Renting with guinea piggles

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Boofimus

Boofimus

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I'm looking for reassurance and the chance to rant more than anything, but I just wanted to hear about other people's experiences of trying to rent with guinea pigs in tow?

Obviously my only options are pet-friendly houses or houses with gardens, but I thought that having a garden would make everything AOK. And it hasn't.

Yesterday I found a lovely houseshare with people I liked (who liked me back! Score!) and rent I could afford etc etc etc. It was perfect. Until they phoned the agency to check whether guinea pigs inside would be okay, and then said 'okay don't worry. They can live in the garden and never come inside'. And the agency said. No they can't. No pets. At all. Ever. Under any circumstances.

And now I'm starting to panic. I have one month before I have to move (and I do have to move, staying put is not an option) and it just feels like I'm going to end up in an old man's basement because that's the only way I'll be able to keep Wheat and Barley 8...

Are everyone's experiences equally tragic or is there hope for me yet?!
 
Have never had a problem with renting with guinea pigs and mine are indoor. We pointed out that they live in a cage which means they will not damage anything in the house and in our current house we paid an extra £200 (refundable at end) on their pet clause. They have not had a problem with us expanding to include a cat and a hamster! Hope this makes sense, early morning does not make me lucid, but get in touch if I can help anymore.
 
Most landlords are worried about cats and dogs and that's about as far as it goes. Keep looking, you can always offer a pet deposit if they're not sure. When it comes to renting and pets it's always easier to rent estate cottages, of course they're always very popular and usually have waiting list but it's worth phoning around in case you get lucky.

Andrea x
 
We rented our house before we got GP's, then we did get them and for the first few inspections we hid the pigs up lol, but one time i just though stuff it, they are in a cage, the house is as immaculate as always it doesnt smell etc, and the agents were amazed by them and didn't want to leave and it caused no problems, when we moved out we got our full deposit back etc - and it was a strictly no pets house!
 
Thanks guys.

I guess the problem here was that it was an agency rather than the actual landlord. I phoned my Mum to rant and she said (they rent out our family home and live somewhere else now because of Dad's job) that they said "No pets" and asked the agency not to phone them because it's non negotiable, just to avoid "it's a very clean dog" situations, so even though they actually would be okay with something like guinea pigs the agency would say no.

Thanks for the reassurance though. Needed that!
 
Ours was through an agent aswell, If you struggle to find somethng reassure them that they are caged or hutched animals, bloody hell how much damage can guinea pigs do!
 
I live in a house share and negotiated with my housemates about getting my guinea pigs. Another of my housemates wanted a house rabbit. We are not sure what the estate agents policy is on pets, and so haven't told them.
We hide our animals whenever they come for inspections.
What I negotiated with the people I live with is that any problems or damage that the animals cause is completely my responsibility. The main question is whether I will get my full deposit back or not. But the pigs haven't done any damage and will be out of the house before the inspection, so I expect so.

The thing is that in a normal household you won't be dealing with your landlord or agency all that much once you've moved in. If you can make sure the place is in the same condition when you leave as when it was handed over to you, then I don't see what the problem is.

The story is different with our house rabbit who has torn up carpets, dug holes in the floorboards and ripped large patches of wallpaper off the walls :/ don't envy being my housemate who has to take responsibility for that.
 
We've just secured a piggie allowed house in Bristol, they are even fine with us having our chickens in the garden in Bradley Stoke, so I guess it just depends who the estate agents are. I know woods estate agents and assured lettings are completely no pets, no smoking and no students in all their properties as a rules.

Good luck with the hunt xx
 
Amanda1801 said:
I rent... I just didn't tell my landlord :x
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HAHAHAHAHA I live in a pet friendly apartment (dogs and cats are okay) When my OH got me Sweets for my 20th birthday we tried desperately to contact the landlord and see if this was okay and surprise, they never answer the damn phone rolleyes so I just said screw it. I'm having him and they can deal with it. We paid our pet deposit and they live in the cage and aren't chewing/peeing on everything. We hide the piggies from anyone who comes over hahaha we make appointments for EVERYTHING and if someone comes unannounced we don't answer the door. I love my piggles to much for someone to tell me I can't have them. It's my life they don't stink up my house and their not hurting anything any worse then the dogs are so I don't think it should matter.
 
