilet break.

Be prepared to pay for a professional clean & carpets steam cleaned at the end of your tenancy. This is a standard clause with our letting agent regardless of pets.

Offer a larger deposit to cover any damage.

Have your dogs records from your vet to prove that the dog was seen regularly in Canada and up to date on all vaccinations/flea treatments.

I wouldn't necessary ask to be supplied with proof that your dog was insured (for medial bills) but you could mention it and offer to supply the a copy of the policy once you've settled. As most of these policies will only be valid as long as your dog is up to date with booster vaccinations you'd probably need to visit a local vet first.

I think that the insurance is a personal choice. Some owners simply save a set amount monthly to cover any potential medical bills, whilst others prefer a policy. We did confirm to our landlord here in the US that the dog was insured and was registered with a local vet. I also supplied a copy of the dog licence that is required in our town, although you don't require one in the UK.

Finally, both Rightmove and Zoopla indicate how long a property has been advertised for, so you could always target the older ones which letting agents might be keen to find tenants for and so make a good case you to the landlord.

HTH

Tirytory

Nobody was attacking you, you asked... I answered a simple statement of fact. I rented a house where the previous renters has a cat. Fleas everywhere, it was horrible. I had to start a new job with flea bites...ugh not a pleasant time. Surely you can understand that however responsible you might be, not everyone is the same and how is landlord meant to differentiate between the two?

I wouldn't re home though, your pool may be narrower to draw from but some house owners won't mind...

MoshiMoshi

For god's sake: plenty of people rent in the UK with pets. As everyone's said, you just have to look a bit harder, and take the time to present yourself as responsible owners.

You haven't even been turned down for any properties yet -- you don't even know what city you're moving to -- and you're already talking about rehoming the dog. That's the kind of attitude that got everyone's backs up last time.

rebs

Things are no where near as black and white as you suggest, Pondhopper.

People in the UK do rent houses with pets, so it is possible - just might take a bit longer and/or cost a little more. As already mentioned, there are some practical things you can do to help your situation.

I would also say it is easier for a landlord to relax a rule when faced with prospective tenants than to tighten a rule, so I would treat all adverts as if they are saying 'pets negotiable' rather than no pets.

If you feel that the best thing for your family is to re-home your dog, then go ahead and do that - no need to base any decisions on what a bunch of strangers on the internet may or may not say.

brits1

Hi,

Best thing to do is contact the agents in the areas you are looking for by either telephoning or emailing them and informing them of what type of home you are looking for and the amount you are able to pay PCM. Most homes to let online have "no smokers, pets, dhs" etc. But if you have a chat with the agents and say you have a pet and its well behaved etc and that you would put a pet bond on the property if needed, they will ask the owner if that would be okay, we have rented quite a few properties in the past and have always been able to find a good home with our dog. Good luck ps auite a few of the "desirable" homes in certain areas listed on say Zoopla and Rightmove have already been let by the time they have been entered onto these sites. Take care

Editha

We bought our house in Devon last year and rented it out for 10 months before we returned. We did allow pets and the tenants who moved in had a dog. We reasoned that since we were intending to recarpet and decorate anyway, it was unlikely a dog would do any damage that cost us more than we were intending to spend.

In fact, there is no trace of the dog's presence in the house, not even a scratched door.

Just a note of warning on length of tenancy: Our letting agent did not tell the tenants that the property was only available for ten months. This was despite my having instructed him to do so and to offer a lower rent in compensation. I did not discover he had misled the tenants until after we had returned to the UK.