Renting with a dog
 

Hi All,

I've got about a million questions now the time is getting nearer !! most of which I've found answers to after trawling through the forum :)
After looking on several estate agents sites I'm begining to get a little worried we wont be able to rent anything as we are bringing our dog. Most rentals say no pets. I have emailed two estate agents asking them whether they have anything, both have said they have nothing on their books for someone with a dog !
Has anyone else had any problems ?, I had wondered if we paid an extra bond or something ? :confused:

Re: Renting with a dog
 

We have three dogs and so far we can find rentals out of town (Christchurch) that say they are dog friendly with 6 foot fences, although we're not sure if the dogs have to live outside :-(

Where abouts are you going to live? We haven't even looked close to the city centre as dogs seem to be a no-no the nearer town you get...


But, to put it into perspective, I used to commute 120 miles a day. The dog friendly properties are about 10-12 miles out of town, so still total luxury for me, commuting-wise.. Could you look farther afield?

Jan

Re: Renting with a dog
 

We brought over our dog and 2 cats and managed to find a lovely rental. Is there anyone on the forum that actually lives where you are planning to go as often someone there will be able to sort something out - this is what happened for us.
You may pay a smidge more, and we offered to pay for any damage our animals did ( they didn't!)
If possible I would contact owners directly - have you had a look on trade me - there are rentals there that you could speak to the people directly.

Re: Renting with a dog
 

We heard the same tales about not being able to rent with a dog.

Before we arrived, I booked up 4 weeks in a holiday let which allowed our dog. After several emails to the owner, she allowed us to keep dog indoors, on the proviso she wasn't allowed in the front room which had recently been recarpeted which was more that acceptable to us.

The search for a more permanent rental was OK too ... whilst there wasn't the same choice, there are properties about, and the ones we looked at would allow our dog indoors (Although some specify they are to only be outside). Personally the limited choice suited us as meant the decision was easier!

Re: Renting with a dog
 

hi there anniiee,not sure what area you are planning to go,but we have a small 2 bed unit complete with own kitchen ,bathroom and lounge area that we rent out on a short term basis .we are quite happy to take well behaved pets.we live in dannemora,howick in auckland.let me know if i can be of any help .

Re: Renting with a dog
 

Hi,

we arrived in february...we too were worried about the rental with us having a dog.
After trawling through numerous properties that all said no pets, or one cat only, we decided to just ask! :fingerscrossed:
We found a lovely rental in the exact area we wanted, but it stated one cat only....we asked the estate agent to check with the owners....we explained how our dog was house trained, very quiet, never allowed on the furniture or in the bedrooms etc etc....they checked with the owners...they said yes!! :thumbsup:

My advice to you would be...just ask...the worst they can do is say 'no'

good luck xx

Re: Renting with a dog
 

Hi All,

Thanks for your replies I feel much easier now. We are planning on initialy living in West Auckland preferably in the Waitakere region. I;m lucky in the fact I'm moving in with my sister but this is only for around a week until we find somewhere. I hadn't thought of looking on Trademe for a house I will do Thanks. Hopefuly like you have said if I explain she is very well behaved and as yours she isn;t allowed in bedrooms etc we may find something.
Thanks once again :)

Re: Renting with a dog
 

Good luck finding somewhere to take your dog. I dont see why people are that fussy about dogs, specially if they can meet the dog, see its clean etc. I've heard of horror stories with children in rentals, they can do a lot more damage with toys, crayons, food stains, sticky mits ;)

Re: Renting with a dog
 

You should be fine as your sister is here already because to fully access TradeMe, i.e: email the person, you need a NZ address.

We did this, using my Husband's Uncle's address in NZ from the UK and found a holiday let that would take our 2 dogs. The rent was pretty high though, but it gave us peace of mind.

Once you are here looking for a long term - just ask as everyone has said. There are lots of rentals available at the moment it seems so you should be ok. Some landlords will ask for a "pet bond" as extra security and most probably will add in you having the carpets steam cleaned when you vacate.

Good luck.

Re: Renting with a dog
 

Jan and Neil, I'm sure you know already, but do be sure to check the local council's rules on dogs for your area. Where we are you can have 2 dogs on a property, more than that and you have to get special permission, they will assess the land area, the fencing and canvass the neighbours for their opinions.

We were also informed by a neighbour that there should be unencumbered access for anyone visiting your property to the front door. In other words not having the dogs go bounding up to the gate when someone comes to call - but I've never confirmed if that's true!:sneaky:

Re: Renting with a dog
 

yes it is true.

Emerency services must be able to access our house without going past the dogs. Hoewever, as most NZ properties have a back yard and a front yard fenced seperately this is not really a problem to comply with.

I have had my older dog for 12 years, and got a second dog when she was 2 and we have always rented (I am a kiwi).

I once only had a week to go to get a house but still managed to find one. Admitedly, you sometimes have to have a slightly shabbier house but there are still plenty of rentals where you can have your animals.

Even if an ad says no pets - it pays to ask. I have live din 2 properties where they were "no dog" houses, yet after meeting me and me asking, they have been more than happy to have the dogs there. It is common though for them to prefer the dogs to live outside (I sometimes sneak mine in anyway).

Also, flag the rental agencies. IMPO you are better off going private.

Re: Renting with a dog
 

and yep, I have a couple of times offered a pet bond of an extra week or two.

MOst times they dont take it.

In NZ im pretty sure that they cn actually only ask for a total of 4 weeks in advance and that is to include bond an/or advanced rent. It may not be true but that has always been my understanding.

Not like stupid Oz where you pay 2 months in advance~!

Re: Renting with a dog
 

You're right, legally the maximum bond that can be asked for a tenant to pay is 4 weeks rent. But it can be a grey area in the asking for an additional "pet bond". If in doubt ask Tenancy Services.:thumbup:

Re: Renting with a dog
 

ahh yea thought so.

However, soemtimes for landlords, the offer/willingness o pay a pet bond is enough.