Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Bryony84 on February 17, 2011, 13:41:28 PM
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So I'm back to the joy of trawling through rental listings, finding houses we like and estate agents turning round and saying 'strictly no pets' to me. They have all taken my details and said they will get back to me if anything comes up but then we hear nothing from them again. We started looking back in December, but now that all other options seem to have fallen through, we are relying on this now.
Does anyone have any tips as to how they got their rented property with their cats? Would we be better off going for viewings etc before we mention the cats? Would we be better not mentioning to estate agents and trying to discuss directly with the LL? I thought it would be better to be upfront but maybe that isn't the case. I've been keeping my eye on gumtree but there's hardly anything on there these days so I've all but given up finding somewhere privately rented!
This is the first time I have had to do this as I didn't have the cats when I moved into my last place, we just asked the landlord if we could get cats from the local rescue and he allowed it after some discussion.
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Most landlord's if they are approached will normally ask for a higher deposit but you could always ask the estate agent if they could phone the landlord so you are able to speak to them to see if they are willing to wave the no pets rule. My mum has just rented a place and was told by the estate agent strictly no pets but when they signed if they decided to get pets they would have to pay a £500 bond. So what the estate agents say is not always technically correct.
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The 'no pets' clause is the default setting in most rental contracts so unless the landlord has actually specified s/he won't allow pets, there's always hope. Bribery (in the form of a larger deposit and/or agreeing to pay for the carpets to be professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy) is always worth trying.
Some landlords are willing to accept cats but not dogs, so it's worth asking them to be specifiic about the sort of pets they won't allow.
If you're going through a letting agent, it's worth mentioning to them that you have pets as they will try and find a suitable property for you. Letting agents are generally far better than estate agents, because they usually manage the property for the landlord and will be your contact with him/her, so it's in their interest to get the right tenants. (Our agent was great, and I even got them to change our contract to specify two cats instead of one!)
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Its mostly lettings agencies we are having trouble with at the moment. My guess is that unless a landlord specifically says 'I don't mind tenants with cats' initially, they just put them down as no pets, and this is the information they are passing to us, not necessarily the feelings of the landlord if they were to know that we are both fairly well paid working professionals with rental history as well as being cat owners. The part I'm not sure on is how to actually get the landlords opinion directly.
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We were lucky to find somewhere quickly, and as the owners had a cat previously they didn't mind.
We had our visit from the agents today to check the house is ok, (we will be moving in next couple of months). He said we had to get the carpets proffessionally cleaned and de infested, not that they are!!
He said they will hold back £100 for 3 months to make sure no fleas appear.
Good luck, come and live in Portsmouth, we will be out by mid may at the latest. :)
Nicky
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Nicky - we live in Portsmouth (well Southsea) at the moment. Where do you live?
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This issue crops up on MSE (MoneySavingExpert) forums regularly; it seems quite a few pet owners have been able to come to an arrangement with a landlord by offering a larger deposit plus good references. Letting through the same agency or same landlord is also worth exploring, as they should know that you are reliable and respectful tenants.
Do bear in mind that many long leases (contract between owner of a flat and owner of the block) specify no pets OR no pets without written permission (usually £££). Some landlords are unaware or ignore such clauses but they CAN be enforced. Having said that, I have only ever heard of that happening with pet that are allowed into shared areas such as corridors or gardens or are 'noisy' (some older flats have very poor sound insulation).
As a general point I find it is most productive to bypass letting agents where they unhelpful - they won't always pass messages on when there is nothing in it or them bar extra work. IMO the best way of doing this is by e-mail - addressed to the landlord but sent to the agent. If you ask open question (not a yes or no answer) then you have the best chance of a genuine answer. Otherwise you could consider asking each agency which properties they have that are the size you require and allow cats, rather than asking to view one you like the look of.
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Coincidence, we live in Waterlooville.
2 bed detached bungalow, its not great inside, but its done us for the last 9 months. Don't get me wrong its not squalid, cats love the garden, but its a bit much for us to do, we aren't gardeners.
Nicky
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The 'no pets' clause is the default setting in most rental contracts so unless the landlord has actually specified s/he won't allow pets, there's always hope. Bribery (in the form of a larger deposit and/or agreeing to pay for the carpets to be professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy) is always worth trying.
Some landlords are willing to accept cats but not dogs, so it's worth asking them to be specifiic about the sort of pets they won't allow.
If you're going through a letting agent, it's worth mentioning to them that you have pets as they will try and find a suitable property for you. Letting agents are generally far better than estate agents, because they usually manage the property for the landlord and will be your contact with him/her, so it's in their interest to get the right tenants. (Our agent was great, and I even got them to change our contract to specify two cats instead of one!)
