Renting with Pets – It’s all about trust
// October 6th, 2009 // Renting with Pets
One of the classic questions that occurs when a tenant decides to bring a companion animal into the household is whether or not it is in their best interests to tell the landlord or real estate agent. To put it bluntly, it’s about trust on both sides of the fence.
There are plenty of horror stories of tenants who are left with the difficult option of giving up their pet or giving up their home. There is no right or wrong decision when faced with this dilemma. However, there is a way to avoid the situation from arising. While no rental home is guaranteed to have the same tenancy conditions forever, you can increase your chances of having a consistent tenancy arrangement by being honest with your landlord and your real estate agent.
Why? Well, whether we like it or not, we do not own these properties. The landlord owns the bricks and mortar that give us shelter. And likewise, it is not the bricks and mortar that make up a home – it is the things that we bring with us. A tenant who demonstrates an understanding of this delicate balance through a responsible attitude towards the building’s care will have a better chance of staying as tenants. We are the eyes and ears of the property – once a landlord gets shut out from the going-ons, they would rather remove the figurative lock than feign ignorance.
And you know what? There are no guarantees. That is the nature of renting properties. And while there is no magical cure to having a house forever, there are certainly many ways that you can screw it up. Being dishonest is right up there on the deadly tenancy sins.
The best method is to know what to say to give the owners of the property the ability to make an assessment of their risk. If you are adopting a puppy, discuss this with the landlord and provide options where you demonstrate your responsibility. This may include barricading certain areas of the house, or a written agreement stating that you will pay for damages, with a clause that gives the option for the landlord to not renew the tenancy if the damage exceeds a certain financial threshold during the period of the tenancy. Financial and physical thresholds may convince the landlord that you will show due care, rather than allowing damage to occur with no other consequence than your bank book.
Of course, this responsibility goes both ways. Ensure that your landlord is upfront with concerns and questions. If they are dismissive of the notion of pet ownership, provide the opportunity to discuss why. While it may not enable you to adopt the little pup that you love, it may open a door for other pets to be considered who are equally worthy companions. If your landlord believes that you are not living up to your end of the pet arrangements, ensure that you had stipulated a clause where discussions are entered into prior to eviction notices being given. Make sure that landlords are held accountable and receive concerns in writing, either via email or post so that you have a adequate paper trail.
It’s all about trust, and that trust goes both ways.
