Pets Abandoned As Rental Market Heats Up

[Elfin]

A topic very close to my heart at the moment.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08...?section=justin

Pets abandoned as rental market heats up

By Cassie White

Posted 1 hour 53 minutes ago

RSPCA: "Shelters are bursting at the seams because changing living situations mean people can no longer stay with their pets." (ABC News: Giulio Saggin)

Thousands of animals across the country are being abandoned every year because landlords are unwilling to rent homes to people with pets, the RSPCA says.

The RSPCA manages about 160,000 animals Australia-wide each year, and the charity's ACT chief Michael Linke says shelters are bursting at the seams because changing living situations mean people can no longer stay with their pets.

"It's unfair someone's expected to surrender an animal under those circumstances," he said.

"It's a heartbreaking thing. I've sat in the room with people as they're surrendering their animals; they don't want to do it but their choices have been limited.

"It's their only option because of pressure on rental accommodation, and they've taken that difficult decision.

"It's heartbreaking for our staff, but then we've got the double whammy because we then need to find a home for that animal."

Mr Linke says pet owners struggle trying to rent private and single-dwelling houses the most.

"We've been calling on the Real Estate Institute and private land-holders to loosen the ties a bit and be more forthcoming in allowing people with pets to find accommodation, because we're finding a lot of people are surrendering animals to move into free-standing houses," he said.

Jacqui Limberger and her partner Ryan Blunden created a software application which helps find pet-friendly rentals on realestate.com and domain.com.

Their website also helps pet owners write a resume for their furry friends, to help give them a better shot of being approved by real estate agents.

"Research has show a lot of landlords and agents may not even consider letting to someone with a pet until they've seen its credentials and references from other landlords," Jacqui says.

"It gives applicants another piece of evidence to say 'My pet's not a problem, I'm a good tenant and I take responsibility for my pet.'

"It's about providing people with information and resources, so landlords see pet renting doesn't have to be a problem and also to help applicants put their best foot forward."

Inner-city kitty?

But there may be some good news for pet lovers.

The RSPCA's Mr Linke says that these days, there's more chance of then being approved to rent units and apartments, and a new study has found you don't necessarily need a big back yard to own a dog or cat.

Susie Willis from the Petcare Information and Advisory Service (PIAS) says a recent study of 800 people found pets and owners who live in units are just as happy as those who have backyards.

"There are some breeds of dogs that really fit indoor living - like pugs, whippets, french bulldogs - that don't actually like it too hot or too cold, so being indoors is ideal for them," she said.

"Toilet training is obviously important but the reality is, most healthy adult dogs can be quite happy with two or three toilet breaks a day."

She says there's no reason for people who live in a small inner-city place to not have a pet, and the PIAS has put out a 'how to' guide to help people out.

"We've got tips on how to prevent people from becoming bored, exercise, how to create a pet-friendly environment," she said.

"The whole point is, you can keep dogs without a backyard, but you do have to be careful with the way you manage the situation.

"We go through things from what to think about when choosing a dog or cat, how to find reliable sources to get them, what to think about when deciding on different breeds, and then we look at common problems and give tips and advice on how to solve issues.

"We also look at rental situations because it can be difficult to own pets in that situations.

"One of the things we're conscious of doing is trying to make sure that people don't get the wrong sort of pet and they don't get a pet if they can't give the necessary commitment to its ongoing care."

[ravenau1]

I used to rent to a lady with a dog. The dog did WAY less damage to the place than her grandkids did

[OSoSwift]

In Australia as a general rule you couldn't have dogs if you lived in a small unit or apartment. I am thankful to say that perception is changing. It can be done as long as people are prepared to do it properly.

It is common in many other countries to see many animals living in apartments.

I think a pet resume is a great idea and I have heard of people saying they wouldn't mind people with responsible pets but their realestate managers put no pets allowed as a default thing.

If we ever get the money to buy a rental there will be dogs and animals allowed, however there will be boundries and expectations from me.

[cointreau]

I hated renting with pets, finally I bought a house. I don't think it is right for people to buy investment properties and then put numerous exclusions on them and therefore preventing the property from being rented. I remember being told by an Agent that it was very hard to rent a 4 or 5 bedroom house to a couple without children but that was the requirement of the owner, no pets no children and it wasn't just one owner. If a person is renting out their own home while they live elsewhere I can understand a no pet rule but not for investments provided you can meet rental criteria set by the Agent and if extra bond is needed that should be accepted too. I have always got my bond back with my pets living in the house with me.

[Guest]

Its so sad, it's the poor animals that have to suffer, I'm sure most people who really love their dogs would make sure that their pets were'nt going to destroy the property they rent.

lablove

[Elfin]

I have been looking desperately for a rental property for 4 months.

The problem of trying to get a rental that allows dogs is made all the worse when they are large or giant breed dogs.