Sorry to pick but this isn't strictly true, statistically in this country, very few landlords choose to have their property managed, regardless of it being an estate or letting agent, estate agents do also offer a management service, it's just British landlords use agents in general for a tenant find service only and prefer to manage themselves.
I always keep the cats issue to myself when I've rented through an agency. I get the agent to like me, then they are a lot more likely to work on the landlord when they realise they have a good tenant.
Offering a larger deposit is usually the way round it. offering professional carpet cleaning is good too lathough the standard "pets allowed" clause generally states something to that effect anyway.
It can be really difficult, I remember our negotiators working very hard for pets to be allowed, trying every trick in the book and the landlord just would not give way at all. In fact, I've been through it myself when I was a property manager!
I'm not going to lie, it can be very very difficult, I've just got really lucky I think with rentals as I've never had a problem. Keep trying the free ads too, you just have to explore every avenue available to you. Oh and make sure to be completely happy to have them contact your previous landlord you had pets with and mention it on viewings.
This issue crops up on MSE (MoneySavingExpert) forums regularly; it seems quite a few pet owners have been able to come to an arrangement with a landlord by offering a larger deposit plus good references. Letting through the same agency or same landlord is also worth exploring, as they should know that you are reliable and respectful tenants.
Do bear in mind that many long leases (contract between owner of a flat and owner of the block) specify no pets OR no pets without written permission (usually £££). Some landlords are unaware or ignore such clauses but they CAN be enforced. Having said that, I have only ever heard of that happening with pet that are allowed into shared areas such as corridors or gardens or are 'noisy' (some older flats have very poor sound insulation).
As a general point I find it is most productive to bypass letting agents where they unhelpful - they won't always pass messages on when there is nothing in it or them bar extra work. IMO the best way of doing this is by e-mail - addressed to the landlord but sent to the agent. If you ask open question (not a yes or no answer) then you have the best chance of a genuine answer. Otherwise you could consider asking each agency which properties they have that are the size you require and allow cats, rather than asking to view one you like the look of.
There is a standard "no pets" clause but if pets are agreed you just ensure they take this out and replace it with the pets allowed clause which details exactly what and how many of them is allowed.
It's very easy to say bypass the agent but unless it's the landlord showing the property (very rare) then the agent will not pass on landlords details or forward on emails sent via them. The landlord is after all paying them a fee for letting their property and the agent isn't about to take themselves out of that fee earning loop!
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Forgot to say rent is £750 a month, may get it lower if asking about it, We have a garage and no probs parking. Owners have retired to spain, and have no intention of selling up, just keeping it as a retirement fund.
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There is a standard "no pets" clause but if pets are agreed you just ensure they take this out and replace it with the pets allowed clause which details exactly what and how many of them is allowed.
It's very easy to say bypass the agent but unless it's the landlord showing the property (very rare) then the agent will not pass on landlords details or forward on emails sent via them. The landlord is after all paying them a fee for letting their property and the agent isn't about to take themselves out of that fee earning loop!
I referred to the LONG LEASE not the assured shorthold tenancy agreement (AST). Getting a 'no pets' clause/ covenant removed means varying the long lease - you need the agreement of the leaseholder, freeholder, the mortgage company and to pay a solicitor. Alternatively a leaseholder can apply to a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal. Note that I have not mentioned tenants once, they have few rights as far as the covenants in the long lease are concerned. Sorry but I am 100% confident on this issue and it's a pitfall many landlords/ tenants/ letting agents are completely unaware of: they should be because a long lease will always trump an AST.
The landlord and a prospective tenant cannot legally cut out the middle man - the landlord would still be subject to the terms and conditions in any contract between himself and the letting agents. Once the property is let the letting agent has a legal obligation to supply the contact details of the landlord providing the tenant asks in writing (Landlord-Tenant Act 1985 section 11). As you rightly say many agents are only being paid for finding the tenant not managing the property afterwards; if they know they can easily let a property they often do as little work as possible - charging a small fortune for printing off their standard AST. Go-betweening and amending clauses mean extra work for no extra pay so it's necessary to make it difficult for them to claim the landlord simply said no.
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With you now! You were referring to the leasehold on say, a block, where no-one is allowed pets? Being that AST are the standard for most tenants? Not being difficult, makiing sure I have the right end of the stick :shy:
I have to say, I agree with FF about a lot of agents being lazy. The one I worked in wasn't and we did as much go-betweening as was needed, even on the most difficult of deals to tie up and I was the one that amended the contracts, which in all honesty is extremely simple and there weren't many I didn't make some sort of change to but again, agents can be notoriously lazy about these things.
