Topic: Renting with cats (Read 24022 times)

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #95 on:** April 01, 2011, 17:15:18 PM »

Excellent

Hope you're all very happy in your new home

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #94 on:** April 01, 2011, 00:51:22 AM »

Thats great and hope the move went well

Feline Costumier · « **Reply #93 on:** March 31, 2011, 23:09:18 PM »

Oooh, has she not updates here? I can happily report they moved in today

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #92 on:** March 31, 2011, 23:00:25 PM »

Quote from: Bryony84 on March 18, 2011, 10:15:59 AM

Just got to get through the referencing and credit check but if that is all ok then we move in on 31st March!!

Hope the checks went OK, was today moving in day?

nickynoo93 · « **Reply #91 on:** March 20, 2011, 21:01:04 PM »

Looks great, perfect garden for the cats to run around in.

Our house has fallen through so we are still renting for a few more months. Had enough at the moment and trying not to look at right move!

Good luck.

Nicky

Bryony84 · « **Reply #90 on:** March 19, 2011, 18:31:34 PM »

Thanks everyone, dizziblonde - I've never had a fan in a bedroom but it will be great in the summer as I don't like opening upstairs windows with the girls, they will be indoor/outdoor in the day as they are now, but won't be allowed out at night.

We're hoping the landlord will let us install a cat flap. The back door is the UPVC type with plastic panels in the bottom and my dad mentioned that they can be replaced fairly easily.

I'm so excited but trying to hold it in a bit until the checks all come back and we're 100% moving there!

dizziblonde · « **Reply #89 on:** March 19, 2011, 13:46:08 PM »

That looks fab... ceiling fan in the bedroom - how I miss my ceiling fan in the bedroom...

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #88 on:** March 19, 2011, 08:24:34 AM »

Fab news! It looks like a really nice houe too.

Jiji · « **Reply #87 on:** March 18, 2011, 12:37:42 PM »

Looks like a great home for humans and cats alike

clarenmax · « **Reply #86 on:** March 18, 2011, 12:27:53 PM »

That looks really lovely, well done you

xxx

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #85 on:** March 18, 2011, 11:14:22 AM »

Yippee! It looks lovely

Great garden for the girls to romp around in

souffle · « **Reply #84 on:** March 18, 2011, 11:08:23 AM »

Yay brilliant - congratulations on your new home

I hope you will all be very happy there. It looks lovely

Dawn F · « **Reply #83 on:** March 18, 2011, 10:19:50 AM »

brilliant! it looks fab

Bryony84 · « **Reply #82 on:** March 18, 2011, 10:15:59 AM »

It was lovely

Kitchen is quite small but big lounge diner and big garden more than made up for it. I also totally fell in love with the master bedroom, it has a gorgeous window seat where the window sticks out a bit and also a walk through to the en suite that has mirrored wardrobes on either side!

The current tenants have a very cute and excitable collie dog so the cats are no problem whatsoever and the landlord actually chose us as tenants from 3 set of possible tenants! With the market the way it is, he wanted to pick the tenants he wanted so we told the agent we were interested and he gave him a call when he got back to the office. We were halfway back down the motorway when he called and said the landlord wanted us and could we come back and pick up forms and pay the deposit!

Just got to get through the referencing and credit check but if that is all ok then we move in on 31st March!!

Now for the all important piccies:

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #81 on:** March 18, 2011, 02:04:06 AM »

How did it go Bryony, any good for you?

Bryony84 · « **Reply #80 on:** March 17, 2011, 14:53:29 PM »

The budget is really only in place to allow us more money to save for our own place. We could comfortably afford the cost of this house (we are lucky to both have secure full time jobs and its only £25 over the budget that we agreed on) but the less we pay out each month, the more we save. We just thought that as we are able to provide them with something they need (moving in and paying rent in 2 weeks time), that they may be persuaded to drop the rent slightly.

This house is much closer to work than we live now (OH could walk and its a 10 min drive for me) so we plan to use the money we'll save on petrol to go towards socializing etc, will be quite a saving given the price of petrol at the moment!

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #79 on:** March 17, 2011, 13:54:24 PM »

Oooh, sounds promising

If you don't ask, you don't get but the market sounds very buoyant round your way and if they've only had one viewing they might not want to drop on a whim. If the house is overpriced, rather than just over your budget, you can show them similar sized properties going for the amount you want to pay you might be in with a chance but that said the owner may be relying on your rent to pay the mortgage so may not be able to drop.

When you say 'slightly over your budget' - can you still afford the same lifestyle you have now? It's all good living in a lovely house but if you can't afford to go out and do the things you're used to it can become pretty boring very quickly!

souffle · « **Reply #78 on:** March 17, 2011, 13:16:41 PM »

everything is crossed for tonight. You could mention it but I wouldn't push it if it means losing the house you like. Maybe you could sign on the spot if you like it?
You'll just have to live on beans and toast and the cats can eat mice

Bryony84 · « **Reply #77 on:** March 17, 2011, 13:13:23 PM »

Really trying not to get too excited about this but have a viewing at 6pm tonight on a house we really like. Its bigger and slightly over our budget (and council tax will be an extra £25 a month) but it looks lovely, doesn't seem to mind the cats and has only been seen by one other family last night (we are the next viewing).

