This seems to be the catch phrase of the rental market at the moment.
What I don't understand is the fact that there is a recession on, people need their money, yet some of the properties I have been looking at for over a month are still sitting empty.
There are at least 5 four bedroom places around this area that are for rent with the one company that appears to have the monopoly. 3 out of the 5 have been available since the middle of February. Yet they still sit vacant. The owners are losing around $350 a week. So over a month that is a good $1400 in lost rent. Now at least 2 of them have had their rents dropped by the agent. By $20 - $30 a week. So over a year the owner is losing another couple of thousand. Yet they still sit empty.
Then there is the good little families like ours, four kids, a cat and an outside dog. And therein lies the problem. Immediately we are rejected because of the dog. Now I have seen this before in my many years of renting but usually you find that there are a couple of houses that will allow them. But no, this agent who has the monopoly on the market seems to have a thing against them.
My point is, my border collie is an outside dog. Over the period that we will reside in a rental she is going to do minimal damage, maybe dig a hole or pee on a piece of lawn in the height of sunlight hours creating a bit of burn. But she sure as fuck isn't going to produce a couple of thousand dollars worth of damage. Meanwhile these owners have their houses sitting empty, losing money week after week, unable to rent them. I'm pretty good with figures and I'm telling you people, the figures don't add up.
Give us a fucken break, most kids will do more harm to a house than the fucken dog.
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21 comments:
see, now i would rent you a house because i know you are civilised.
but i also saw the state a friend's rental was left in by a tenant with a dog.
dog. shit. everywhere.
they sound like they had a bad experience and it's coloured their opinion and risk-assessment of future dog owners in their properties.
not fair much, but not everyone is as awesome as yoooooooooooooooou x
Hey mate... I did get it!
I was just overly 'sensitive' on that day... cos I know I am bossy and grumpy... and I also know that half the people I meet don't get me at all... they only see bossy and grumpy.
Half my kids hate me! I get it... it's part of being a mother who wants the best for her kids. Life sucks sometimes. I'm not cross with you mate!
As for the houseing situation, I'm friggin glad I don't have to try and find a rental! Kids AND a dog! Lie... don't mention the dog!
As a landlord we do have the same policy - sorry!!! We've been lied to and been burnt. Despite our policy we found our tenant had not one dog - but two - inside! The house was the pits when they left. There should be a certain amount of trust, but we've found tenants (not all of them) can abuse this.
Kitty: That person was the problem though, not the dog. It's the tenants who don't clean up after the dog, walk it, do anything to maintain the property. I'm sure the place would have been a tip without the dog because of that tenant's morals. Love you too chick.
Chris: Should I mention the kids??
Anne: I fully understand on a case by case basis, my parents built a house in Dunedin from scratch, Dad milled the timber and all built a beautiful handmade rimu staircase. The tenants they had in there wore stilletos up the staircase and fucked it, their three cats pissed all over the brand new curtains and absolutely stuffed the carpet, this was a brand new home. I understand but I also know that the majority of people with cats and stilletos don't do this. It's the people themselves. I have been a property manager and I have seen what tenants can do to the property, without kids, without dogs, without animals. I have evicted plenty. And I understand when it's your property it's your decision but my gripe is that this guy has a thing about no dogs, not the individual owners. I have impeccable references, have never left a place with a mark of dirt or any damage unfixed. I think people need to take me for my past references and credit checks and not on the fact I have a dog.
These days I would rather have my rental property occupied and take the risk with a tenant who has good references & a dog than lose hundres of dollars leaving it empty. Does the realestate agent realsie the owners need to advise their insuracne company if the property is empty for more than 60 days (usually). Is there any way you can find out who the owners are & approach them directly?
I know this is going to come across as very judgemental, but please don't take it that way as I'm interested to know the answer.
I LOVE dogs and have three, but I would never have had them before I owned my own home as moving home and sometimes city, its hard enough to try and find someone for myself, let along ad pets into the equation, so what i'm asking is that considering the majority of property owners will probably not allow dogs, why have one when renting.
I have a no dog policy for my rental and my general observation is that renters with dogs have already made up their minds that they want a dog regardless of all the odds stacked in their favour & often seem to have a fairly irresponible attitude towards people's property in general. (the last two potential renters who had dogs had offered to pay an extra bond to cover the dog, but its not jsut the possible damage, when I took a 'drive by' there current home, I could hear the flippin dog barking from their section. (not the kind of tenent I want to subject the neighbours to at my rental in Akl).