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With you now! You were referring to the leasehold on say, a block, where no-one is allowed pets? Being that AST are the standard for most tenants? Not being difficult, makiing sure I have the right end of the stick :shy:
:hug: I have never found you difficult, if I ever did it would be a pot-kettle-black scenario. :-[ Yes, you have it spot on. It is often forgotten that, although leaseholders think of and refer to themselves as home-owners, in fact we are renting the space our flats occupy - simply on a long lease not a short lease. The leaseholder only has the right to sub-let the flat with regard to the covenants within, and that may well include a 'no pets' clause. All you need is one resident to be allergic/ phobic/ bloody minded and the potential is there for freeholder to tell leaseholder to remove the offending animal ... yet the tenant will still be bound by the AST to pay rent! :doh: As you will know, one clause in an AST being illegal/ unenforceable/ unfair does not make the entire contract invalid.
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Ah good, we are completely in agreement :sneaky:
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Ah good, we are completely in agreement :sneaky:
All that legalese has left me quite weak, luckily my first aid cupboard is stocked with New Zealand Sauv Blanc (Asda roll back). :shy:
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My tenants have two cats. But then, mine is a freehold property.
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The 'no pets' clause is the default setting in most rental contracts so unless the landlord has actually specified s/he won't allow pets, there's always hope. Bribery (in the form of a larger deposit and/or agreeing to pay for the carpets to be professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy) is always worth trying.
Some landlords are willing to accept cats but not dogs, so it's worth asking them to be specifiic about the sort of pets they won't allow.
I have found this to be the case also, I've never had to compromise on the area / type of house I rented. I found somewhere we liked and then asked them to check with the landlord whether a cat was allowed (just had Tiggy at the time).
If you're having trouble getting past the lettings agent ie they are not considering you for properties as no specific 'pets allowed' ones have come up then I'd be inclined to arrange a few viewings and when they see credit-worthy professionals are ready to move in they will want to close the deal and so will contact the landlord to ask about your two fully house trained cats ;)
:luck:
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When I said get the estate agents to phone the landlord I meant with the person there so that way they could also speak to the landlord as well.
My mum was lucky as the cottage she got belonged to the owner of the estate agent/letting agent company and little did my mum know that I actually know the person personally which she only found out when her landlord turned up to explain how they get the bins to the front of the house for collection and I was there.
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I found it was becoming increasingly hard to find rented places that would allow me to have a cat - and it WAS the letting agents causing the problems, not the individual landlords. When we were looking a few years ago I specifically told the LA "look we've got a somewhat elderly three legged moggie and I don't want to be shown places to view, fall in love with one and then be told that she's not a possibility" - basically asked them to only flag up places where cat-negotiations were likely to be open, and it was fine - viewed the house, quick phonecall from LA to LL saying "look this is a decent couple - but they want permission to keep a cat" - job done and place signed for within an hour.
When we wanted to move however the recession had hit good and proper and rentals had gone insane around here - the letting agencies had all moved to a "we don't allow pets, we're not even going to make a phonecall to a landlord to ask for you until you've paid about £500 in holding deposits and application fees, if you don't like it, tough cos there'll be another 5 people along in a minute wanting any house you have your eye on." We ended up ransacking the bank of mum and dad to buy a place - just so we could get out of the bad DIY hellhole we were in and still keep the tripod (very expensive cat that required a 2 bed semi to be bought for her bed). Might just be this area but we were going to get zero joy out of the dominant lettings agency around here - if we'd hung fire we would probably have got somewhere through the lettings agency we were already renting with (they were desperate to keep us as proven good tenants), but we were right on the edge of their operating area and they didn't get many properties through at all.
Have had to pay increased deposits (although the time my mum negotiated a 25% reduction in the pet-damage additional deposit on the basis she had 25% less claws than the average cat), or had carpet cleaning clauses in most houses I've rented over the years.
Some people reckon they've had more luck going through places like the newspaper small ads since letting agencies appear to be riding high and it's brought their worst wide boy tendencies to the fore at the moment - I think the locally mooted figures are 6 tenants chasing every rented property around here.
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When we wanted to move however the recession had hit good and proper and rentals had gone insane around here - the letting agencies had all moved to a "we don't allow pets, we're not even going to make a phonecall to a landlord to ask for you until you've paid about £500 in holding deposits and application fees, if you don't like it, tough cos there'll be another 5 people along in a minute wanting any house you have your eye on."
