Pets and landlords

This blog has two editors – me, (Oliver) and Liz. I’ve never owned a pet myself, but Liz is Sandwell’s very own Dr Doolittle. Venture into her house and you’ll find yourself surrounded by guinea pigs, cats, rabbits and all sorts. You need to be careful about where you sit down, something I know to my cost! Her menagerie would certainly be an issue if she were to ever find herself looking to rent a house. Landlords don’t want their properties scratched, chewed or imbued with doubtful smells. Animals, however cute have their little misdemeanours and mishaps. But they don’t have to be a bar to a successful tenancy.

The question of pets and home-renting is starting to attract political interest. A group of MPs is lobbying the government to consider ways in which landlords can be given protection against risks to their property if they agree to allow pets. https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/robert-jenrick-urged-by-cross-party-mps-to-amend-tenant-fees-act-pets-rental-properties

There are already things a landlord can do to make a property ‘pet-proof’ (at least financially). These might be worthwhile if it means getting a good tenant. Before agreeing a tenancy, you might want to negotiate a slightly higher rent than initially advertised to cover extra insurance. The extra amount wouldn’t be that great and a tenant shouldn’t be aggrieved if you are open and clear about why you need to do this.

You might consider a higher deposit. The maximum permissible deposit amount under any circumstances is five weeks rent; you may not exceed this, pets or no pets. That’s the law. But lots of landlords still only take one month’s rent as deposit. If you’re worried about possible damage, asking for the maximum might give you more peace of mind.

Also think about putting more mid-tenancy inspections into your agreement. It’s good practice anyway to have a tenancy clause giving the landlord rights to visit the property to check its condition. A surprising number of landlords don’t do this – which gives rise to many other problems, but that’s another story. A decent tenant won’t see it as an intrusion if you can give sensible reasons.

These are all things you could talk to someone about before agreeing a tenancy. A reasonable tenant will understand that you have risks and need to protect yourself. If they don’t – well perhaps they’re not the one you want anyway and you can let them walk away.

Pets bring people comfort and companionship – even stability. A pet owner is just as likely as anyone else to be a perfectly good tenant. With some forethought and care, pet ownership needn’t stop a tenancy from working.

Oliver

An offer to Sandwell landlords

As we all know, ‘if it sounds too good to be true, then it’s not true’ but just sometimes – there are still some good things we can tell you about.  My colleagues in Sandwell Housing Solutions are working on a new offer to private sector landlords which will link people needing homes, to landlords with properties to fill. This isn’t about temporary or emergency accommodation; it’s to get people securely housed in homes they want to stay in.

The offer is still under development but will include a list of incentives to make it attractive to landlords. Exactly what incentives will apply will depend on what can be agreed with individual landlords about how long they make the properties available. Simply though, the longer you can give us the property – the more incentives we will give you. And some of them are very nice too.

• Landlords insurance that is only available through the council
  • Contents cover up to £20,000
  • Cover for malicious damage by tenants
  • Legal expenses cover up to £50,000 for eviction
  • Rent guarantee (up to 6 months, max £2000 a month)
• On-going help with tenancy management issues
• Support in setting up the tenancy
• Pre-tenancy checks on applicants
• Your right to still say no to a prospective tenant

Nothing has been finalised yet but we are keen to hear from landlords who might be interested; whether you have just one property or a whole portfolio. If you would like more information or just want to express an interest – please send an email to Property_Offer@sandwell.gov.uk or call 07741 338843.

And we will of course bring you more detail as and when we can.

Oliver

Letting Agent fees and landlords.

Most letting agents are well aware of (and compliant with) the legal requirement to display the fees they charge tenants, to help find or move into a new home.

However, quite often, agents and the landlords that they work for don’t know about the agent’s responsibility to display the fees they charge the landlord.

If you are a landlord and want to employ an agent to act on your behalf – the law says that you should be able to see, very clearly, what you will be charged before you actually decide to use their services. The information must be visibly displayed at the agent’s business premises and on their website (if they have one). You can find digests of the rules on the websites of the different agent/landlord professional organisations. The legislation itself is part of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and you can find the relevant sections here on gov.uk.

Oliver