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Finding a Pet-Friendly Rental Home
19/05/2008
Finding a Pet-Friendly Rental Home
You have been looking around for months. This house is too expensive. That house is in the wrong area. There is just no way that you can live with the colour of the walls in that other house. And then it happens – you find the perfect house to rent. Excitedly you rush round to meet the agent and the owner, your beloved pooch in tow. And they take one look at Fido and shake their heads. You are crushed, you can’t choose between your pet and a house. So the search starts all over again.
This might sound like a familiar story to many of us. In the current economic climate, very few people can afford to buy a property and rather choose to rent. But many properties available for rent come with a strict “no pets” policy. This can be exceptionally frustrating for pet-owners. There is nothing worse than taking the time and effort to go through the process of viewing a house to rent and then being turned down because of your love for animals.
Some Guidelines to Easily Finding a Home for You and Your Pet
The best way to deal with this problem is to be prepared in advance. Understand that your pet could potentially create problems and start your rental property search with this in the forefront of your mind.
- The first step is to start your house hunt a little bit earlier. Finding a pet-friendly rental home might be difficult, so give yourself some extra time to find the right one.
- You should also not go into this process with the wrong attitude. Property owners do not disallow pets out of spite; they have probably just had a bad experience with a previous pet owner. Take the time to convince the owner that you are a responsible pet owner and will rectify any damages out of your own pocket. You can even highlight your good faith by having such a clause written into the lease agreement – ensuring that you will have the carpets cleaned when you leave or have the garden serviced.
- In your effort to prove yourself as a responsible pet owner, gather as much documentation as you can to support your claim. Letters from a dog training school verify that your pet is house trained or a testimonial from your vet guarantees your pet is sterilised and that you are conscientious with its medical care. If possible, acquire a letter of reference from your previous landlord stating that you were indeed a diligent pet owner and tenant.
- When meeting a landlord or owner for the first time, be upfront about your pet. Trying to sneak an animal in at the last minute will create an air of distrust between you and the landlord and could even leave you faced with eviction.
- Don’t be afraid to promote yourself and your pet. Emphasise how well behaved your dog is and bring him or her along to prove it. You could also turn the difficulty of finding a pet-friendly rental home to your advantage. Point out that pet owners make better tenants as they are willing to stay in one home for longer as it is tricky to find another. This saves landlords and owners time and money in constantly searching for new tenants.
- The last step is to know when to cut your losses. Large rental companies with a “no pets” policy are unlikely to be swayed. Rather move on and don’t waste time and energy on a futile cause.
What to Do When You Finally Find Your Pet-Friendly Home
Once you have found the perfect rental home that is willing to welcome you and your pet with open arms, your work is still not done. You must get permission to keep a pet in writing, usually in the form of an addendum to your lease agreement. If your lease initially specified no pets, ensure that that is crossed out and initialled in both your and the landlord’s copy of the document. Many landlords will require you to pay an extra pet deposit to cover any damages. Ensure that this too is in writing and specifies how much will be returned to you upon the completion of your lease. You should also make sure that you have a copy of any house or complex rules that pertain to pets.
Finding a Pet Friendly Rental Property Online
As we all know, one of the easiest ways to find anything these days is online and finding a pet-friendly property to rent is no exception. There are many resources online that can point you in the right direction.
Online property portals are also convenient and quick, letting you peruse rental homes at your leisure, choosing to view only those that appeal to you. Some property websites state upfront in the listing description whether or not a house is pet-friendly. This saves you time and money as you do not even have to waste a phone call on those houses that would be unwillingly to welcome your pet.
More About Property24
Property24 is CNBC’s 2007 best South African online property portal and offers an easy and comprehensive property search function. All you need to do is fill in the details of the type of property that you are looking for and Property24 will return a host of relevant results to you. Visit the site today for everything from sound property advice to listings of all the pet-friendly houses available for rent in your area.
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looking for 2bedroomed appartment not more than 5000rand in the neigbhourhood of Sandton or Robindale with good security
Posted by KENSEN on 2008/12/15
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