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Tuesday 3 July 2012

House hunting

I am looking for any tips or advice to finding a rental home with dogs. I have a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd and am having trouble finding us a new home despite months of looking. Just today I viewed two properties and was told that my Golden would be fine but not the GSD as they shed too much!

I am of course happy to pay a higher deposit and/or have it professionally cleaned upon leaving but no luck so far. Never in a million years would I part with my dogs so I am rather stuck.

Any renters with large dogs care to share their stories? 

Lisa, by email

5 comments:

  1. Hello, i am also having the same problem. I have a GSD and a Dobermann... people seem to think they are dangerous breeds and wont rent a property to me. I have finally had a bit of luck (hopefully, i have to ring back today) with a landlord who rents out mobile homes. Depending on where you live, maybe you could try that avenue as well?
    I wish you all the luck in the world as i know its not easy!
    ive been homeless since Jan when my relationship broke up and i lost my home and job on the same day. Ive been staying with friends ever since on sofa's moving around, which is unsettling for the animals to say the least.

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  2. Hi there, we did find it difficult too as we had to rent with 4 Golden Retrievers but not impossible! The majority of property owners turned us down flat & we ended up taking 'the only' property that would allow 4 dogs. We had a very strict 'pet clause' in place & had to pay double the deposit & I also had two written references (to add weight) stating how well behaved & cleanly kept my dogs where.

    It was difficult but as I say, not impossible! I asked to meet the landlord in person & took two of my boys with me to meet him. I did also say that unlike kids, my dogs did not go upstairs, they didn't draw on walls nor eat in front of the TV which made him laugh & he then agreed.

    As for GS's shedding more than Goldens - lol! Don't loose heart but I would try & ask to meet the landlord with your boys to try & put there minds at rest as it worked for us. Good luck, Lisa

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  3. Hi This is Darren from Pet Friendly Rentals. We have tips page here http://www.petfriendlyrentals.co.uk/tips.html
    The important thing is not to give up. Their is a home out there for everyone including us with pets. You may find looking for a private landlord is better rather than through an agency. Private landlords maybe pet owners themselves so will understand your situation. Some properties may have been empty for a while so you have a good chance of negotiation. If you are looking for long term, don't forget to mention this too, no landlord wants to keep letting a property out. Offering a higher deposit is a good thing. What area are you looking for?

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  4. It was almost 12 months ago my partner & I were in a similar situation, only we didn't have a dog at the time. It took us six months, but we finally found a good house with a landlord who didn't mind one way or the other if we had a dog.

    One thing we found very early on is that letting agents choose to have a blanket "no pets" policy, but most will speak to individual landlords and ask if they mind or not - many landlords are actually happy to rent to dog owners!

    As we didn't have a dog at the time, we explained to them my involvement in the dog world - not only would our dog get walked, he or she would go to training classes, plus I'm training to be a training instructor myself, so I'm fairly knowledgeable and quite well-placed to deal with any "issues" that arose that could have affected the house e.g. chewing.

    If we were looking to move to another rented property now we have Inka, I'd be only too happy to let the potential landlord and/or letting agent meet Inka, show off his certificates from classes, and show them we live like everyone else, aside from the addition of a dog.

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  5. Incredible - children often make far more mess than dogs' hair yet they are usually accepted. It seems very unfair.

    Have a look at the Dogs Trust's Lets With Pets
    http://www.letswithpets.org.uk/

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