3 tips for finding a rental property when you have pets

It can be pretty tough to find a good rental home, especially if you live in a major city where houses and apartments are highly sought after. If you have pets, however, the process can be made a million times harder! While most of us would rather live on the street than give up our furry friends, there are a few things you can do to help secure that perfect rental home for you and your pet.

Be honest

Telling your real estate agent and future landlord that you don’t have pets when you do is a terrible idea – they’re bound to find out eventually, and will have grounds to break your lease and leave you without a place to live! Instead, be honest and upfront about your pet situation and explain that you’d like them to consider allowing you to keeps pets in your rental home. Honesty is the best policy!

Pay extra bond for your pet

Perhaps the reason your landlord isn’t keen on the idea of pets in their rental property is because they are worried that your pet will cause permanent damage to the place. However, you can try offering to pay extra bond or a ‘pet bond’ in order to secure the place. That way, if your pet does cause damage to the rental, your landlord won’t have to pay the costs of fixing it. Offering to add a professional carpet cleaning clause into the lease isn’t a bad idea either!

Be persistent

If the listing says ‘no pets allowed’, you might feel like there’s no point in applying for the place at all. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t open to negotiation! Apply for the rental, be honest and upfront about owning a pet and try your hardest to come to a mutual agreement. At worst, you’ll miss out on a place you didn’t think you could get anyway!