Reports2Go

Pet Rights, Yay or Nay?

The jury is out. Does a tenant have the right to have a pet? The answer is no – unless, arguably, for medical purposes. However, as the widespread consensus is pivoting towards a more Americanised approach, an inventory report and a service which provides this, may be a handy investment.

Pets enrich our lives, and a work-from-home shift has meant that many people are looking into getting a pet. Lunch-break walks and companionship, the idea of getting a pet is an attractive prospect.

Before the government limited the deposit to 5 weeks' rent, Landlords seemed slightly more lenient regarding pets. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. As much as many landlords would like to be less restrictive, they simply cannot afford to when weighing up the potential damage costs.

Tip: If you are a landlord forming an inventory report at the check-in or check-out stage of tenancy, Report2Go offers a fantastic inventory service; read on to find out more!

This idea of damage due to pets is very subjective based on your own experience with pets and pet training. Undeniably, when young, pets make messes and mistakes. However, as they get older and under the right supervision and guidance, pets can turn that all around, becoming as well-behaved as they can be trained to be.

Cats

Cats can be skittish as kittens and beyond. However, once comfortable in an environment, they tend to calm down. They do not require walking if the property has a cat flap and can be trained to do their business outside the property. Unlike dogs, cats are mostly quiet and keep to themselves and have their own world to keep them occupied. They may cause concentrated scratch damage, and their fine hair may melt if unkempt or old, but cats can enrich tenants' lives. Helping to combat loneliness, this type of pet may require a settling-in period before becoming a pretty un-troublesome mini-tenant

Dogs

One of the main drawbacks of a tenant having a dog is noise. The damage control is manageable depending on the breed. Still, a dog's instinct to bark is near-impossible to eliminate, if they are stressed or unhappy. Saying this, they can be a livelier companion than a cat for a tenant. And just as a tenant having a child may incur a little extra damage, the tenant having a dog may incur extra mishaps. Saying this, when a property is professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy, hair and such like are easily removed.

An inventory service can assist with the totting up of missed items and damage which can occur at the end of a tenancy and can give you peace of mind knowing that your inventory report is not just sorted… it's professionally delivered.

Panos, 16 September 2022