Hi there

I'd like to tell you a small story which may help you're situation. My boyfriend and I live in a rented property which orginally the letting agent said pets would be fine, guinea pigs was one of the first questions I asked. We wanted confirmation in writing that we could keep them. A week later we got a response the landlord said no pets , I was horrified as I had reserved my girls already! After several nos I went with my dad into the letting agent to see if anything could be resolved , I desperately wanted my pets. After a pet deposit and 25 a month extra rent she agreed. As thi was the orginal amount she wanted before the agent talked her down .Saffron and Tafari are now happy little renters too! Moral of this story no does not always mean no , if you can offer an incentive ie pet deposit tiny hike in rent if you can.I hope you and piggies find a lovely home soon.
 
dont tell them you have them...
on the odd occasion i had house checks in my old place i just used to hide them in a cupbord or round next door....
x
 
claremw92 said:
dont tell them you have them...
on the odd occasion i had house checks in my old place i just used to hide them in a cupbord or round next door....
x
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I also did this! So i second that, and i would so not be paying £25 a month more or an extra deposit for caged or hutched bloody animals, that is so wrong, a dog or cat yes i would expect to pay a higher deposit but not for cages animals! I was a letting and estate agent can you believe lol. I am on the tenants side all the way!
 
ive lived in two rented houses the first one i had a dog and a hamster which was fine and the second one i had dog and piggies (piggies outdoors) both fine. I think it depends on the landlords some have the common sense to realise that its better to have good tennants and allow them to have a pet which they dont allow to ruin the house and others just think anyone with a pet will be a bad tennant and let them ruin the house...but even then they have your deposit so i dont understand the fuss really.

I did find that offering the landlord a chance to meet the pets and see the set up etc can help to sway them as they see how many and what they are. and with the dog i went down the 'security for the house when were out' route as hes a big shepherd and is a cracking guard dog lol
 
and with the dog i went down the 'security for the house when were out' route as hes a big shepherd and is a cracking guard dog lol[/QUOTE]

As if they fell for that lol!
 
claremw92 said:
dont tell them you have them...
on the odd occasion i had house checks in my old place i just used to hide them in a cupbord or round next door....
x
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I echo this my sister rents and she has two bunnies and a little dog!:x
 
I never aske dmy landlord if pets were ok. I did check the contract though and theres nothing in there saying no pets.

he does however know i have 8. hes even nice enough to let me get my hay delivered to his office over the road when I'm at work AND he gets one of the workies to lug it over and leave it my hallway :)
 
My boyfriend and I got our piggies the summer before we moved into a house for my first year at Uni (his second year) and contacted our landlady before to check if it was okay. Absolutely no problem, she said it was fine. Didn't tell her when I got Andy a little dwarf hamster for christmas though or that we let the girls run around on the spare room floor freely peeing wherever they wanted :{ the landlady didn't notice anything and we got our full deposit back xx>>>

Moving into a new house for my third year was a different story. The first place we looked at said absolutely no pets whatsoever. The place we ended up living in said the piggies can stay outside.... they said maybe in the kitchen if it gets bitterly cold.... hmmm I may have ignored them completely and put them in the lounge at first and then moved them upstairs to my bedroom due to the occasional visits from my housemates dog (and the useless draughty windows in the house!). I didn't even bother to hide them when we had an inspection and on our check out sheet when asked 'evidence of pets' we got a no. So don't give up trying... everyone seems to fall for the charm of a gorgeous little piggy face! xx>>>
 
Our landlord said never been pets in here and he never wants pets in here.
We re-homed our guinea pigs, 4 mice and a hamster but couldn't part with our cat or other hamster.
Hamster will be hidden in our wardrobe with the cats stuff and il take the cat out in his basket before they come.
We couldn't look for as Alex was tied into a lease for another 6 months
 
My OH and I have recently moved into a rented flat, my first question was can I bring the guineas.

