Who rents to owners of pit bulls in Lakewood, Co?? (Denver: apartments, rent to own)

[JamieLOVESJames]

My boyfriend and I are moving to Colorado from Texas with my two very friendly 7 yr old it bulls. I have been looking for a house to rent or even an a partment that allows pit bulls but have had no luck, especially apartments. There is no breed restriction law in Lakewood but everyone acts as if there is one. I know Denver and other suberbs have outlawed the breed but is there anyone out there who will rent to a pit bull owner in Lakewood, Co? Everyone I call on craigslist say they won't allow the dogs even with a hefty pet deposit.
I was to start college at RMCAD to be a graphic designer Fall 2011 but now I am unsure of moving to Colorado at all because of this housing problem I am having.
ANYthing will help. Thanks,
Jamie

[RogueMom]

Is this a joke?

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by JamieLOVESJames

My boyfriend and I are moving to Colorado from Texas with my two very friendly 7 yr old it bulls. I have been looking for a house to rent or even an a partment that allows pit bulls but have had no luck, especially apartments. There is no breed restriction law in Lakewood but everyone acts as if there is one. I know Denver and other suberbs have outlawed the breed but is there anyone out there who will rent to a pit bull owner in Lakewood, Co? Everyone I call on craigslist say they won't allow the dogs even with a hefty pet deposit.
I was to start college at RMCAD to be a graphic designer Fall 2011 but now I am unsure of moving to Colorado at all because of this housing problem I am having.
ANYthing will help. Thanks,
Jamie

I don't think you are going to find a lot find a lot of sympathy anywhere in Colorado for owning that type of... pet. Just sayin.

[shukertj]

I'm not sure what seems like a joke about the post. It sounds like a very legitimate problem. Unfortunately, the vast majority of landlords will be reluctant to rent to owners of notoriously aggressive dog breeds, no matter how sweet the animals are. It's a matter of liability. Some homeowners insurance companies will even cancel policies or increase the rates if they discover that certain breeds are living in the home.

[hammertime33]

I wouldn't rent to you. I wouldn't want the insurance liability.

[JamieLOVESJames]

Originally Posted by montanamom

Is this a joke?

no, my life is not a joke.

[cglore]

Okay, just to balance the scales. I WOULD rent my house to people with friendly pit bulls.

[HealthSeekerNY]

JamieLOVESJames - So sorry that you are getting such negative responses here! I, too, am a pit bull owner in Upstate NY who has also considered a move to the Denver area. I initially took Denver off my short list due to the city's BSL, but decided to reconsider and see if I could find something just outside of Denver. Reading comments like this is discouraging to me as well. (Thanks, shukertj and cglore for being the rational and notable exceptions here).

I have found nicer responses to the pit bull question in other threads - try searching on the phrase pit bull and/or BSL in the Denver forums. The suggestion I saw most often was to try and find a house owned by a small/independent landlord (rather than a complex). I would be prepared to put down a hefty deposit and provide proof of renter's insurance.

I'm fortunate to be a home owner here in NY, but would like to sell and relocate/rent, so I expect to face this issue myself. If it's an option, perhaps you could find a pit bull friendly place to board your dogs while you look around the area for a rental? When I rented in the past, I found that the (small, independent) landlords were more flexible when I was able to speak with them in person - they might have said no pets or $1200 deposit on the phone, but often made exceptions after we'd chatted in person because they were comfortable with me (in fact, I even negotiated a lower rent in a few cases). If people like you, they'll work with you. I hear over and over that it is hard to find good tenants.

Anyway, try to hang in there - I have often found that patience and persistence pay off.

[HealthSeekerNY]

Originally Posted by cglore

Okay, just to balance the scales. I WOULD rent my house to people with friendly pit bulls.

cglore - is that a hypothetical response, or are you a landlord in the area?

[gmm_24]

It is not just because they are banned in some areas it is due to insurance. Some companies will drop you if they find out you own one, others will make you sign a waiver which basically means if your dogs attack anyone you will personally be held responsible and any and all monies from the attack will come out of your pocket.
Others will not rent to you since they may have other tenant/s who will freak out that you have a pit bull.

My neighbor has a very badly behaved Rottie mix, he has bitten already, it is all his fault and not the dog's but so far none of the people bitten have filed a report against him. His insurance agent came by for some hail damage, saw the breed of dog and the behavior of the dog and they dropped him. He is with another company now who had him sign a waiver.

To me it is all in the training and the bad ones have bad owners.
But I understand some places point of view to not rent due to insurance and complaints of other tenants. No one wants to take the chance and loose money, possibly everything from a dog attack. I am not saying your dogs will attack but that is the mentally due to bad owners who have not trained their dogs the right way.

I would not even try to rent in a complex, I would stick to homes, more expensive but they may rent to you with a waiver of insurance.