They need tenants who can move in on 31st March (most currently renting wouldn't be able to do this, but we have huge flexibility so I have been wondering whether we can negotiate the rent down slightly (probably only enough to cover the increase in council tax over a smaller place). With the property market as crazy as it is, do you think this can be done, or will they just say they can get someone else in for the asking price?

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #76 on:** March 16, 2011, 20:21:16 PM »

That's a shame but these things happen for a reason - who wants to live in a house with a funny shaped living room and cat blocking heating!

Besides, it may not feel like a good thing but all the while you are both still staying at your respective parents you are saving more towards a deposit for your own home

Lottie (Team Svartalfheim's) · « **Reply #75 on:** March 16, 2011, 13:59:11 PM »

I already lived in my flat in Leicester before I got the my cats but I wrote a letter direct to the landlord (rather than the letting agent) explaining that they were indoor only cats, regularly given preventative treatments for fleas and worms, were scratchpost trained etc and that I would be happy to pay an extra deposit plus could provide references from the vet for the cats if the landlord wanted. Luckily the landlord was an animl lover and said there was no problem at all and didn't charge me any extra deposit at all. It's definately better if you can get in contact with the actual landlord rather than just the letting agent.

Bryony84 · « **Reply #74 on:** March 16, 2011, 13:45:41 PM »

Sadly had a call this morning to cancel the viewing as this one's gone as well. Looked through rightmove again and there's nothing else in our area, 2 bed houses seem to be rare these days!

clarenmax · « **Reply #73 on:** March 16, 2011, 10:56:09 AM »

Quote from: dizziblonde on March 16, 2011, 09:34:34 AM

No what you get is warm air coming out.... and being blocked by the cat lying in front of the vent hogging it all!

Soooooo true lol, Poot does always seem to lie in front of the vents in the lounge and bedroom as its all toasty

Only downside to warm air heating is it dries the air out quite a bit, so if you suffer from asthma/eczema you may find it a tiny bit more problematic, but you can always put a bowl of water in front of it to re-humidify the air again

dizziblonde · « **Reply #72 on:** March 16, 2011, 09:34:34 AM »

Quote from: clarenmax on March 16, 2011, 09:16:24 AM

Warm air heating is fine, we have it in our house. What's good is you pretty much get 'instant warm' coming out so does keep the room toasty!

Good luck with viewing, hope its a goodun x

No what you get is warm air coming out.... and being blocked by the cat lying in front of the vent hogging it all! My aunt used to have it - her house was never cold (and I'm always always, well the Derbyshire word for it is nesh, someone who feels the cold and will be found lying on the sofa under two blankets a cat and a dog still complaining I'm freezing). Better than the source of all evil that is storage heaters.... never managed in 4 1/2 years to get them to a setting where it wasn't toasty warm when I was out at work and freezing all evening.

Our old house was up for rent OR sale - it wasn't a big deal, he got a tenant, he took it off the market and when we moved out 2 years later, he just decided to leave it up for rent (good job since he was asking ridiculous money for it compared to what houses in the street are actually going for) - think as long as the mortgage was paid so he could move onto his new place, he wasn't that bothered to be honest.

Just for the love of all that's holy if it's an amateur landlord who can't sell his house - make sure he's got the gas checks done (had a very close brush with carbon monoxide poisoning in a rented house while at uni so it's a pet hobby horse of mine).

Dawn F · « **Reply #71 on:** March 16, 2011, 09:17:03 AM »

I don't have warm air heating myself but know people who do, its fine - dries the washing a treat!

clarenmax · « **Reply #70 on:** March 16, 2011, 09:16:24 AM »

Warm air heating is fine, we have it in our house. What's good is you pretty much get 'instant warm' coming out so does keep the room toasty!

Good luck with viewing, hope its a goodun x

Bryony84 · « **Reply #69 on:** March 16, 2011, 08:53:53 AM »

Thanks hun, I'm not really holding out a great deal of hpe as its also for sale by the same agent (need to find out why), has fitted wardrobes (on our do not want list unless v small as I have a huge and gorgeous sliding door wardrobe that I won't part with) and a strange 'gas warm air' heating system that I've never heard of. Need to do some research at lunch as to whether its any good. Was worth a viewing anyway though so you never know.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #68 on:** March 15, 2011, 21:58:36 PM »

for tomorrow's viewing

Bryony84 · « **Reply #67 on:** March 15, 2011, 20:36:05 PM »

Sounds about right - we've got a viewing on another place tomorrow straight after work tomorrow but I'm not holding my breath about it still being available by that time, it was only listed with rightmove today!

