House hunting (Austin: renters, buying a house, buying)

[Melissa78703]

From my own experience (I had two cats), it's getting harder and harder to find rentals that will accept pets. I no longer have pets ... I couldn't get anything in my price range in the neighborhood I wanted. Used to not be this way.

[Megan1967]

HappyTexan, would you be willing to share what you didn't like about RR? I ask because, since I don't think I can afford to get the lovely craftsman house in town that I'd really love, I've been seriously considering RR.

[HappyTexan]

It was the combination of sprawl, good ole boy politics, local traffic and that the older neighborhoods (the ones with character and charm and big trees) that I was looking for were out of my price range.

Pflugerville 10 years ago was what I was looking for but today it's turned into what RR has become; sprawl and lots of gated subdivisions that are looking to change the city to make it more urban and metropolitan. The older residents are constantly attending the city council meetings to oppose the new ordinances that the newcomers are pushing for that will change their lifestyle.

[readymade]

I have yet to see a rental that will take more than 2 or 3 (at the VERY most) pets.

I looked around a bit back in August. I have 3 cats & a dog. I think all you can do is lie about it (the amount of pets, I mean. I'm not suggesting moving into a place that doesn't allow pets at ALL and then lie about it) and then not be very blantant with your pets.

I'm wondering how in the heck I'm going to drive from CA to TX with 3 cats & a dog. We thought about renting an RV. I don't even know if that's possible and THEY probably don't allow pets EITHER.

I'm sick of everyone not allowing pets anywhere! (I'm joking, fyi, so please don't jump down my throat telling me about your allergies. I personally wouldn't rent to someone who had pets, either. That way lies disaster!)

[cub77cub]

Originally Posted by readymade

I have yet to see a rental that will take more than 2 or 3 (at the VERY most) pets.

I looked around a bit back in August. I have 3 cats & a dog. I think all you can do is lie about it (the amount of pets, I mean. I'm not suggesting moving into a place that doesn't allow pets at ALL and then lie about it) and then not be very blantant with your pets.

I'm wondering how in the heck I'm going to drive from CA to TX with 3 cats & a dog. We thought about renting an RV. I don't even know if that's possible and THEY probably don't allow pets EITHER.

I'm sick of everyone not allowing pets anywhere! (I'm joking, fyi, so please don't jump down my throat telling me about your allergies. I personally wouldn't rent to someone who had pets, either. That way lies disaster!)

We drove from San Diego to Austin (when we moved in August) with four adults, one baby and 3 pugs. It was an adventure, to say the least. You can find hotels that will take small dogs/cats. Since we had the baby, we did have 3 stops set up. The ones in Tuscon and El Paso were fine, but the third one in Ft. Stockton was a dive..so we didn't stay.

We have always had good luck finding hotels that will accept our pugs. I just do an internet search for "pet friendly hotels" and then check Tripadvisor for customer ratings.

I have noticed a lot of apts in Austin do accept pets. However, I usually say we have two pugs because some people get spooked by more than 2.
Hey...they are small, right?!

[austin-steve]

I think all you can do is lie about it (the amount of pets, I mean. I'm not suggesting moving into a place that doesn't allow pets at ALL and then lie about it) and then not be very blantant with your pets.

That's some of the worst advice I've ever seen on these forums.

I'm a professional Property Manager and rental property owner. All of our leases have a $500 initial pet violation penalty plus $10 per day per animal until the unauthorized animal(s) are removed, and an automatic permenant increase of $100/mo. in the rent when the violation occurs. Apartments have similar penalties written in as it's a "fill in the blank" on all the standard Texas leases. (though we add the rent increase part in an addendum)

It's a big hammer that comes down when we catch people lying about pets or trying to sneak in new pets. I've had to enforce it and levie the fine against my tenants plenty of times over the years and can tell you that when it happens, the tenant tears, excuses, rationalizations and apologies fall on deaf ears. Liars get no mercy, period.

When you rent, the lease is clear and the pet policies are clearly stated up front and the rules and penalties are unambigous covered at length during the lease signing, so a person who makes the decision to lie about pets is doing so with full knowledge of the consequences.