This is exactly the problem we're having at the moment. The LA's just can't be bothered with us because they don't have to - other people without complications are queuing at the door for the places and they are just flat out saying none of our properties will allow pets, sorry but that's the way it is.
I do some web work for an estate agency who also handle and manage rental properties and they said its gone crazy and there are too many tenants and not enough properties.
Nicky - your bungalow sounds good to me (but then I'm a fan of gardens and gardening and didn't have one for 3 years in my last place). Unfortunately our max rent is £700 pcm so its just out of our range :'(.
If I thought I stood a chance of getting a mortgage I would be doing the same as you - but just before I got my current job (2 1/2 years ago) I was out of work for several months, tried to get by doing some website work for small businesses but at the end of the day didn't have enough money to pay the bills and fell behind on some payments. Whilst everything is perfectly ok now, that blip is on my credit record and will remain so for the next 2 1/2 years which will jeopardise my chances of a mortgage until then.
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Who can afford a mortgage at the moment anyway? Unless you've got at least a 30% deposit!
We're pretty much doomed to staying in rented accommodation for ever now, since I'm technically "too old" (at 48!) to take out a 25-year mortgage (even if we did have the money for the deposit).
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We're lucky I suppose in that I'm 26 and OH is 25 and we both have good f/t stable jobs, we could happily afford to pay a mortgage (on a cheapish fixer upper house) and my Dad wants to help us however he can with finding a place as his parents did it for him and my mum when they were younger (he offered to buy my grandmothers house by remortgaging his house and rent it to us, but this fell through due to lots of red tape and my Uncle being unco-operative)
Unfortunately even if the sums add up, I don't think anyone would lend to me at a sensible rate at the moment. Sometimes I curse myself for how badly I handled money as a student as I wouldn't be in this position if I hadn't messed up, but I guess that's the way you learn.
The other thing in the back of my mind is that comparatively OH and I have not been together that long and although we basically live together and have talked about getting married and kids etc, its more of a risk to buy somewhere together than to rent.
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There may be flexibility in the rent, I don't know though.
A colleague of mine who is in the same buying situation as us is due to move in april/may. She has/had a cat in rented down Prince Albert Road in Fratton. Think it may be privately rented, I will ask her next week when I'm back at work.
We couldn't get a mortgage together, some reds on the credit report! Luckily OH has got one in his name, and we are going to see a house tomorrow, I've seen it twice and love it so fingers crossed. At the lower end of budget there is a bungalow down the road from the house. Both fixer uppers.
Nicky
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Who can afford a mortgage at the moment anyway? Unless you've got at least a 30% deposit!
We're pretty much doomed to staying in rented accommodation for ever now, since I'm technically "too old" (at 48!) to take out a 25-year mortgage (even if we did have the money for the deposit).
Relocate north! A relative has a one bed flat next to a railway line in London (£250K), whereas I have a two bedder in West Yorkshire (£60K). :-: That isn't even taking into consideration the differential in council tax, Oyster card v. bus pass .... If you want inspiration on how to save up, read the 'Live on £6K for a year' threads on MSE - for an entire family after rent and council tax are paid. If you need extra income try matched betting (NOT gambling).
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FF, sadly not an option if we want to keep our jobs, they are both good jobs with excellant propects so not something to give up lightly in this economy. My friend just bought a 3 bedder not far from where I live for £160 so its no-where near as bad here as in/newr London, but that doesn't change the fact that no-one would give me a mortgage anyway :(
I'm on MSE quite a bit and have been looking into the matched betting stuff. Just as I was about to start up, I joined Betfair and then had all sorts of trouble as it turned out that my lovely ex pinched my debit card and tried to set up a phoney account, they realised and wouldn't let any payments come from my card, but I'm not not able to use the card to deposit on my own account which has left me a little stuck until April when my new card will come through (hopefully with a new long number on). Do you do matched betting?
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What's matched betting?
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What's matched betting?
A system to take advantage of the free bets that bookies offer to suck you in to gambling. There is no risk providing you follow the system to the letter, and check your maths is spot on. Basically you place two different bets - one saying Leeds Utd will beat Man City, a second saying Leeds Utd will NOT beat Man City. Note my wording: the second bet covers the possibility that there would be a draw. One bet is your own money the other is free: one or other bet will win so you cannot lose.
http://www.free-easy-money.com/bettingtutorial.php
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=41
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Thanks FF.
My maths isn't brilliant but I like the logic in matched betting!