I have been told by a couple of real estate agents that I should "just get rid of the dogs".

I have been told that the landlord will not allow "hunting breeds". (I have three Deerhounds. They are pets and champion titled show dogs.)

I have been told that landlords won't accept big dogs.

I have been told by one real estate agent that it is cruel to keep big dogs in a suburban environment. (We previously lived in a two-bedroom flat.)

And it seems to be a crime if you want to allow your dog to be inside.

I have excellent pet references from my landlord, vet and Breed Club President. My dogs are obedient, immaculately clean and come to work with me evry day.

I could lie, and say I have a Teacup Spoodle, or not say I have a dog at all, but I am trying to do the right thing by estate agents and landlords.

Instead I am honest, and am effectively homeless.

But I have my dogs.

[BCPuppy]

Unfortunately not everyone is a responsible owner. I used to rent my home out and had tennants with pets that were brilliant, but after one particular lot with two dogs completely destroyed my garden and most of the blinds, & chewed everything they could, and their owners just laughed when i tried to get them to replace items, I had to charge extra bond to ensure I was covered. Most seem to be quite ready to pay the extra, but I understand that not all would be able to. I also had 'friends' stay for several weeks for free and their dog(toy poodle) and cat made an absolute mess of the place. Efin i hope you find someone to help you soon sounds like you have excellent references, if only all were like you.

[Magstar]

My husband and I are currently living with my parents because we gave up trying to find a pet friendly rental. I understand that there are a lot of irresponsible pet owners out there who let their pets trash the place, but it sucks for the rest of us!

[mutt lover]

I rent and I have 2 small dogs and have never had a problem finding a place that will let me have my dogs! But I'm in a country town in vic so maybe different in suburbs though!

[Sydoo]

We will always be a pet-friendly landlords. In my experience, it often encourages tenants to stay on long-term - definite bonus! Funnily enough I've had two different property managers actively discourage us from allowing pets.

We rented a house with decent yard when I was studying and our property manager refused permission for a pair of desexed guinea pigs. Found out later (during OFI when we were moving out to our own place) that the owners would have said yes if only the PM had actually bothered to ask them.

[Cocochanel]

I currently rent with kids, 2 dogs and 2 chooks. The agents were more concerned about the dogs making a mess, I guess they haven't seen what chooks do to the garden and lawn. The dogs have been perfect!! The chooks....well... not so!

[Cosmolo]

We have a pet friendly investment property. To be honest, i'd rather have 5 dogs live there than the current tenant who recently complained about the floorboards creaking at night time..!!

[~*Shell*~]

My parents have 3 pet friendly investment properties.

1 is a townhouse - they are fine people having pets, the owners of the other townhouses are fine with people having pets but strata says no. The people who live there have 2 cockatiels which were approved by strata.

The next is a unit - again, they're fine with pets, as are the owners of the other units but the management of the block says animals aren't allowed to walk on common property so you can have a dog, but you have to carry it. The people who are living there at the moment have a small dog.

The third is a house with a nice backyard - the people who live there have a cat, a bird and have just asked if they can have a dog. My parents have said yes. The house is always immaculate and she takes great care of her cat and bird so they were happy to let her.

I know I'm going to have problems when I move though! I'll have to make Z up a resume!

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

The main reason I'm looking to buy a house (due to marriage split) is because it's impossible to rent a unit here in Brissy with dogs. And house rentals are far too expensive for a single person to afford. So I'm leaving Brissy to head for a regional town next year. I need to find a new job and buy a house...both of which will be a struggle but less difficult than trying to find an affordable and dog-friendly rental in Brissy.

Oh, current landlord has put our house on the market (we moved in four weeks ago, went up for sale two weeks later) and we had a whole load of "buyers" come through today. One bloke was taking photos until I asked him to stop. Where do these tools get off? This is OUR home, you can't just come in and start taking photos. Another family were horrified that we had three dogs and two of them wouldn't stop barking...well, you come into THEIR space and stand in their home staring at them, what do you expect???

Tenants have no rights it would seem. We tried to enforce our rights with the selling agent, only to have his boss bully us into allowing people through today at a time which was completely inconvenient to us (we had to cancel our plans thanks to this agent). We had offered THREE other times this weekend but no, it had to be to suit the agent, regardless of the impact on ourselves. Bloody arrogant tool.

[Are You Serious Jo]

Tenants have no rights it would seem. We tried to enforce our rights with the selling agent, only to have his boss bully us into allowing people through today at a time which was completely inconvenient to us (we had to cancel our plans thanks to this agent). We had offered THREE other times this weekend but no, it had to be to suit the agent, regardless of the impact on ourselves. Bloody arrogant tool.

