Rental Frustration

[melonie]

I have been looking for a place to live with my dogs for about 8 weeks.
There are a lot of places who will rent to dog owners. If your dog is under 15/25/35 lbs.
The few that rent to large dog owners restrict almost everything except for a lab or Golden.

/:-)
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[suziriot]

Ugh that's frustrating! Are you looking for an apartment or house?

[melonie]

I'm looking at both.
I found a duplex on Craigslist tonight, going to call that place tomorrow.


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[RealPitBull]

Try to seek out privately owned houses. These are people who aren't bound by rules and regulations, and if you impress them they may decide their no dogs policy doesn't apply to you. That's how I got my first apartment, and in fact got my landlord to change his whole no dog policy.

[maryellen]

Yep try what Mary said... Also isnt there somewhere on here a list of links for dog friendly housing?

[maryellen]

Found it under care health and breeding there is a sticky for rental links... I'm on my cell so i cant copy and paste it

[RealPitBull]

Here's the info from realpitbull.com on renting, just some basic tips:

Q) Do you have any advice for renting with Pit Bulls?

A) Renting with any dog, especially one over 20 pounds can be
difficult. But when your dog is a Pit Bull, you have both large size and
the breed's bad reputation working against you. Many landlords are
understandably worried about potential legal ramifications involving
allowing a "pit bull" into their buildings.

Above and beyond any anti-breed regulations that apartment
complexes may have, and the fact that some private landlords don't
want the breed in their buildings, there are local breed specific laws to
contend with as well as building insurance that may restrict Pit Bulls. It
can be very difficult finding Pit Bull-friendly housing. What to do?

First, if you do not own your own home and are contemplating getting
a Pit Bull, stop and think. Do you plan on staying where you are
currently living for an extended period of time? Have you talked to
your landlord and is he willing to put into writing that he will accept a
Pit Bull into his building? Has he contacted his insurance carrier to be
sure he will remain covered?

If you do not plan on staying in your current abode, and think you may
move from rental to rental over the course of the life span of any dog
you obtain, a Pit Bull may be the wrong breed for you. Being forced to
give up your dog because you cannot find an appropriate home for
both of you can be heartbreaking for you and devastating to your dog
which is a member of a breed it is extremely difficult to rehome. In
most cases, RPBF would dissuade a person who does not own his/her
own home from getting this breed.

If you currently own a Pit Bull and are in the process of trying to
relocate, there are several things you can do stack the cards in your
favor:

1) Research the town you are moving to and make sure there are no
breed specific laws on the books.

2) Avoid complexes which tend to have more stringent, "in-writing"
pet rules.

3) Seek out private buildings.

4) Do not mention off the bat that you have a Pit Bull, as this will scare
most landlords away immediately. Show up to view the apartment in
clean, neat, professional looking clothing, have a cover-letter typed up
( this should be an introduction to who you are, and mention you have
a dog), references, as well as any pertinent financial information (like
bank/savings account info and employment info; if you can prove
upfront that you have the security deposit and first month’s rent, you’
ll be a step ahead of the game). Your goal is to make a good
impression and come across as responsible and professional.

5) Have a packet on your dog - a picture, references for your dog
(such as vet and friends who can vouch for good temperament), and a
doggy resume. The resume should have some basic information on
your dog (name, breed, age, basic history), as well as list
accomplishments such as graduation from obedience class, Canine
Good Citizen certification, etc.

6) Present the above information to your land lord in a matter of fact
way, do not "ask" if you can have a Pit Bull in the building. Let the
landlord draw his own conclusions from the packet you provide.

7) When you find a landlord that agrees to accept you and your Pit
Bull, make sure your lease states that your dog is allowed and
preferably it should mention breed. The point here is to dot all your i's
and cross all your t's. A landlord may later claim he never ok'd your
dog and try to evict you. Having things in writing puts the law on your
side.

8) Once you move in, always, always, always be responsible. Keep
your dog quiet and well-exercised. Clean up after your dog. Respect
the rights and fears of other renters in your building. Do not let your
dog cause damage to the apartment, and if damage IS caused by
your dog, be sure to take money out of your own pocket to repair it.
Be a good renter! Leaving a good impression will make it easier for
the next Pit Bull-owning renter that comes along. Bad dog-owning
renters make it harder for all of us to rent.

[mhaze]

Hey all. It's been a while. Great advice here so far. I thought I'd chime in with recent rental experience. I moved almost a year ago. I have always rented with my two. However both dogs arrived mid lease, and the owner knew me. No problem. The next landlord was a friend who owned a pit bull. That was great. This time was the first time going out and dealing with property agents/managers that didn't know me from anyone else off the street.

I found a perfect place, but I knew the dogs would be an issue. It is privately owned, but the owners use a local agency for property management. They allowed dogs, but the property manager asked what kind they were right away. It was a problem with the owners Insurance company (or the agent assumed it was). It turns out it really wasn't because they were with State Farm (I found out later).

I pled my case. Stated that both dogs were trained. One with a CGC certificate. I provided info on what a Canine Good Citizen was. I asked prior landlords to write a statement that they were never a problem. Basically a resume for my dogs as in #5 above. I didn't feel like it was making any difference, and I wanted to reassure them that it wasn't a real problem. I decided to look into getting renters insurance that included liability that covered unlikely incidents with my dogs. It cost less than $200 for a year, and it also covered my belongings. Not bad.

Offering to have the insurance as part of the rental agreement put everyone at ease. I made sure they specified "breed" in the lease as in #7 above. The property manager did follow up with my references, and they were good.

After all that (and fighting with the insurance company about measurements around a wood stove), it turns out they have State Farm. So it was a non issue there in the first place. I really think the owners didn't care, and it was more the property manager that had some prejudice. Anyway, if all else fails, consider bringing your own insurance to the table. I'm in North Carolina, and it was affordable.

I was lucky, but maybe this can help someone tip the scales their way in the future. It is really stressful, but don't give up!

[RealPitBull]

Hi Mike, GREAT input. I think this stuff could really help someone who is searching. Thank you for sharing your experience. Adding rental insurance could be a BIG help in convincing a potential landlord. Unfortunately, like any other insurance company, some won't insure you if you have a Pit Bull (I had that problem when I tried to add rental insurance through Progressive. Oops!).

[mhaze]

Yeah, insurance companies are a pain. I started out with State Farm (they don't care about breeds), but they wouldn't write a policy because the house has a wood burning stove (even though it is up to spec regulation wise). This is who I ultimately went through: einhorninsurance.com/dangerous-dog-liability-insurance/ I haven't had any problems, but I haven't needed them either.

[Dave]

Feb 9, 2015 8:40:34 GMT -5 RealPitBull said:

Try to seek out privately owned houses. These are people who aren't bound by rules and regulations, and if you impress them they may decide their no dogs policy doesn't apply to you. That's how I got my first apartment, and in fact got my landlord to change his whole no dog policy.

Likewise with my first rental with a dog. I had the landlord come to my house and meet him, he was very impressed. Enough to allow the dog with no extra deposit.

[melonie]

Great advice from everyone.
I found out that after my 90 days is up at my new job, I will most liket get a significant raise.
I am going to be patient and see what it is because that will allow me to include higher price rental properties. Where I will find more private landlords.
My brother inlaw has talked about buying another house and renting to me. Which would solve this immediately! He currently rents out his other house to my sisters friend. We cant find a good reason to kick her out. (Haha)

Ill keep everyone updated!

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[RealPitBull]

Ohh good luck on this, hope your bro buys that house

[Dave]

Feb 11, 2015 14:17:10 GMT -5 melonie said:

My brother inlaw has talked about buying another house and renting to me.

My sister owns the house I live in. She's always been understanding about my animals, and insurance has never been an issue with my "mixed breed shelter dogs." :-)

[mhaze]

Ha! Mine are definitely "mix breed shelter dogs," but they kind of scream something more specific. I almost tried that approach, but figured they'd be seen eventually and I'd risk getting evicted.

[Dave]

Yeah, it was easier with my previous dogs. Rocky screams pit bull, I might get over with Lola and Sedona. Funny thing is, they are the real pit bulls, not Rocky.