The volume of UK home-hunters searching for pet-friendly rental properties has jumped since the start of lockdown, according to a rental platform.
Searches for homes allowing pets have more than doubled according to Movebubble, which analysed internal data from over 700,000 users comparing late March with early May.
The trend for ‘pet-friendly’ rentals also continues on a macro level as searches on the platform are also up 68 per cent compared to June 2019.
In addition, there has been a rise in searches for properties with outdoor space on the platform’s video features.
“Since lockdown came into effect, people … have shown a real shift in new priorities coming to light in the search for a new home. With millions of people now working from home or on extended furlough, many have taken the opportunity to quench long-held aspirations to have a pet to keep them company” explains Aidan Rushby, the platform’s chief executive.
“While today’s forced remote working culture has been an adjustment for lots of Brits, many are looking forward to the possibility of working from home more after the pandemic subsides - suggesting we could see this burgeoning trend continuing.
“Earlier in the year, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick called on landlords to make it easier for tenants renting a property with pets, so homeowners are being actively encouraged to consider responsible tenants with furry friends.”
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“…Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick called on landlords to make it easier for tenants renting a property with pets, so homeowners are being actively encouraged to consider responsible tenants with furry friends.”
I call upon Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to make it easier for landlords to insulate against problems caused by tenants with pets, such as larger/unlimited deposits in order that we be encouraged to take responsible tenants with furry friends.
When they thought it would be a brilliant idea to reduce deposits and cap them, they either didnt give two hoots about what the implications would be for pet owning tenants, didn't have one conversation about what they might be or more likely knew that these tenants would be disadvantaged but wrote that off as collatoral damage versus all the votes won from the majority of tenants with no pets, and hoped that some "furry" platitudes in the media might then persuade landlords to accept pets anyway.
People arent getting more pets due to the lockdown. The number of searches has increased only because before the government interfered tenants didnt need to make specific pet friendly searches, many landlords accepted them as long as the risk was underwritten by a larger deposit. Now tenants desperately have to apply filters online looking for listings that accept pets as they are being turned down by most landlords who would have considered them before but are not now able to. That is a trend that will continue unless the government allows a pet deposit or something similar.
I call upon the Housing Secretary to create a ' Rogue Tenants ' Database, ...
as the only Two Rogue landlords are feeling quite lonely. !
Back in the day of working I was offered a house to let that had previously had a big smelly dog in residence along with the nose blind owner. It stank to high heaven and I refused instructions. The owner was astonished that I turned down 'business'. But I could see that both me and my staff would make countless trips to show this stinking hole to prospects with no return on the costs incurred.
To now have the restriction of no extra deposit to cover any pet damage is ridiculous in the extreme.
No pets, no HB, no finance approval all lead to one thing - no tenancy thank you. Any landlord that allows pets and suffers the damage that can be caused by the irresponsible pet owner only have themselves to blame. They will only do it the once. Just seen on the news about a 10 year old dog that was abandoned because it had not learnt to be good. Wouldn't want one of those thank you very much.
My worst was accompanying a sales colleague when I worked for a corporate. The house didn’t smell and the dog was fine EXCEPT the place was heaving with fleas! When we came out, quickest look round ever, her legs had dozens of them up to her knees.
I have found tenants with pets usually stay longer and, for the few properties that allow dogs, I insist the dog comes to the viewing. On the whole the dogs are better behaved than the children.
On the abandoned dog issue, I think it is less a case of being bad - ten years of being bad - more a case of dog is not well and they cannot afford vet treatment. Pet insurance, certainly for dogs, is a must these days.
Precisely! Even those LLs that do (currently) take dogs/pets, it’s only a matter of time before they have a bad experience and then it’s no pets forever more (and across all of their portfolio if they have one).
"What do you expect me to do"
said the tenant who introduced a large aggressive dog shortly after signing a specific agreement that he was not permitted a pet.
"have him put down?"
"Yes!"
I hope you were referring to BOTH dog AND its Owner.
Unfortunately this is why many dogs and cats end up in rescue. Tenants don’t always check that pets will be acceptable so they abandon them. Last week we had to put our eldest cat to sleep because of kidney failure. We had her for 16 years after I found her in our greenhouse. She was chipped and the previous owner just didn’t respond to our vets’ calls, so we took her on and were rewarded by her total love and affection.
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