miss piggy

We are gearing up to our move back - hopefully within the next couple of months. We are bringing 2 dogs & 3 cats back with us & are hoping to rent somwhere in the SW -Bristol/Bath area for the first year .I have temporary, pet friendly holiday accommodation booked for our initial return but need to get something better (cheaper !) sorted out thereafter. @ questions - what is the rental market like in the UK at the moment & how does one go about renting with such a menagerie ?

stmatt

Hi

I think there is going to be a increase in the number of properties in the Uk because people can't sell and are renting their properties instead. We have rented out house out this year while we are in Australia and would have been happy to take pets. It is a family home and we had pets ourselves. However this was to be at our discretion. So if you see a property you like the look of, don't assume they won't allow pets but ask about it.

Landlords may ask for a bigger deposit and stipulate that you correct any damages.

hth

Karen

Dessiree

Hello
Try www.petfriendlyrentals.co.uk

they sometimes have stuff.

TaraC

Something to be aware of when you're looking . . . many places you see online will say no pets but are actually more flexible than they make out, especially if you're looking for unfurnished, so it's a good idea to ask about a property you're interested in and don't just assume it's no pets. Both the places I've rented since I've been back have said no pets in the details but took my cats without even a deposit. The rental market is definitely opening up and many houses have been on the market for a while so the landlords seem to be more open to pets than they were.

Good luck.

miss piggy

That's really encouraging -thanks. I have noticed that the same houses are appearing on the search engines for some weeks - which as you say might mean that they are more flexible(fingers very firmly crossed).

When we left England all family houses were being let for 12 month minimum period- any likelihood of getting 6month rentals nowadays (I know flats are easy for this - just wondered about houses ) ?

stmatt

Hi

The tenants in our 4 bed house took it as a 6 month rental (and they've been on a 1 month rolling contract since) so yes, you can.

Karen

gotoronto

Not regarding animals, but you should note this:

If you don't have a job and don't have a credit rating, you may struggle to find something unless you are able to cough up a lot of dough in advance. All properties we looked at before I found a job wanted 6 months rent plus 2 months deposit. Luckily, the day I found a job we managed to find a flat and our credit rating was still superb - so we did not have to go through this! This is from a London perspective, though, might be easier elsewhere.

paellataffy

It always amazes me - as an animal lover - that landlords get into a paranoid frenzy about accepting tenants with cats or dogs, but have absolutely no problem in allowing people with badly behaved toddlers free rein. My (five) cats have never caused as much damage as kids in some of the places I have rented.

rusty100

I couldn't agree more with Paellataffy's remarks. We have 2 dogs, amongst other animals, and had to deal with that sort of 'no pets' nonsense when we were looking to rent. It often changes when they sense the prospect of money from a decent tenant though.
One tip to make you feel better: If they don't give reasonable consideration to taking one or two well-behaved pets when asked nicely by a decent tenant, this is probably quite a good indication that you don't really want to rent from them anyway. In my experience, people like that want everything their own way. They want your money, but they don't really want to rent their house out, and if they do, they won't consider it to be your home for which you are paying them large sums, they mentally ignore the fact you are paying rent and consider they are doing you a favour letting you live there. They are likely to be a real PIA and will try to impose unreasonable restrictions and never leave you in peace. Spend your money with someone more reasonable instead, they are out there.
Lots of people have children that I wouldn't have in my house, I can assure you.

Best wishes

kizbut1

Hi Guys, I know, long time no post, been stuck up ones own bottom sorting out a life here in frosty Bewdley. As for rentals, it was a nightmare for us, we'd have to wait 2 days before the owners would get back to us, only to refuse us we have 1 dog and 2 girls 9 & 12. We were even accepted for one (with double bond because of the dog!) only to have it refused 3 days later because they were 'putting it on the market', yeah right... We are responsible people and my OH is a vet, so animals come with the territory. I suppose it could also have something to do with the area? I noticed there were a lot more houses for rent in the Lincs area and they seemed to be more animal friendly. Anyhoo, good luck with it and keep looking, if its any help I think if you can find a good rental agent, it would help - ours are a bit officious and given the choice we wouldn't use them again. As for the bond, it was put up, but we'll get it back. I have to say that renting in this climate is a lot less scary than owning a house, so at least you will have that going for you
Jo

USAGypsies

This thread is very interesting for us because we have 2 cats and a dog. Our 2 cats came with us from the UK in the first place. Our dog is a small 'taco' terrier/chihuahua and a good family dog - no behavior issues. What do you see our chances at with 3 furballs?

Twigstar

When we returned in April I did it all by the net from Florida. I knew what area I was going into and checked out the variuos estate agents sites. Came across this house and e-mailed the agents explaining we had a labrador. 1 day later the owner was in agreeance and we were accepted. Had to do 6mth up front and at the end of that (Nov 1st) had to pay the next 6 mths up front.Also it is written in the lease under special clause that we will have the place professionally cleaned and de-infestation treated when we leave. Luckily I had secured a job before I embarked on any of this as I decided to return to the company I previously worked for just a different area.

cricket1again

It's a good idea to get an up to date, signed vets reference which states that you have been known to them for some time and that you are a caring and responsible pet owner and that all your pets are in healthy, clean condition and are well behaved and used to being indoors.

A letter like this will often help in cases where you've got numerous pets and an uncertain landlord. I rented a property to a lady who presented me with a vets reference and it convinced me that she was responsible and her pet well behaved. She was fine.

notacrime

We have a cat, and when we researched our move to Edinburgh we were freaked out by the fact that most places said 'no pets' in their website listing. But in reality we've had no trouble at all.

I suspect the website listing services have a place for 'pets yes/no' when you post a place for rent and it defaults to no. (Typical Britain, there's a box for it so you must fill it in, even if it's meaningless.)

I also agree with the posters who are saying that the landlord's mind often changes when the prospect of getting a good tenant is right in front of them. Also, we just moved flat, and the agent who managed our old place told us that they've been having real trouble finding renters as the number of rentals on the market has jumped recently (people are renting out their houses rather than sell them for less than Kirsty and Phil told them they'd be worth.)

Good luck, but I think you'll find it a loss less painful than it seems at first.

USAGypsies

[QUOTE=Twigstar;7006821]Had to do 6mth up front and at the end of that (Nov 1st) had to pay the next 6 mths up front.QUOTE]

Blo**y Hell 6 months up front?!:curse: Because you had a doggie or because you were returning from overseas?
Okay.... so I reasoned that part but then you wrote on Nov 1st you had to pay another 6 months in advance???!!!!!?? :curse::curse::curse: