How do you feel about allowing pets in your rental property? Or even in your own home? Are you a card-carrying animal lover with pets who cherish your home as much as you do, or are you simply not a fan and want to avoid the worry of possible damages that are a hassle and expense to fix?

Around 44% of UK households have pets, but only around 7% of landlords stipulate that pets are welcome in their properties. That's a large discrepancy for a nation of animal lovers, and the Government is looking to make the UK rental market easier for "responsible pet owners" to find a home.

Back in January 2020, Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, said: "Pets bring a huge amount of joy and comfort to people’s lives, helping their owners through difficult times and improving their mental and physical wellbeing. So, it’s a shame that thousands of animal-loving tenants and their children can’t experience this because they rent their homes instead of owning property."

Given our British love affair with pets, why do so many landlords and managing agents shy away from allowing people with pets to rent their properties? Obviously extreme stories that make the news can be grim reading, but so can those of tenants without pets: good behaviour simply doesn't make good news!

So this article looks at the realities of renting to people with pets: what to know, what to ask, and what to consider. As well as showing you how you can benefit from keeping an open mind, we'll provide useful examples of simple clauses and protections to give you comfort in the decisions you take, and to widen your audience to include this ever-growing demographic.


BREEDS APART
If somebody owns an Irish wolfhound then they are obviously not suitable tenants for a small upstairs studio flat, but a large family home with a big garden is clearly capable of sustaining a pet alongside adults and children. It's all about what makes a good fit.

A good place to start is a pragmatic look at the type of property you have, and who it is made for. Is it designed for family use, a single person, or somewhere in between? This will inform you about its potential suitability for tenants with pets.

Next, ask questions about the pet of your potential tenants: nobody is going to be cagey about their darling spaniel if they know they have a well-mannered pooch. You could ask to meet the pet in person before making a final decision, or even request a video of them at play to give you a real idea of behaviour.

There are plenty of ways to get a proper feel for someone's pet to make a decision you're comfortable with.


PET PEEVES
The reason why most landlords refuse pets is not that they don't like animals; in fact many have pets themselves. The concern is of damage or nuisance, so it's a business decision to minimise potential hassle. Ultimately, it's one less thing to think about.

But accepting pets doesn't necessarily mean leaving everything to chance. Just as you take up references for the people wishing to move in, you can also ask for a reference for their pet. Simply add in a question in your request to their previous landlord.

It has to be said that much bad behavior from animals comes from the conduct of their owners. You probably have friends who provide different types of evidence around what it's like to have pets: some dogs go wild when the doorbell rings, others couldn't care less about human activity until there's a biscuit on offer.

Those same friends might also offer up varying insights of parenthood, from perfectly charming little ones who enrich every waking moment, to screaming tearaways that try the patience of a saint!

The point is that most pets - and children! - reflect their adult guardians. So if you're happy with the people moving in, you can probably give their pet the benefit of the doubt: most leave less of a trace in residence than a crayon-happy toddler.


TRAINED TO STAY
Given the small amount of landlords actively inviting tenants with pets, people with animals regularly find themselves with a smaller choice of rental property to choose from. They're also acutely aware that moving home is unsettling for animals.

These make a pair of highly focusing and motivating factors that draw people with pets to properties they'd like to call home for a long time; they seek permanence.

All this adds up to longer tenancies and, more importantly, reduced or eliminated void periods, which are high on the 'things to avoid' list for landlords. So if you'd like to find a long-term tenant for your rental property, a pet-owner can be a good prospect.


PUPPY LOVE
When you see the true affection and companionship between pets and their owners, it's not so different from the love shown from parents to their children. Indeed, pets very often become an integral part of family units.

In many ways, pets are treated as much as people as they are as animals, from feeding them and talking to them, to going for walks or cuddling up on the couch for a movie.

Seeing how people behave with and around their pets can provide an extra insight into that person's character, beyond that of simply a pet-owner. You could even argue that the relationship between a pet and its owner could give you a deeper understanding of your potential tenants than paperwork and references alone.


SHARPEN YOUR CLAUSE
The tenant fee act means landlords can no longer charge higher deposits for pets. The amount is now capped at five weeks rent for assured shorthold tenancies up to £50,000 per year.

However, you can certainly add in some extra wording to your tenancy agreement for how people manage their pets when living at your property.