The landlords said yes as long as they stay outside, even in winter, to be fair there is no room for them in here. So the OH and I have been making extensive winter proofing plans, with the help of All About The Animals (Claire) to make sure they are as warm as possible.

Honey has however been indoors to have her medicine, and Lola came in for some photos...in situations where I can't realistically stand in the rain and syringe feed a guinea pig, we are sure they will be ok with them indoors, it is just them living in here all the time that would be an issue.
 
I rent and simply explained very rationally how I was confident I could look after the guinea pigs in a way that wouldn't impact the house.

I do live alone tho, so I guess it's different if they have to consider of housemates.

I think my landlord already respected me as a responsible individual so had no worries. His only stipulation was that they shouldn't go upstairs.

I think most landlords who say "no pets" are refering to bigger animals such as dogs and cats which can do damage they may have to pay to get repaired.

:)
 
I have rented for years, started with a room in a house, then bedsit unit in house eventually into a flat and now flat with garden. My first rented room the landlord encouraged me to get my dog as I travelled at silly o clock in the morning across the countryside to work and it was for my safety (and she turned out to be protective), I always brought her along to meet the landlard so they can see her size and her behaviour - she always passes that test.

When I moved to the first flat I was struggling to find somewhere in weston that would accept pets, there were a few but they were tiny and expensive, it was by pure luck that a chap I had known for years in my local pub (where I had worked part time) had properties and was willing to rent to me and my dog especialy as he knew her very well, knew me very well and loved her loads. I did have to wait a little while before the first flat was available and it did come with out a garden but having always had to go through a house to get to garden she was used to this and not a problem.

I did contimplate putting a rodent in the spare room but it wouldnt have been very practical really so much as I wanted to have pigs again I knew I couldnt sensibly. Then I asked to be considered for a place with garden attached and again by luck in a few months time this place I am on came up and we moved in. I asked permission for a second dog as he knew I would look after the dogs and after that didnt work I then asked a rather baffled landlord if I could have the pigs, stating that 4 would be the max and he has no responsibility for them, he agreed and I have my 4.

I know I am lucky to have an understanding landlord and I know how hard it is to find somewhere that accepts pets but generally its cats and dogs that they are saying no to, not smaller animals.

Good luck with your search.
 
I have a garden full of buns and piggies and have always found landlords to be very amenable. Keep your chin up.

If worst comes to the worst I'm sure one of us could foster them for you until you were settled.
 
We've rented for years with guinea pigs and never found it too problematic. My first question is always about the pigs. Even those that say no pets can be flexible when you explain it's not a cat or dog but a small animal that will be caged at all times.

I would never lie about this to a landlord. The fact is, if you're caught, you're in breach of the tenancy agreement and can be evicted. This is not a situation I'd ever want to be in, especially with animals to look after.

I've found that being quite open about pets is the best policy and if someone is adamant that they don't want animals, I just say fine and move on, there are plenty of other rental properties about. I have a friend who has extreme pet hair allergies and couldn't live somewhere where the previous tenant had pets, so I can appreciate the other side of this too, if people don't want pets in the house, I'll respect that.

Good luck in your search, I'm sure you'll find somewhere without too much difficulty.
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Ours was through an agent aswell, If you struggle to find somethng reassure them that they are caged or hutched animals, bloody hell how much damage can guinea pigs do!
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haha that made me giggle, ours decided to chew the skirting board by the stairs think i might get away with sanding down the chew marks then painting over.
 
I've never been allowed pets where I rent! So I hide them! and luckily I had a really big roof cavity space that would hide their massive cage! Hoovered really well and to be honest theres not really much damage or evidence of them. When the inspection took place I just sat on my bed and they were under a massive blanket on my lap! Although one time I did leave this sign I had above their cage saying "Cuddles lives here" with a painting I'd done of him and a big arrow pointing to where the cage usually is..lol
When I came to move out and I knew there was going to potentially be alot of people looking around I emailed the landlord and estate agent and said I'd "just inherited these guinea pigs from my grandad who couldn't cope with them" anymore, so as I knew the policy on pets I knew I would have to move out as soon as possible! They thanked me for being so considerate and informing them!
XXXXX
 
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