Its a tough one, but if the dog is EXCELLENT, then get a reference from current property manager to state condition of section, (holes, gardens etc)
oops, that should have read, 'stacked against them, the odds are not in their favour'. (must learn to proof read before hitting post)
Tracy: Yep, I have actually considered this. I'm sure a lot of owners would be upset to know that responsible dog owners are out there happy to pay rental on their properties that are sitting vacant.
Lynise: I know you don't want to sound judgemental and I'm not being harsh in my response but.... you do sound extremely judgemental!! LOL Are you insinuating that people who rent don't have the "right" to own a dog because they don't "own" a house?? There are plenty of people that go through life without the desire of owning a property. Are these people not entitled to have family pets? We had dogs growing up and it wasn't until I was 12 that we actually owned our home. I just find that in the age of the "real estate property manager" they have a preset determination on what is and isn't accpetable. And as you say, you drove past the tenants place and could hear the dog barking, so it's fine to subject your neighbours to a barking dog if you "own" the home but not if you rent it?? I'm sorry but I just don't get your reasoning, once again it comes down to the individual tenant not to the fact that they have a dog that makes them responsible or not.
After we had Mia we sold our own house (was time to sell it) and we rented a nice house. The owner's Dad came along when we inspected it, he seen us with our four littlies (all under age 6 at the time) and said "No". After hubby spoke to him he said "Yes". Apparently, the couple who looked at it before us were young. They were "rough lookin'". Huby said, "Well, would you rent it to people who will fill the place with love and laughter, or rent it to a couple of young people who would most likely rent out the rest of the place (it was a 5 bedroom home with 2 living rooms) to other couples who will party all weekend long and wreck it".
We got to rent it, and now we are in the Dad's pwn house, another lovely one. 4 kids and a dog too :)
I see what you mean though, silly property owners missing out. Their bad luck!
Hey, I had a border collie named "Mate" when I grew up. He was the BEST dog ever!
Hi Jules,
Ok I will try and explain where I am coming from.
First off, in regards to subjecting neighbours to a barking dog, I certainly don't think its ok if they own the home, but when I tenent a property I like to ensure that the current homeowners in the street are not going to be negetively effected by my tenents.
My rental is in a good neighbourhood and good street and to my knowledge the house I have is the only rental on the street and the homeowners that border my property would certainly let me know if the tenent was causing them grief. (as I have given them my number if there is a problem).
A family pet such as a dog is a big obligation as they become part of the family for up to 13 years. Its not a decision to be taken lightly, so with this in mind I personally would not own a dog unless I owned a property as it would serverely restrict my options if I were renting. (thats the point I'm making regarding why own, when its so difficult to rent a property with a dog in tow).
I have nothing against dogs, or people who want to own them (as I said I have three) but at the end of the day my family come first, and if I were missing out on suitable rentals because I was adament I wanted to own a dog, I wouldn't have been very popular with my daughter or her Dad.
You are probably aware that i breed pedigree dogs, and one of the conditions I spitulate is that I only sell to home owners. (as many breeders do), as abandoned pets make up over 80% of animals the spca have to deal with and thats just not fair.
Your Comment: Are you insinuating that people who rent don't have the "right" to own a dog because they don't "own" a house??
No, I am not saying that at all, but surely anyone renting would know they are going to find it harder to rent with a dog so I'm sure its something you must have realised and considered when you decided to get a dog.
Your comment: There are plenty of people that go through life without the desire of owning a property. Are these people not entitled to have family pets?
There are certainly other options for pets that I'm sure landlords wouldn't have a problem with. Goldfish, turtles, a canary, cat, or even a mouse in a cage. I don't imagine any of these options for pets would cause too much concern, so there are certainly other pets available for a family to enjoy without needing to get a dog.