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Because I bought my place when I left my mum's I never had to worry about rented accom, however a couple of years ago we had extensive renovations done and decided rather than to put the girls in a cattery, we would rent a flat. We had a real issue 1) because it was only 3/4 months and 2) because of the cats, We actully advertised on gumtree and although got lots of we will be flying into the county to see you and you can only see the outside of the house"" we found a flat owned by a cat lover who was more than happy for us to move in with the girls. It was a real godsend during that period. We were very lucky and I do recall looking for a place being a nightmare!
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Thanks FF.
My maths isn't brilliant but I like the logic in matched betting!
MBing simple when it is explained, I was all :doh: This link can help you with the maths, and you can double check things on MSE if you aren't sure. They are sometimes a little short with those who don't bother to research first, but they are nice with nervous beginners. Most people do make the odd mistake, tho often it's experienced MBers who get blase not newbies.
http://www.mbassist.co.uk/
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Good explaination of MB, Firefox. I've been researching for ages but haven't quie plucked up the courage to have my first go yet, and trying to decide which one to do first!
Had a little progress with the flat hunting, replied to an ad on Gumtree for a house that did specify no pets, but I wrote them a nice email to ask anyway. Got a reply from the landlord to say we would prefer not but will keep you in mind and then one about 1/2 hour later from his wife saying they have discussed it and previous email was a bit hasty, asked me to call to discuss which I will be doing this afternoon. Wish me luck!
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Great news! Good luck!!
Fingers crossed :D
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Oooh, sounds promising ;D I think you asking upfront shows you are decent 'law abiding' people as there's not really anything to stop people moving in without mentioning they have pets so the fact that you asked would put you high on my list if I was a landlord.
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That's great news Bryony - fingers crossed it works out.
It might help if you can provide a reference from your current landlord - just to say that, although you have cats, you haven't ruined his property!
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that sounds promising! fingers crossed for you x
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fingers crossed x
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Best of luck. It does sound promising doesn't it?
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I don't have a current landlord unfortunately, we are both living back at home for now until we find a rental place. I moved out of my old rented place in June (had been there 3 years, most of which with the cats) and will be contacting the landlord to see if I can get a reference which should help, but I only have his postal address I think.
I called the lady this afternoon and it seems that she is in need of some flexible new tenants as the people currently in the house are friends of hers who are renting it temporarily which their own house is redecorated and she asked what our current situation is as she estimates that the house will be available 1st April but it depends on the building work at the current tenants own house. Given that we live at home at the moment we can afford to be very flexible so hopefully this will work in our favour.
She is a little cautious about the cats but she is coming to have a meeting with us and the cats at my parents on Tuesday night. My parents house is a pretty good example of an unmolested house with 3 cats living in it (my 2 and her boy) so hopefully that will help. Will have to make sure that the girls are on their best behaviour!
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:crossed:
Sounds a bit OTT her coming to visit but if it works out for you then I guess it's worth it. Do you know what her circumstances are ie why the house is being rented?
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That sounds good, I was all for having someone come to look at our flat to see the cats hadn't 'molested' it.
Hope it works out for you.
Nicky
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It was my suggestion to meet the cats, she did say that was the only thing she was a bit hesitant about and I figured that was the best way for her to see that they wouldn't damage the place. I guess if you've never been around cats, its hard to know.
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Very nervous about tonight! The lady is coming at 6.30pm. Work are letting me go home a bit early so when we get back, OH will be playing da mouse with the cats to tire them out and I will be running round the house with the sticky roller and the vacuum removing any obvious cat hair!!
Wish me luck :)
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Oooh, good luck and fingers crossed! :hug:
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:wish: Best of luck ;D
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Good luck tonight. Hope the cats behave for you.
I've got yet another house viewing this afternoon, 2nd today. missed out on house we wanted. Back to square one.
Nicky
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Good luck Bryony, let us know how it went.
Our letting agent comes round to inspect the property every three months or so, and they came round last week. I'd meticulously tidied and cleaned (as you do), but Drum had had a wander in the garden earlier and had eaten some grass. I swear, as soon as the doorbell rang I heard the sound of a cat coughing up a furball! I never found anything but I answered the door all jittery. Not good.
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good luck
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Jezebel - I was all jittery even without the furballs, but I think it went ok (although Dan says I talk too much when I'm nervous!).
The girls were the perfect example of cats, chilli sat on the back of the armchair and groomed herself and amber rubbed round the lady's legs and she even patted her. I don't think she'd ever been around cats before so she was asking if they scratch things and whether they are litter trained.
She's said we can go and view the house next week and that she'd give us a call so hopefully thats the hardest part over. We've driven round the cul de sac and its a really nice area and seen photos of the house itself, which looks pretty good.
