Renting with dogs

My dad is a landlord, and has been ever since I was a baby. I try to convince him to let most of the peoples animals stay. From what I have learned throughout my life this is the good and bad things that you can do. .. .

Rent a house/ apartment/ trailor, that is a little older, not brand new, and that doesnt have new carpet (even if you KNOW that you dog/ cat wont have an accident in the house) it make the landlord feel a lot safer if they have animals in a house that is SO important, aka. new carpet and stuff.

Landlords are happier if you have an older pet. They dont like to let someone rent a house if they have a brandnew puppy or kittie, because the risk of damage is higher

Landlords prefer outside pets (but I konw this isnt always possible) My dad will rent a trailor to pretty much anybody if their pet is outside :o.

It helps if you bring your dog with you when you go look at the house, and let the landlord see that it is a good dog / cat. and well behaved

WHATEVER YOU DO= do NOT get ANY pet without asking your landlord, even if it is ok with them if you had a cat / dog when you moved in. That makes my dad the most mad, and most people dont get their deposit back if they get another cat or dog


I hope this helped you some!

Thanks Toby's my baby. That is helpful to know!

It's sad that some people are irresponsible with their pets and ruin it for everyone else. I don't rent anymore, but when I did my husband and I rented a townhouse and pets were forbidden. Some of my neighbors had cats anyway, but I didn't want to risk it.

I don't rent, but I know people who do...

My sister-in-law rents an apartment. She has a cat and 4 parakeets, but when she moved in she also had a dog (who has since passed away). Her dog was a cocker mix. She had to have the dog interviewed before she could move in with him.

My friend rents a house with a cocker and 3 cats. She originally was looking at apartments but had a hard time finding a place that would allow her to bring 4 pets. Most of the apartments she found had either size or breed restrictions.

I rent.

And to be honest, it varies from place to place. I'm live in Mid Michigan and I had a very hard time finding a place that would take a dog Kia's size. Most places would only allow small dogs. The places I would find online that said they took large dogs would tell me that the dog had to be under 30 lbs. :eek:

It was finally down to two apartments. One in Dewitt and one in Williamston. The place in Dewitt would only rent 1st floor apartments to tenants with large dogs and they had no units available at the time but I could be placed on a waiting list.

I needed a place pronto and thankfully the Williamston apartment was nice so I signed a lease there and have been there ever since. :)

Good luck!

Even though their add might say they take pets, make sure you find out little details. Size restrictions, breed restrictions, some places even expect you to declaw your cats. :eek: :mad:

I rent with one dog and 2 cats. I was at my apartment for 8 years and left for about 6 months. I then came back (this time with a dog). I had to beg my landlord to let me keep Fenway. She was so happy to have me back (because I am a good tenant) that she said "yes".

Luckily, my neighbors are pretty cool because Fenway barks everytime he hears them come home (even at 2 in the morning).

My neighbor also has a dog and the landlord knows about it. However, she kind of "lied" to the landlord about her dog. She said she would have the dog on weekends because it's a dog she grew up with and she couldn't bear to not see it. But the dog lives with her full-time. She's a cool black Lab and is older so she is very calm, cool and collected (unlike Fenway). She doesn't bark and you wouldn't even know she was in the apartment, she's so quiet (again, unlike Fenway).

Luckily, my neighbor lives over 1 hour away and she is a "hands off landlord". I can't remember the last time I saw her. Probably over 5 years ago!

Renting with animals (especially dogs) is tough.

I dream of someday owning my own home in the country where Fenway can bark and bark all he wants.

Check with your local shelter too. The shelters in my area have a booklet with pet friendly apartment listings.
Good luck.

I rented for about 8 years before we bought this house. Initially I only had one small dog (10lbs) and a cat and found it hard to get a place. I even had to not mention the cat in 1 apartment. When we moved to our last rental (a house) the landlord had a restriction based on breed (rottweilers, chows, and pits were no). I didn't agree, but it was the only place we found that would accept the then 2 dogs (10lbs) and (55 lbs) plus a cat without a hassle. I agree that you should try for older homes w/o new carpet, etc. I usually had much better luck with those than ones that were advertised as just renovated or new carpet, etc. Also call around before you drive around. If it doesn't list or just lists pet ok, call to check the restrictions. It will save you a lot in gas and time.

My dad rented a place for 6yrs+. Max (my old dog) started to get upset in the lower end. My dad had special cleaners come every year to clean the rug. The landlord loved Max & when he walked into the apt. he saw the stains. He said, looks like you guys tried to clean it. We said yes. Before we leave (whenever that happeneds) We'll replace the carpet for you.

The landlord said why? its crap carpet, I don't care, besides, Max is a great dog & can crap all over the place if he has too. Don't worry about it. I'll put hardwood flooring in when you guys move out, or when Max passes on (Max had to be on a carpet)..

We were lucky in this case. The landlord was rich & LOVED Max. He was the only man that Max let in the house when nobody was home. We don't know why, but it was good, cause we liked getting things fixed :)