Typical clauses for pets while in residence cover things like fouling the garden, making immediate repairs for damages, and ensuring that animals aren't left alone for too long. You could also include the need to check for - and eliminate - any pests or odours when your tenants leave.

The Dogs Trust provides a template for a clause allowing pets which you can read here:

https://www.letswithpets.org.uk/landlord-and-letting-agency-resources/pet-clause-and-policy

The template includes the type and breed of animal, and you can simply insert it into your tenancy agreement.

You can also download a template for a Pet Policy, to use in connection with your tenancy agreement, here:

http://www.letswithpets.org.uk/downloads/pet-clause-policy.pdf

As well as covering all bases with clauses and wording, you may also find that tenants with pets will pay an additional amount in monthly rent to make up for the deposit being capped. Anyone willing to do so is really standing by their trust in their animals.

As with all tenancies, the most important thing for you as a landlord is to feel comfortable with who you accept to live in your property. It's perfectly possible to maintain an open mind without feeling pressured into anything.

There is no overriding evidence that people with pets are any less caring or conscientious when it comes to looking after their home, and it could be argued that the companionship people look for in animals suggests an all-round caring nature.

With so many possible clauses and protections at your disposal, you could find that an open mind delivers the perfect long-term tenant.

If you'd like to talk about whether to accept pets in your rental property, or if you'd like to discuss any aspect of being a landlord, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Tring office: 01442 820420
Berkhamsted office: 01442 863000

Gardens get a raw deal at Christmas. While everyone's thinking about getting together with family and friends, gardens and balconies are left out in the cold, cut off and forgotten behind the curtains with not so much as a passing glance before March.

Well, that seems a bit of a shame, doesn't it? Gardens and balconies were national saviours during the lockdown months this year, garnering must-have status among more homebuyers than ever before. But are gardens and balconies really just for the summer months and sunshine?

Look at the people of Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Does everyone run away from the cold and pretend it doesn’t exist, or do they delight at the prospect of long nights, steaming stews and hot cocktails?

Even without the promise of Alpine landscapes beneath the stars, there are plenty of quick and easy options for adding instant winter magic to your garden or balcony that keep it usable and beautiful, no matter what the weather.

We’re not talking about planning for spring or summer - that’s for a later article. We’re talking instant gratification to enjoy your garden right now, then through the festive season and out the other side, while turning it into a year-round asset for you and potential buyers.


KEEP IT COMFORTABLE
The usual advice at this time of year is to put away all your outdoor tables, chairs and parasols to keep them out of elements while you do your best to forget about your garden or balcony. That's fair enough and extremely sensible, but it's not very fun.

Instead of that, invest in some weatherproof canvas covers that protect your furniture when not in use, but keep it ready for action for the cosy and convivial nights that we're about to help you create. Trust us, you don’t want to go delving into the shed every time you want to sit down.

Along with furniture covers, procure a supply of thick snuggly blankets for you and your chosen companions to wrap yourselves in for maximum enjoyment of long, lazy and wonderful winter evenings outdoors.


LIGHT UP THE NIGHTS
A big part of winter’s charms are the Christmas illuminations of high streets, the window displays of shops, and the decorations at home. But the magic doesn’t have to stop at your back door and there are multiple ways of turning your garden or balcony into a magical place of light.

Strings of vintage bulbs are de rigueur across the globe, hanging above the terraces of pubs, cafes and bars. No less effective at home in your garden or balcony, all you need is an outdoor power supply for an instant flavour of festival or fun fair.

No power supply? No problem! You can emulate the effect with battery-powered chains of lanterns, globes or even fairy lights: just make sure the power pack is sited somewhere safe where it won’t get rained on.

Storm candles require zero batteries or electricity and come in modern and traditional styles to suit any exterior space, from a contemporary roof terrace to a country garden: everywhere looks great by candlelight!

And if you’d like a crafting project for you or the children, how about making your own ice lanterns by filling balloons with water and  freezing them? Try these simple instructions:

http://www.willowday.net/2012/01/ice-art-2-ice-art-with-balloons/

Or take it further still with home-made ice candle-holders fused with seasonal plants and berries:

https://www.instructables.com/Ice-Luminaries/


FEEL THE HEAT
Think about ski season and sitting on a terrace sipping hot chocolate when it’s minus 10. Just because the nights are chilly, doesn’t mean your garden or balcony can’t be warm.

