rent with pets

The Ultimate Guide to Renting in London with Your Pet

Finding somewhere to rent in London is hard enough as it is. For owners of pets, this is made several times harder because of the difficulty in finding pet friendly landlords and properties. SearchSmartly decided to find solutions that will put any London pet-owner at ease when looking to rent in the city

Guide to renting with pets

Renting a property as a pet-owner depends on the willingness of the landlord to accept pets in their property. Landlords are concerned about damage to the property, noise, and fouling. In order to put your pet’s best paw forward, we have assembled a few steps you can take to help you secure a lease.

Step One: Prepare a Pet CV. Use the CV as an opportunity to talk about your pet’s behaviour and personality. You should also mention any training your pets have received and how they behave inside of the home. Include details of your pet’s last vaccinations and flea & worming treatments. Here is a Pet CV template that you can use to address any concerns your landlord may have regarding your pet.

Step Two: Be prepared to pay a higher deposit, have less flexibility on the asking price or pay for any professional end of tenancy cleaning services. But hey, if your landlord is impressed with your pet CV, and if you maintain the property correctly, you may not have to! A reference from your previous landlord addressing those points would add leverage to your offer.

Step Three: Search for properties matching your lifestyle.

Use the SearchSmartly filter to find a list of properties suitable for your budget, commute, and lifestyle requirements.
Book a viewing with the property that is of interest to you, completing the registration form when prompted to do so.
Fill in your contact details, move in date, and add a comment about your pet in the notes section.

Keep in mind that newbuilds don’t generally allow pets, but unless it’s a strict building association policy, having your pet CV at hand, would help you negotiate with the property landlord.

We hope you find this information useful. Do let us know in the comments or feel free to get in touch via our website.

To start your search click here.

To download a Pet CV template, click here.