Thanks for all your good luck vibes, I was really nervous all day!
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Sounds promising, hope you like the house and that it all goes to plan ;D
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Great news, hope you love it!
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Viewing booked for 7.30 next tuesday evening, good thing I have lots of plans for the rest of the week/weekend or I'd be so impatient!
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Good luck, on tuesday. I was very impatient before I got OH to view the house that I love. Clock watching a lot. Sure the cats will love a new home to explore. What's the garden like? Do they go out?
Have put an offer in for the house that I loved as we'd missed out on OH favourite. Waiting for response will find out tomorrow morning hopefully.
Nicky
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Loads of luck :hug: :hug:
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Thanks :) The house is a 2 bed in a nice quiet cul de sac, with a conservatory and a garden that from the pictures looks like it has been kept very well with nice flower beds. Will be lovely to have my own garden, the best I ever got at my old maisonette was a planter out the front.
The cats are very used to going out now that they have been living with me at my parents for 9 months, they fly through the catflap all through the day (though it is locked at night) so I'm hoping that I may be able to negotiate fitting one even if it means buying a new door or something. They were mostly indoor only at the maisonette as there was no back door to put a flap in so they only went out when I was home and it was light and not raining!
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I don't think she would let you view if she wasn't serious so it sounds very good ;)
Good luck and I hope the house is lovely too. Just goes to show there are some fair people around and it does no harm to ask.
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Hope the viewing goes ok for you.
Nicky
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Hope you get the house!
Renting with animals is a pain - I had loads of viewings cancelled when I was looking last year as I have three cats - love my current house - after a two week wait i've just been given permission to get fish if I like -
Now i'm looking for a decent size aquarium
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Well we went to look at the house last night and to be honest I'm rather disappointed. They are asking £725 rent, so I had thought the house would be a decent size, but it was really very small, to the extent that I'm not sure my bed would fit in the larger of the 2 bedrooms, nevermind my much loved Ikea wardrobe which I have gone to great lengths to store so I could keep it! There were other niggles as well such as the lack of a proper shower, just the kind where you put the pipe over the taps and it has a short hose to the shower head, wouldn't be able to stand up in it and there was no curtain or glass splashback etc.
Now I'm stuck with the dilemma of knowing its not really even close to what we were looking for, but that she is happy to let us have the cats. She also wants a definite answer soon as her current tenants move out on 16th April!
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Oh what a shame :( but if its not right, then its not right (unless landlords will install a proper shower etc?).
Having compromised before on a house I didn't really like, I'd say if it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't :hug: :hug:
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In order to be right I think LL would have to install a proper shower and remove the odd sort of fitted wardrobe in one corner of the bedroom which makes it so small. I'm sure she wouldn't be keen on either of those ideas though as she has already said she knows nothing about DIY etc (which kindof rang alarm bells too!).
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What a shame :shy: If it's 'not even close' to what you're looking for AND it's overpriced then I'd pass it over. You've already persuaded one landlord about the cats so you will be able to persuade another :hug:
If you do decide not to go for this one then maybe view the houses first before starting negotiations so you know you're negotiating on the right house.
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What a shame. Hope you find something soon.
We have to be out of our place by 19th May. Will be gone before that though.
Its a good size but not very nice inside, I will ask workmate whats happening with her place that she rents.
Nicky
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It's worth knowing that you can negotiate on rents.
We moved to our new place in June last year and they'd had it available at £750 for almost two months then reduced the price to around £700. After advice from a friend who's never paid the full rental price I contacted them saying if they'd reduce the price to £615 we'd sign a years contract minimum and most likely stay there longer as we were currently staying in the same street for the last three years. In return they said that was too low and we did a bit of to and fro-ing and settled on £665 a month rent. I'd informed them at the start that I had three cats and wasn't going to sign anything till I had written confirmation they were allowed which all happened.
It suited them as I wrote a cover letter explaining we were young professionals who'd never missed or had delayed rent payments and offered to show them the house we were in (which wasnt needed)
Good luck finding a place you love Bryony :hug:
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It is very true that you can often negotiate, but it does depend on the market, and the supply over demand at that time. I think at the moment with mortgages being so hard to get, the rental market is quite buoyant still, so not so much room to negotiate :(
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Thought I'd post a quick update on this. We decided in the end to turn down the original house, it really was too small for our needs and we want somewhere where we'll be happy for several years.