Lynise: I still find that you are coming across that only people who own a house have the right to own a dog. I am a qualified veterinary nurse, I was at Massey studying to be a vet when I got pregnant with Peta. I know exactly how to look after a dog, I know exactly how many years commitment it takes, I don't want goldfish, a canary or a mouse in a cage. I want a dog. I have as much right as you have to own a dog and my dog is now completely entrenched in our family and as such is "part" of my family so when I am looking for a rental I am looking for somewhere for my WHOLE family to live. And yes I realised this when I got a dog. I also realised that when I had four children it would make it a lot harder to be able to save the deposit for a house of my own. That didn't stop me having my children when I got pregnant with them. Neither have I considered giving any of the kids up so I could get a smaller rental. I know that you commented to put across your perspective as a rental owner and I don't think that anybody should change their point of view for me, but I do find that your comments are rather generalised and that you are putting across to me that you find people that OWN their homes to be more responsible, and even on some levels it seems you are implying that they are "better" people. I know plenty of people that own their own homes that are absolute shits and cause a lot of havoc in their neighbourhoods, good and bad. You aren't a better person for owning your own home. I think you have are thinking in terms of dog ownership but your tone is coming across that you think people who rent aren't good, responsible, or worthy people. It upsets me a bit to think that you feel you and your fellow home owners are a better calibre of person that me and my renting counterparts.
I'd be asking to talk to the landlords directly about some special circumstances.
I rent. I got one man and two cats. They're all coming with me and no, I never put that we have pets on the rental application form and somehow all my landlords always end up loving the kitties once they see how well we've kept the place. I know a lot of responsible pet owners. As with everything in life, there are some duds which ruin it for others. Do you have to tell them you have a dog? It's not technically lying if you just leave that section "blank" on the form LOL.
Seriously, a house is a home to be lived it. It's going to get wear and tear either way. My parents have rentals and they just replace the carpets, paint the walls, renovate the garden and whatever else in between each tenant. Most of the rentals I've lived in do this too. I know my parents always get the best tenants because they don't treat the renters (and their pets) like crims in the first place.
Good luck hon! Do they all specify no pets? We only ever go for the rentals that don't specify so we can dodge that question on the form.
Arrgghh, sucks that you only have one agency to go through. That's the problem with smaller towns, people like that can dictate the rules.
Btw I'd rather rent to a dog owner than a cat owner - you can never get the smell of catpiss out of a place.
Ok I own a large dog and two cats. One was a stray that I refused to put down. All are trained. Yes, every once in awhile there is puke somewhere. That cleans up easily. So does dog/cat pee and poop. (natures miracle anyone?) Though I haven't had to use that in ages. All the dog owners I know are very responsible people. My kids have done far more damage to this house than any animal has done. I'm fine with paying a larger deposit if I have kids or a dog/or cat.
My daughter went through this every time she moved in Sydney. her lovely big red kelpie was the most obedient dog, and she would designate a no go place for him and even if a cat walked past he wouldn't cross...luckily in the last 4 years of his life she allowed us to have him here on acres...and he loved it...she had to move to melbourne. it used to take her ages to find a dog friendly house with a yard... good luck
Jules, for people to understand what it is like to have a Border Collie dog they have to have owned or currently own them...actually, they have to have an added member of the family, becase that is what a Border Collie is..part of the family. It aint no dirty pooch! They are the most gorgeous dogs and so intelligent. I know from reading you for a long time that you are responsible and clean.
It is people that are dirty, not the dog. Lazy arseholes give the responsible people an even harder time of it in this case... and that just sucks!
Oh I hear ya mate, back when I was renting I could have sworn I was disciminated against for any tiny little thing. I think sometimes it comes down to whether the real estate agent likes the look of your face - it sucks huh? Hopefully you'll have some luck soon, if not perhaps turn your dog feral and find out where the real estate agent lives, perhaps he'd like a day in his back yard ;-)
My girl's sister just divorced and she has a dog and other than she loves food...she is harmless and cause no damage.
Before our dog passed away of old age...freddy was a good dog and the only damage he ever did was pass away...it hurt the entire family.
But some people don't know how to have a pet. Letting a dog poo or pee inside is YUCKY.
Freddy would let you know he wanted out to do his thing. He sat by the sliding door and barked twice. i wondered if that meant he had to do number two. hehehe.
Oh my girl's sister found a nice place to rent from a dog owner. She pasy $1100.00 a month. She kind of talked on how good her dog was...and she got it.
True the money lost by not renting is a big lost. there is usually a deposit the renter puts down anyway...to cover any damages to the home anyway...right?
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