First viewing Friday morning results in holding deposit done on phone while viewing
Full credit check complete saturday morning
Saturday evening contracts signed
That’s the fastest I have seen so far. But… I do allow pets, and the stories I heard from the following two viewings I had lined up and saw and the remainder 12 I managed to cancel are very sad. Sure, post lockdown has a big part to play.
I think more landlords should allow pets, vetted of course with dire warnings of neighbours complaints can lead to loss of tennancy. I bet the majority of landlords own pets themselves. I’ve never had a tennant with a pet trash a place… all mine bar one have pets.
good news on letting… Maybe you have not got a good sense of smell? Its one thing to clean up after your own animal, quite another to clean up after someone elses. I am a landlord and have no indoor pets but have feral cats that come to be fed , they are always outside as I have a large garden. Not all pet owners clean up after their pets .There are good and bad in all aspects of life
Feral cats by definition are not pets - but I get your stance.
To counter your point, I would like to say that people with pets tend to be on average nicer and more responsible. My risk for the place being trashed is less than a no pet tenant based on my early experience.
Additionally, I model for long term no hassle tenants. I average about 4 years across the portfolio at the moment.
Being accommodating in this manner, adds to loyalty and enhances contentment and satisfaction in their home and I am yet to have had an exiting pet owner tenant leave on bad terms or leave a bad smell. Right now, touch wood, I haven’t had any problem tenants for years, whereas in the beginning it was a horror show, when filtering non-pet, with half being entitled abusers trashing and not paying (have some stories to tell about that), the other half were good it has to be said.
I have changed my stance over the last decade because of this.
For me this picture now makes better business sense in the context of long term very passive cash flow.
good and bad in all areas… It comes down to judging people If they keep themselves tidy then likely they will do the same with their pets. I find females generally keep the place tidier… I have had young men apply for places and you find they have a pit bull. No chance…
it will be because when you own the property you can do what you like even if it is detrimental to the property thru having pets, and you pay because you own it . When you rent a place and what you do is detrimental thru having pets you can get away with it because 9 times out of 10 the landlord pays ,not the tenant
David, an individual standalone property with a good sized garden may be fine for pets, providing the people do not leave it /them alone all day , which is common. The result is the pet can, not always, but in many cause noise complaints. I agree most pet owners are responsible but there are many who are not and unfortunately, in the majority of these are renters. Let me say before someone does there are many home owners as well.
Many leases prohibit animals, pets or alike, ditto for many service contracts.
My policy is no pets, therefore less hassle, the average tenancy is 5 years and those who have left us have gone into new relationships at the partners property so we do not see the need to change. When we visit prospective tenants at their old property you get a good guide as to how they treat and keep the property and this has reinforced our policy.
There is a huge demand for pets in properties but we have to take into consideration future tenants, allergies, smells that just cannot be got rid of and additional wear and tear.
So it’s a choice we all have so good luck with your policy.
As Brian7 says, many leases prohibit the keeping of pets without the explicit written permission of the freeholder - almost always refused unless a working animal such as guide dog. Every lease I’ve owned has refused pets in this way. I’m happy with that. It may also be an ethical choice by the landlord.
I allowed a couple with dogs, which was fine but now I need my house back and they are struggling to find a place to go. As its my own home (fixed term AST scuppered by covid 19) this is an extremely frustrating situation.
Can I just add that there are formal steps to be taken and rules in terms of receiving and handling of the holding deposit of the prospective tenant pulls out (withdraws) or fails the right to rent, credit or reference checks under false precepts you would need to return it
Take the property off the market for two weeks whilst you process and agree the tenant’s tenancy and have served all the necessary documents these inclyde: Privacy policy notice, obtain their signed insent to share, process and store their info, EPC, Gas safety certificate, the draft assured shorthold tenancy agreement and their acceptance to complete within 14 days plus 1. Or confirm if they want to sign the agreement sooner or if later than 2 weeks ask and agree an extension. Information relating to the holding deposit and the conditions that relate. Also you will need to give 7 days notice to them confirming the specific reason you will withhold the holding deposit if it is the case. Or if you are withdrawing from the agreement you would need to return the holding deposit. Once all this has been done then you collect the holding deposit NOT before.
This country is adverse to dogs if you go to Europe they treat them as pets and not vermin.I am a landlord and the last property I let out the first applicant had 2 springer spanials, no way these are full of energy and would wreck the house, another had 2 gun dogs. 2nd applicant had a jack russell which I met and approved.This is a family house with 2 kids and a lovely couple, I had to visit to fix something a month later and it is nice to see a happy family in my house, I made the right descision.
Dog smells linger in carpets more so when tenants
Leave. I have strict no pet policy and 2 tenants I found out had dogs. Yes clearly breach of their tenancy. However I did not evict them ( I am not a pet owner) but have spent £10,000’s on properties that are high spec and I don’t want to be doing that every few years. When the tenants moved out despite prof carpet cleans the smells was awful. Dog hair will stick to carpets and curtains!
Ola1, I don’t collect deposit/use insurance based, I use Openrents deposit scheme via DPS. As long as all pieces are in place before tenancy starts, it doesn’t matter what order you do it in via Openrent as they protect the tennant
I thought you said that you received the holding deposit during the viewing. That was what I was responding to . The handling is different from the actual deposit.
