Help! Need house/apt that allows 4 dogs! (Avalon, Bridgeport: apartment complexes, foreclosure)

[jennyps121]

Help! We are relocating to the Philly area in the fall for 4-5 years while I attend seminary. We would be great tenants (myself, my husband and our 14-year old son), but have a couple sticky points. First of all, we foreclosed on our home which, although incredibly painful, has actually been a blessing in disguise. We are now living with my sister, paying off all our debt. So, while it looks bad on paper, it is actually a good thing. Secondly, we have 4 dogs. I know it sounds crazy, but we are very clean people who take care of our dogs! We just need a dog-loving landlord!

I'm praying someone out there will be able to help us! The seminary doesn't allow dogs, so we really need a private place.

Thanks and God Bless!

[Avalon08]

So you need to find a dog-loving landlord who also doesn't mind bad credit? Oooh....good luck with that. When I was trying to find an apartment last year (with one small dog at the time), the credit requirements for renting were worse than buying! Sorry to not be more encouraging, but four dogs plus bad credit doesn't sound like any landlord's dream or even acceptable tenant...

[kittygroomer]

I know here in the Northeast area you can find a decent landlord every now and then who over looks those negative things, because they are desperate for people to move in. What area of Philly were you looking for?

[jennyps121]

We obviously can't be overly fussy considering the circumstances, but the seminary is in the Chestnut Hill/Mount Airy area...

[Avalon08]

Jenny, have you tried Craiglist? I'm not sure private landlords are as picky as the apartment or townhouse complexes. For example, I just saw a row house in Bridgeport advertised that accepts dogs (doesn't specify how many). Many other rental homes accept pets -- it's just a matter of pleading your case with the landlord....perhaps you'd need a co-signer due to the credit issue. I had to co-sign for my son when we found a small private efficiency apt. and he had bad credit. Good luck!

[FinsterRufus]

I think if you're upfront from the beginning with your foreclosure situation you may be OK. You certainly aren't the only one in that predicament these days! I would look more at private landlords with houses than apartment complexes, as Avalon08 said - the apartment managers don't have much flexibility in deciding who to rent to as applicants must meet a predetermined criteria, and with four dogs you'll probably be automatically excluded anyway (plus you need a bit of room for them, I'd imagine).

If have extra money to offer as security for your pets that may help. It may take you a bit longer but try not to settle for something in an unsafe area or get sucked in by a less than scrupulous landlord - after all you still have to pay rent with your hard-earned money just like everyone who looks better on paper.

Good luck hunting .....