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When you’re renting, finding a landlord who’s willing to let you keep your pet can be challenging.
So if you need help finding a pet-friendly rental property in Australia, read on for some handy tips on how to locate the right property for you and your animal companion.
Simply mention the word ‘pet’ and some landlords will run a mile — but why are they so hesitant to let you keep your pet in your rental property? There’s a widespread misconception that pets will damage a property, leave odours, and generally decrease the property value over time. There’s also the potential for a constantly barking dog or screeching cockatoo to drive the neighbours crazy, resulting in hassle for the landlord and the property manager.
Despite this, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal that 2.16 million renting Australian families are pet owners. So while some landlords and property managers might not be all that keen to promote a property as pet-friendly right from the outset, they may be more flexible than you think when it comes to allowing you to live with your pet.
From a landlord’s perspective, there can be several positives to making their rental pet-friendly. Landlords can often expect to charge a little more rent and, because of the exhausting search many pet owners have to endure before finding a suitable property, they are often loyal long-term tenants.
Finding a pet-friendly rental apartment can be problematic for a few reasons: there’s less space, less privacy, and you’ll also need to consider body corporate regulations on top of your landlord’s wishes.
Unfortunately, many strata developments simply impose a ‘no pets’ rule. However, as demand for pet-friendly rental properties grows and people become more aware of the social and health benefits of companion animals, attitudes towards keeping pets in apartments are starting to change. There are even entire apartment complexes specially designated as pet-friendly, such as Ocean in Narrabeen, the winner of Best Australian Apartment Complex at the Australian Housing Awards in 2014.
If you’re looking for a pet-friendly apartment, check out the body corporate’s rules concerning pets, as well as if any other tenants keep pets, before deciding whether or not it’s worth applying for tenancy.
If you’re hunting for a pet-friendly property, there are several avenues that can help you find the right property. For example, First National Real Estate offers a pet-friendly property search function, while real estate listing websites also offer a pet-friendly search filter when you’re hunting for suitable rental properties.
There are even sites dedicated to helping responsible pet owners find the right rental property for their pet. One example is Rent With Pets, a dedicated pet-friendly rental listings website. It was founded by a Sydney vet with the aim of helping responsible pet owners connect with pet-friendly landlords and property managers.
Another option is to contact a few local real estate agents and see if they have any pet-friendly properties listed on their books. If you put your name out there and create the impression that you are a responsible pet owner and renter, you’ll be the first person the agent thinks of when a suitable property becomes available.
When you’re applying for a rental property with your pet, it’s important to go the extra mile to show that your pet won’t cause any problems. If you can prove that you’re a responsible and thoughtful pet owner, the chances of finding a flexible landlord are greatly enhanced.
There are several steps you can take to make your application as impressive as possible, including:
There’s also plenty of other general tips worth keeping in mind to ensure a hassle-free experience when renting with pets:
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It seems to me having a pet always refers to a dog. Which are noisy, do poo wherever they like.
On the other hand owning a cat are a totally different story. They are fastidiously clean do their poo in a litter tray, and if you clean it out every two days, there is no smell at all. I had 8 cats in Thailand at one stage, and they all shared the same tray. If you have female cats, they are even cleaner, and they don’t spray. So why can’t we have a companion that is easy to look after?