Looks like a nice house but the lounge is a funny shape so want to see it to see whether our tv and sofa would fit in a sensible way!

dizziblonde · « **Reply #66 on:** March 15, 2011, 09:03:06 AM »

Stuff is going so utterly utterly fast it's crazy - when we got our last rented house a couple of years ago we had two viewings booked in the same day - did one, completely unsuitable house (had ceilings like 6foot high... hubby's 6 foot 7) and the second place we viewed we liked, had another viewer lined up an hour later - so we got the letting agent to call the landlord while we were there to confirm the furball was ok - and we were in the car, and at the agent's office within 10 minutes signing for it... or we'd have lost the place. It went the same day it hit the rental market again when we moved out... it's something crazy like 6 tenants chasing every place around here - they won't even keep your details on file for anything suitable coming in - it's "oh you keep chasing it up and seeing what we've got... that one's gone, that one's gone, that one's gone."

Bryony84 · « **Reply #65 on:** March 13, 2011, 20:08:51 PM »

Thought I'd post a quick update on this. We decided in the end to turn down the original house, it really was too small for our needs and we want somewhere where we'll be happy for several years.

We booked a viewing on a gorgeous and much larger house for less money which is in walking distance of where my work moves to in May, but sadly the agency called me to say it had been let already the day before the viewing. We then had the same with another house that a friend who works for an agency sent to me, we were going to view the same evening but it was let by 4pm! Seems like other people must either not have jobs or have very flexible ones so they can view houses straight away. Needless to say, I went into the weekend feeling very downhearted about the whole thing and this evenings trudge through rightmove has brought up no suitable properties whatsoever!

clarenmax · « **Reply #64 on:** March 02, 2011, 21:41:24 PM »

It is very true that you can often negotiate, but it does depend on the market, and the supply over demand at that time. I think at the moment with mortgages being so hard to get, the rental market is quite buoyant still, so not so much room to negotiate

Zenith (Liz) · « **Reply #63 on:** March 02, 2011, 20:38:59 PM »

It's worth knowing that you can negotiate on rents.

We moved to our new place in June last year and they'd had it available at £750 for almost two months then reduced the price to around £700. After advice from a friend who's never paid the full rental price I contacted them saying if they'd reduce the price to £615 we'd sign a years contract minimum and most likely stay there longer as we were currently staying in the same street for the last three years. In return they said that was too low and we did a bit of to and fro-ing and settled on £665 a month rent. I'd informed them at the start that I had three cats and wasn't going to sign anything till I had written confirmation they were allowed which all happened.

It suited them as I wrote a cover letter explaining we were young professionals who'd never missed or had delayed rent payments and offered to show them the house we were in (which wasnt needed)

Good luck finding a place you love Bryony

nickynoo93 · « **Reply #62 on:** March 02, 2011, 19:22:12 PM »

What a shame. Hope you find something soon.
We have to be out of our place by 19th May. Will be gone before that though.
Its a good size but not very nice inside, I will ask workmate whats happening with her place that she rents.

Nicky

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #61 on:** March 02, 2011, 10:58:16 AM »

What a shame

If it's 'not even close' to what you're looking for AND it's overpriced then I'd pass it over. You've already persuaded one landlord about the cats so you will be able to persuade another

If you do decide not to go for this one then maybe view the houses first before starting negotiations so you know you're negotiating on the right house.

Bryony84 · « **Reply #60 on:** March 02, 2011, 10:03:46 AM »

In order to be right I think LL would have to install a proper shower and remove the odd sort of fitted wardrobe in one corner of the bedroom which makes it so small. I'm sure she wouldn't be keen on either of those ideas though as she has already said she knows nothing about DIY etc (which kindof rang alarm bells too!).

clarenmax · « **Reply #59 on:** March 02, 2011, 09:31:33 AM »

Oh what a shame

but if its not right, then its not right (unless landlords will install a proper shower etc?).

Having compromised before on a house I didn't really like, I'd say if it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't

Bryony84 · « **Reply #58 on:** March 02, 2011, 08:50:13 AM »

Well we went to look at the house last night and to be honest I'm rather disappointed. They are asking £725 rent, so I had thought the house would be a decent size, but it was really very small, to the extent that I'm not sure my bed would fit in the larger of the 2 bedrooms, nevermind my much loved Ikea wardrobe which I have gone to great lengths to store so I could keep it! There were other niggles as well such as the lack of a proper shower, just the kind where you put the pipe over the taps and it has a short hose to the shower head, wouldn't be able to stand up in it and there was no curtain or glass splashback etc.

Now I'm stuck with the dilemma of knowing its not really even close to what we were looking for, but that she is happy to let us have the cats. She also wants a definite answer soon as her current tenants move out on 16th April!

Zenith (Liz) · « **Reply #57 on:** March 01, 2011, 18:20:19 PM »

Hope you get the house!

Renting with animals is a pain - I had loads of viewings cancelled when I was looking last year as I have three cats - love my current house - after a two week wait i've just been given permission to get fish if I like -

Now i'm looking for a decent size aquarium

nickynoo93 · « **Reply #56 on:** March 01, 2011, 17:04:47 PM »

Hope the viewing goes ok for you.

Nicky

Author Topic: Renting with cats (Read 24022 times)