How would you like to be a home owner with kids and find out that the new renter next door to you has three Pit Bulls because they lied about having them to the property manager?

Be truthful about your animals and keep searching. Focus on private landlords. Many private landlords are pet lovers themselves and will be more likely to accomodate your animals. You'll just have to weed through more prospective properties and make more phone calls than a person without pets. Phrase the news about your pets in the most positve way and have your lines well prepared. Here is a sample script you might use as a model when first speaking to the landlord:

"I do have pets, and they all have shots and I vet records and pictures I can show you when we meet, as well as references from my former landlord. I take pet ownership very seriously. That said, I do have x cats and x dogs, which I am learning the hard way is more than most landlords allow, but I would really appreciate it if you would at least consider allowing them and I'll do anything you ask in order to make you comfortable with my pets".

You are selling something and you want the landlord to buy. You're selling the idea that you are a responsible pet owner and a good tenant. You have to do more than simply state the amount of pets you own and hope they'll say "ok". You have to work it more than that.

Good luck. You'll find an accomodating landlord eventually, but be truthful and up front from the start.

Steve

Professional landlords have a responsibility and duty to

[Megan1967]

Honestly, I wouldn't rent to someone with more than 4 cats. I was a pet sitter and saw too many horrible situations. I've lived in my current house for 10 years so my land lord references are a little old to say the least. I'm not even sure how to find him as he sold the complex where I lived years ago. At that point I only had two cats.

I'm not about to lie. It would be sort of ridiculous with the sheer number of cats I have.

How about you Steve? Would you consider renting to me? I actually am a really good pet owner and would be willing to have the authority of your choice check out my home as it is fairly spotless (getting ready to put it on the market).

Actually, not all my cats are up to date on their shots because of recent research that over-vaccination can be bad for pets, esp cats because they are so small. I have titers for those I didn't re-vaccinate however to the tune of $300 per cat (that included the exam so I don't know exactly how much the titers were). All their levels were through the roof and even my vet who is skeptical about the research had to admit that my kitties were definitely still protected and probably would be for some time to come. I think it was an eye opener for her. I would be perfectly comfortable using my vet as a reference as well as the director of the Emergency Clinic I use as he also has witnessed the level of care I provide my pets.

I had my house on the market two years ago and people were very impressed by how clean and fresh smelling my house is making unsolicited comments to that effect. Unfortunately that was when the market tanked in our community.

[DiMost]

Originally Posted by readymade

I have yet to see a rental that will take more than 2 or 3 (at the VERY most) pets.

I'm wondering how in the heck I'm going to drive from CA to TX with 3 cats & a dog. We thought about renting an RV. I don't even know if that's possible and THEY probably don't allow pets EITHER.

Our vet (who uses and RV to come to her patients) suggested that we move the pets in an RV, which is what we will do. She has several pet owners who have used an RV to move, and said it went really well. Our cats don't find the RV scary at all for the vet visit-they think it's a house!

Advantages:
Can stop when needed. RV camping spots are not expensive. No worries about some maid in a hotel letting the pets out, or the pets making too much noise (dogs). Easy to walk the dog in an RV park or roadside camping area. Don't have to keep the animals in a crate for long distances (the vet did recommend putting the cats in the over-cab bed area with a net across the front, or closing them into the bedroom which our RV will have. And, putting a harness and a leash on ALL the animals so you can secure them when going in and out at the campground.)

We found a couple of pet-friendly RV rentals, so we are going to go the RV route at the end of January. We can let you know how it works out, if you like :-)

DiMost

[Megan1967]

I checked out an RV and it was over $2500 before gas was factored in. That's a little more than I can afford, but I think it is the perfect solution.

[DiMost]

We have about a four-day trip, and I don't like cheap hotels--I have asthma and cannot be somewhere where people have smoked in the room. So we figured in hotel cost, eating out (instead of preparing food in the RV), and gas--it's not to bad when we figure those costs in too. Plus, less worry about the kids with tails.