Hi all,
My partner and I live with our 1yr old female russian blue cat. We've lived together in a townhouse for two years, with a perfect rental record, and have stable incomes but cant afford to buy.
NOW, The owner has decided he wants to move back in to our current rental property. With only 6wks left, we have been searching in our local area (we need to be here for my work) for rental places & have so far been knocked back on 10 applications for no other reason than we own a cat. We are starting to get desperate now, as in 6wks we will be homeless.
Up until this point we have been completely honest and always listed our cat's details on the application forms, however with the response we have gotten thus far, we think perhaps NOT mentioning the cat would be a better idea.
We need to know what would happen should we then get caught by the real estate with an unauthorised cat. Have you been, or know of anyone whos been in this situation? What happened?
We're in Australia.
Thanks
2007-05-04 23:52:16 · 5 answers · asked by Amber 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
NOTE: posted this five hours ago, but didn't receive any really good responses so am posting again. Sorry if you've read it twice. Thanks all who can help!
2007-05-04 23:53:02 · update #1
the worst they can do it give you the option of moving out or getting rid of kitty. Im in oz too, have a look at www.realestate.com.au Im pretty certain it will search propertys for you with the option of having a pet.
Worse comes to worse, dont say on your application form that you have a cat, start saving as much or as little as you can, after 8 months of living there (you will have proven some more you are good tennants) request permission to have a cat, if they say nope, just keep saving & soon enough you will have enough for a home deposit. Easier said than done I know...Im renting & have a kitty shhhhhh!!! ;o)
Upon the routine inspection, if they ask about kitty, just tell them you are looking after it for a friend who is over seas indefinately.
Oh, yes it has happened to people I know, it was as I said, they were told to get rid of the animal or leave themselves. It didnt damage their rental record but had to find a place for their dog till they found somewhere else.
2007-05-05 00:12:51 · answer #1 · answered by Mrs D 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes you will get into trouble if the tennancy is clearly marked NO PETS ALLOWED.
it is concidered a breach of the residential tennancies act.
You will be given a notification to rectifie the situation and a time limit, Usualy 7 to 14 days, depending on their classification of the breach.
You will be given the option to either remove the cat from the premesis or terminate the lease.
If you do not abide by the notice then you will be given a notice to leave the premesis which could be as little as 2 wks notice.
My advice to you is to give the cat to one of your friends so you can see your pet regularly,
move into a new house or unit, sign a 6 month lease and during this time look for a place that accepts pets. then get your pet back off your friend.
6 Months without your beloved pet is better than getting rid of it or worse still ending up on the streets.
Try also the private rental market, you know through the news papers, real estates tend to put no pets allowed to keep their maintanance cost down, as when a tenant with a pet leaves they have to fumigate the place by law.
Private landlords tend to be a little bit more lenient in the pet area, and so long as you strike an aggreement with the land lord that you will pay for fumigation on a regular basis, say every 3 to 6 mths, they may just let you keep your pet.
2007-05-05 00:24:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I feel sorry for you. You can get really attached to a pet. You can try and not tell about your cat, but that will really make the agent mad. They will have the option of throwing you out on the street and you loosing money or letting you keep the cat. Probably the first. Another thing that you could try is to offer an extra deposit for the cat and any damage it may cause.
2007-05-05 00:38:54 · answer #3 · answered by ttpawpaw 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you could be evicted for violating the lease or forced to get rid of the cat. How about you ask if you can pay an extra pet deposit or even a pet fee. (usually non-refundable)
2007-05-05 03:12:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
worst case if the new landlord finds out you will be evicted, i would keep trying to find a place that takes pets
2007-05-05 00:25:56 · answer #5 · answered by goz1111 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