Renting With Pets – How to Get Landlord Approval in 5 Easy Steps

Pet friendly rental homes are few and far between, and renters are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain a secure rental property that allows them to live with their pets.

A recent study conducted by Dr Emma Power from the University of Western Sydney shows that about 60 per cent of Australians have pets, and a third of that figure live in rental houses. Many of these people felt that “looking for a rental property while owning a pet was significantly more difficult than before they had an animal” due to landlords denying permission for pet accommodation out of a belief that an animal would cause damage to the property and devalue it over time.

We’ve put together some simple steps to help gain approval to rent without re-homing your pet.

Choosing a Pet

When choosing your pet, think carefully about which animal you adopt. Property managers are generally more lenient with smaller pets, such as cats as opposed to dogs, but if you have your heart set on a dog, consider a smaller breed. Not only do smaller breeds require less room to move, but your landlord is less likely to fear the damage of a little Pomeranian over a big Lab.

Certificate for Obedience School

If you expect to be renting for a few years, obedience training for dogs is well worth the investment of your time and money. Not only is this a great bonding experience for you and your pet, but it also looks great on paper. If you can provide evidence of obedience training, it demonstrates to the property manager that you are a dedicated pet owner and that you are prepared to make efforts to manage their behaviour. If you’re adopting a puppy, they are usually much easier to train than more mature dogs, and there are plenty of places that offer “Puppy Pre-School” courses which offer basic obedience training as well as socialisation with new people and other dogs – which is really important.

Certificate for Health Checks

With all pets, make sure they are up to date will necessary health checks. This goes for routine vaccinations as well as all worming and flea control. Your vet will be able to assist you with this. Stay on track of your pets grooming and bathing, and keep any documentation as proof. As with obedience school, being able to prove this shows your potential landlord that you are a responsible pet owner.

Pet Resumé

A great way to demonstrate all of these things to your potential landlord is to create a “Pet Resumé”. Here you can list the specifics of which animal you’d like permission to have live with you, the breed, size and weight, its current health status, and attach any certificates your pal might have received from obedience training. You could even try using a reference – really! Contact your obedience trainer or another animal expert who has spent time with your pet and explain your situation. See if they would mind being contacted by the landlord, should they feel the need to do so.

Personal Interview

Interviews are a little less common, but it’s definitely worth a suggestion if you think your chances are slim when it comes to securing a property you have you heart on. Who knows? Meeting your pet in person might just be the reassurance your property manager needs to let them move in.