Infrared outdoor heaters have been commonplace for years at pavement cafes and bars around the world, keeping customers happy, warm and ordering, no matter what the temperature. Today, the range of domestic models is wider than ever with freestanding, parasole and wall-mounted options to suit every type of outdoor space. And because there are no flames, infrared heaters can be sited below awnings and parasols to trap the heat, which means you can use them even when it’s raining.

But what if the idea of no flames leaves you cold?  If your baseline for being outside in winter is to be gathered around naked flames while toasting chestnuts or marshmallows, perhaps a freestanding fire pit is the answer. Think mulled wine in one hand and roasting stick in the other, as your innate desire to huddle is well and truly fulfilled.


BLOOM INTO VIEW
You might be surprised to know how many different plants cheerfully burst into bloom at this time of year. Winter flowers give a welcome splash of colour to the coldest and darkest months and you can easily plant them until late November. Young plants and seedlings are available at garden centres for swift bedding or potting at home, giving you immediate results for minimal effort.

Winter pansies come in all sorts of colourful shades and will flower through most of the season. Mix them with dusty pink daphnes and buttercup-yellow aconites along with classic festive whites of snowdrops, winter clematis and Christmas Rose. All make excellent cuttings for indoors.

You can also bring winter-active bumble bees to your garden or balcony with mahonias, whose slender spikes of bright yellow flowers reach out from clusters of deep green and glossy leaves. Don’t say that doesn’t sound fabulous!


FEED THE BIRDS
Very often, the only activity a garden or balcony sees in the winter is from banished and shivering smokers, but there are numerous other visitors waiting in the wings. You’ll find plenty of birds adding life to the skies, trees and gardens throughout the colder months, with native British species joined by visitors from continental Europe, Scandinavia and even Russia: robins, our national bird, mingle with chaffinch, goldfinch, bramblings, nuthatch, blue tits and many more.

Gazing out of the window and watching the birds hover, dart and perch is winter food for the soul and, as well as encouraging biodiversity, you can easily draw birds to your garden or balcony with the promise of a free meal through nesting boxes or hanging feeders.

Available absolutely everywhere – from supermarkets and local shops, to home improvement stores and garden centres, to countless online retailers – setting them up is simplicity itself: hammer a nesting box into the ground, or hang a feeder from a hook, and you’re good to go.

If you’d prefer to make your own, try these simple instructions from Woodland Trust:

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/01/how-to-make-a-bird-feeder/


So there you have it: you don’t have to wait for spring or summer to enjoy the outside at home. Whatever sort of outdoor space you have, it can be quickly and easily warmed up for winter to create a magical seasonal sanctuary, as well as a seductive selling point for viewers.

If you're still stuck for ideas – or you'd like to invite us for mulled wine and mince pies on the terrace!  – why not get in touch? We would love to help make the most of your garden or balcony, whatever the time of year.

Berkhamsted office: 01442 863000
Tring office: 01442 820420

"If the house was somewhere else we might not have gone for it, but the location was just so perfect…”

Meet Richard and Christina, who recently purchased ‘Sandane’ – a four-bedroom, mid-century home in the pretty village of Bourne End – through our Berkhamsted office.

"It's a fantastic area and wonderfully peaceful," says Richard.

He’s not wrong. On the banks of the River Bulbourne, the picturesque location is absolutely captivating and the house sits on a plot of around ⅓ of an acre that’s surrounded by wildlife. It even has a waterside deck leading to its own private island! There’s also a detached lodge at the end of the garden that makes an ideal entertaining room, gym or home workspace.

But more than that, it was the planning permission to extend and remodel the property that really sealed the deal, as it gives the couple a great chance of future-proofing the accommodation for their family. "It's the smallest detached house on the road, but the potential to add more space meant we could tailor a home just for us.”

While the house needs work to modernise it, the dream is for Sandane to be the family’s forever home, so they’re taking it slow and don’t plan on making any key decisions until next year. “We want to live in the house to get a real feel for it, and we're thinking about not moving again. This is for our family, and maybe for our parents to come and live with us later on as well."

Life-long residents of the local area, Richard and Christina have never been tempted to move away. “It’s a fantastic place for a family to grow up. Within a couple of minutes you’re in the countryside; the canal is great for exercise and walking, we’re next to Berkhamsted and there are great links to London and the motorways… everything is just so convenient. We really wouldn’t live anywhere else.”

Check out the full listing for Richard and Christina's new home here.