We booked a viewing on a gorgeous and much larger house for less money which is in walking distance of where my work moves to in May, but sadly the agency called me to say it had been let already the day before the viewing. We then had the same with another house that a friend who works for an agency sent to me, we were going to view the same evening but it was let by 4pm! Seems like other people must either not have jobs or have very flexible ones so they can view houses straight away. Needless to say, I went into the weekend feeling very downhearted about the whole thing and this evenings trudge through rightmove has brought up no suitable properties whatsoever! :'(
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Stuff is going so utterly utterly fast it's crazy - when we got our last rented house a couple of years ago we had two viewings booked in the same day - did one, completely unsuitable house (had ceilings like 6foot high... hubby's 6 foot 7) and the second place we viewed we liked, had another viewer lined up an hour later - so we got the letting agent to call the landlord while we were there to confirm the furball was ok - and we were in the car, and at the agent's office within 10 minutes signing for it... or we'd have lost the place. It went the same day it hit the rental market again when we moved out... it's something crazy like 6 tenants chasing every place around here - they won't even keep your details on file for anything suitable coming in - it's "oh you keep chasing it up and seeing what we've got... that one's gone, that one's gone, that one's gone."
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Sounds about right - we've got a viewing on another place tomorrow straight after work tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath about it still being available by that time, it was only listed with rightmove today!
Looks like a nice house but the lounge is a funny shape so want to see it to see whether our tv and sofa would fit in a sensible way!
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:crossed: for tomorrow's viewing ;D
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Thanks hun, I'm not really holding out a great deal of hpe as its also for sale by the same agent (need to find out why), has fitted wardrobes (on our do not want list unless v small as I have a huge and gorgeous sliding door wardrobe that I won't part with) and a strange 'gas warm air' heating system that I've never heard of. Need to do some research at lunch as to whether its any good. Was worth a viewing anyway though so you never know.
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Warm air heating is fine, we have it in our house. What's good is you pretty much get 'instant warm' coming out so does keep the room toasty!
Good luck with viewing, hope its a goodun x
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I don't have warm air heating myself but know people who do, its fine - dries the washing a treat!
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Warm air heating is fine, we have it in our house. What's good is you pretty much get 'instant warm' coming out so does keep the room toasty!
Good luck with viewing, hope its a goodun x
No what you get is warm air coming out.... and being blocked by the cat lying in front of the vent hogging it all! My aunt used to have it - her house was never cold (and I'm always always, well the Derbyshire word for it is nesh, someone who feels the cold and will be found lying on the sofa under two blankets a cat and a dog still complaining I'm freezing). Better than the source of all evil that is storage heaters.... never managed in 4 1/2 years to get them to a setting where it wasn't toasty warm when I was out at work and freezing all evening.
Our old house was up for rent OR sale - it wasn't a big deal, he got a tenant, he took it off the market and when we moved out 2 years later, he just decided to leave it up for rent (good job since he was asking ridiculous money for it compared to what houses in the street are actually going for) - think as long as the mortgage was paid so he could move onto his new place, he wasn't that bothered to be honest.
Just for the love of all that's holy if it's an amateur landlord who can't sell his house - make sure he's got the gas checks done (had a very close brush with carbon monoxide poisoning in a rented house while at uni so it's a pet hobby horse of mine).
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No what you get is warm air coming out.... and being blocked by the cat lying in front of the vent hogging it all!
Soooooo true lol, Poot does always seem to lie in front of the vents in the lounge and bedroom as its all toasty :evillaugh:
Only downside to warm air heating is it dries the air out quite a bit, so if you suffer from asthma/eczema you may find it a tiny bit more problematic, but you can always put a bowl of water in front of it to re-humidify the air again :)
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Sadly had a call this morning to cancel the viewing as this one's gone as well. Looked through rightmove again and there's nothing else in our area, 2 bed houses seem to be rare these days!
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I already lived in my flat in Leicester before I got the my cats but I wrote a letter direct to the landlord (rather than the letting agent) explaining that they were indoor only cats, regularly given preventative treatments for fleas and worms, were scratchpost trained etc and that I would be happy to pay an extra deposit plus could provide references from the vet for the cats if the landlord wanted. Luckily the landlord was an animl lover and said there was no problem at all and didn't charge me any extra deposit at all. It's definately better if you can get in contact with the actual landlord rather than just the letting agent.
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That's a shame but these things happen for a reason - who wants to live in a house with a funny shaped living room and cat blocking heating! :hug:
Besides, it may not feel like a good thing but all the while you are both still staying at your respective parents you are saving more towards a deposit for your own home ;D
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Really trying not to get too excited about this but have a viewing at 6pm tonight on a house we really like. Its bigger and slightly over our budget (and council tax will be an extra £25 a month) but it looks lovely, doesn't seem to mind the cats and has only been seen by one other family last night (we are the next viewing).