Now do you see why people have been complaining about their treatments as tenants all these years. You are just experiencing what the rest of us have to go through as tenants, doesn't matter if you do everything right there are so many property managers and agents who screw us over.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Tenants have no rights it would seem. We tried to enforce our rights with the selling agent, only to have his boss bully us into allowing people through today at a time which was completely inconvenient to us (we had to cancel our plans thanks to this agent). We had offered THREE other times this weekend but no, it had to be to suit the agent, regardless of the impact on ourselves. Bloody arrogant tool.

Now do you see why people have been complaining about their treatments as tenants all these years. You are just experiencing what the rest of us have to go through as tenants, doesn't matter if you do everything right there are so many property managers and agents who screw us over.

That's why I'm not a property manager in QLD - the industry here is completely unethical and full of people who appear to be on a real power trip. As my former manager said to me, "Just because you can, does not mean you should". This was in relation to going through managed properties if the time/day didn't suit the tenant. Yes, the law says an agent CAN go in for certain purposes. But if the tenant has a difficulty with the time and offers a substitute time, this should be open to negotiation. Not in QLD. They just come through anyway. Because the law says they can.

BTW - we've been tenants for years. And have lived in our own home. And have had investment property. And I've worked as a PM. So really have seen all sides of it, just didn't expect the industry here in QLD to be full of idiots on a grand scale. I think it's partly because they don't need the property & law education required in some other jurisdictions. I doubt many agents here would pass the required study modules! And it's not *that* hard.

[mortonplace]

fOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO RENT IN nsw THERE ONE IN THE ADD SECTION ON HERE THAT ALOWS DOGS BUT IT $350 PW.

[Tim'sMum]

Our previous neighbour had to move when the house she rented went up for sale.

She was getting a bit desperate, trying to find somewhere she could rent with her impeccably behaved Staffy, Ned.

I wrote her a reference from a neighours point of view...outlining what a good neighbour she was, how well maintained she kept the house and garden etc., but mainly praising Ned as a lovely dog who was well behaved and very, very quiet.

The reference got her a rental house that was not advertised as 'Pets OK'.

The rental market is ridiculous around here. My Chiropractor and his fiancee rented a local small 40 yr old cottage on a main road and were told they had to leave....and were led to believe the house was to be sold. They were paying $500/week. Fortunately the only pets they had were 2 chooks, who have gone back to live with one set of parents, while they moved in with the other set of parents. 2 weeks after moving out of this house it was put up for rent again...at $620/week. Good tenants of 5 years, who had spent their own money repainting the house, were turfed out for no other reason than the Agent wanted to put up the rent by a wopping 25%. They have since found out, via a former neighbour, that the landlord, who lives overseas, knew nothing about them being turfed out of the house so the rent could be increased.

Is it any wonder that people are forced to surrender their pets in such an unscrupulous rental market? :D

[Ashanali]

The rental market is ridiculous around here. My Chiropractor and his fiancee rented a local small 40 yr old cottage on a main road and were told they had to leave....and were led to believe the house was to be sold. They were paying $500/week. Fortunately the only pets they had were 2 chooks, who have gone back to live with one set of parents, while they moved in with the other set of parents. 2 weeks after moving out of this house it was put up for rent again...at $620/week. Good tenants of 5 years, who had spent their own money repainting the house, were turfed out for no other reason than the Agent wanted to put up the rent by a wopping 25%. They have since found out, via a former neighbour, that the landlord, who lives overseas, knew nothing about them being turfed out of the house so the rent could be increased.

This has just happened to us. I had a feeling that we were being turfed as we were paying $500 a week rent in an area that rental prices have soared (our rent should probably have been about $600 a week.)

2.5 years, paid rent sometimes 2 months in advance, looked after the place and the owner wants us out and then tries to claim nearly the entire bond. Still going through RTA to deal with that one.

We were very lucky though, at the time we had to move, the house at the back door of our photo studio came up for rent. A whooooole lot cheaper, but has four bedrooms and is closer to the city and we literally roll out of bed and we are in the studio, also closer to the kids' school... best thing, same owner as the studio and he loves us. We were approved within three hours (dogs are still outdoor dogs though. I did ask about coming inside but he said no.) Can't really complain though - it was the only house we applied for this time around. Last time we applied for over 20 homes and were constantly knocked back because of the dogs. I have to admit, I did consider rehoming the dogs back then because we needed a house and simply couldn't get one. I didn't want to be homeless when I was heavily pregnant with twins and had two small kids and four dogs.

[Dame Aussie]

Tenants have no rights it would seem. We tried to enforce our rights with the selling agent, only to have his boss bully us into allowing people through today at a time which was completely inconvenient to us (we had to cancel our plans thanks to this agent). We had offered THREE other times this weekend but no, it had to be to suit the agent, regardless of the impact on ourselves. Bloody arrogant tool.

Now do you see why people have been complaining about their treatments as tenants all these years. You are just experiencing what the rest of us have to go through as tenants, doesn't matter if you do everything right there are so many property managers and agents who screw us over.