They need tenants who can move in on 31st March (most currently renting wouldn't be able to do this, but we have huge flexibility so I have been wondering whether we can negotiate the rent down slightly (probably only enough to cover the increase in council tax over a smaller place). With the property market as crazy as it is, do you think this can be done, or will they just say they can get someone else in for the asking price?
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everything is crossed for tonight. You could mention it but I wouldn't push it if it means losing the house you like. Maybe you could sign on the spot if you like it?
You'll just have to live on beans and toast and the cats can eat mice :rofl:
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Oooh, sounds promising :wow: If you don't ask, you don't get but the market sounds very buoyant round your way and if they've only had one viewing they might not want to drop on a whim. If the house is overpriced, rather than just over your budget, you can show them similar sized properties going for the amount you want to pay you might be in with a chance but that said the owner may be relying on your rent to pay the mortgage so may not be able to drop.
When you say 'slightly over your budget' - can you still afford the same lifestyle you have now? It's all good living in a lovely house but if you can't afford to go out and do the things you're used to it can become pretty boring very quickly!
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The budget is really only in place to allow us more money to save for our own place. We could comfortably afford the cost of this house (we are lucky to both have secure full time jobs and its only £25 over the budget that we agreed on) but the less we pay out each month, the more we save. We just thought that as we are able to provide them with something they need (moving in and paying rent in 2 weeks time), that they may be persuaded to drop the rent slightly.
This house is much closer to work than we live now (OH could walk and its a 10 min drive for me) so we plan to use the money we'll save on petrol to go towards socializing etc, will be quite a saving given the price of petrol at the moment!
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How did it go Bryony, any good for you?
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It was lovely :Luv2:
Kitchen is quite small but big lounge diner and big garden more than made up for it. I also totally fell in love with the master bedroom, it has a gorgeous window seat where the window sticks out a bit and also a walk through to the en suite that has mirrored wardrobes on either side!
The current tenants have a very cute and excitable collie dog so the cats are no problem whatsoever and the landlord actually chose us as tenants from 3 set of possible tenants! With the market the way it is, he wanted to pick the tenants he wanted so we told the agent we were interested and he gave him a call when he got back to the office. We were halfway back down the motorway when he called and said the landlord wanted us and could we come back and pick up forms and pay the deposit!
Just got to get through the referencing and credit check but if that is all ok then we move in on 31st March!!
Now for the all important piccies:
(http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z202/Lucas_Riley/P_edits/bryony.jpg)
(http://media.rightmove.co.uk/67k/66658/33193022/66658_PGL8BW_IMG_01_0000_max_620x414.jpg)
(http://media.rightmove.co.uk/67k/66658/33193022/66658_PGL8BW_IMG_02_0000_max_620x414.jpg)
(http://media.rightmove.co.uk/67k/66658/33193022/66658_PGL8BW_IMG_03_0000_max_620x414.jpg)
(http://media.rightmove.co.uk/67k/66658/33193022/66658_PGL8BW_IMG_04_0000_max_620x414.jpg)
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brilliant! it looks fab
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Yay brilliant - congratulations on your new home :)
I hope you will all be very happy there. It looks lovely :)
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Yippee! It looks lovely ;D Great garden for the girls to romp around in :wow:
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That looks really lovely, well done you ;D :hug: xxx
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Looks like a great home for humans and cats alike ;D
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Fab news! It looks like a really nice houe too.
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That looks fab... ceiling fan in the bedroom - how I miss my ceiling fan in the bedroom...
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Thanks everyone, dizziblonde - I've never had a fan in a bedroom but it will be great in the summer as I don't like opening upstairs windows with the girls, they will be indoor/outdoor in the day as they are now, but won't be allowed out at night.
We're hoping the landlord will let us install a cat flap. The back door is the UPVC type with plastic panels in the bottom and my dad mentioned that they can be replaced fairly easily.
I'm so excited but trying to hold it in a bit until the checks all come back and we're 100% moving there!
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Looks great, perfect garden for the cats to run around in.
Our house has fallen through so we are still renting for a few more months. Had enough at the moment and trying not to look at right move!
Good luck.
Nicky
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Just got to get through the referencing and credit check but if that is all ok then we move in on 31st March!!
Hope the checks went OK, was today moving in day? :wow:
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Oooh, has she not updates here? I can happily report they moved in today ;D
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Thats great and hope the move went well
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Excellent ;D
Hope you're all very happy in your new home :)