Portland vs Seattle vs Bellingham for retired renter (lawyer, home)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I spend quite a bit of money on my animal friends.

I agree with that. I spend a lot of money on my dogs. It is worth every penny.

When I was 18, my husband and I bought our first real estate because I had to have a place to keep my horse. That purchase paid off massively and paid us back for every penny spent on the horse a hundredfold.

Same with the dogs. It is too difficult to rent with dogs so we have always been homeowners.

[NW4me]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I agree with that. I spend a lot of money on my dogs. It is worth every penny.

When I was 18, my husband and I bought our first real estate because I had to have a place to keep my horse. That purchase paid off massively and paid us back for every penny spent on the horse a hundredfold.

Same with the dogs. It is too difficult to rent with dogs so we have always been homeowners.

I've always been curious: about what does it cost annually to keep a horse?

[mhays25]

Spending a lot of money on housepets is great if you're into it. But it seems like a lot of people have financial problems or let the pet force decisions they don't like. That's not my business, but I don't feel terribly sympathetic about their finances.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by mhays25

Spending a lot of money on housepets is great if you're into it. But it seems like a lot of people have financial problems or let the pet force decisions they don't like. That's not my business, but I don't feel terribly sympathetic about their finances.

You're absolutely right to let lack of financial stability prevent you from sharing your life with animal companions, and too many people do tend to get pets on a whim. I don't think that those of us who answered your original remark fall into that category, though.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I spend quite a bit of money on my animal friends.

And for the renters on this 'rent' thread..... your benevolent landlord is likely to spend 10x to 1000x on renovating, lost rents, lost / displaced co-tenants who cannot tolerate pets...tenants.

I'm all for pets... I have had 'working' farm dogs & cats + livestock for over 60 yrs... but.... I would never impose my 'pet habit' on others (renting / airplanes / public parks / stores / eating places...).

As a landlord I was forced to displace 3 senior tenants this yr. (10+ yrs with me) due to ONE insistent 'companion pet' privilege.

They now have to pay 50% more plus they had to leave "home"
I was forced to sell the very nice and previously quiet complex.

Very greedy, very sad. (Pet tenant has since left too),

Disrupted a lot of lives and cost 10s of thousands to the 'non-pet' residents.

If with pet...Consider buying!
Please buy!

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

And for the renters on this 'rent' thread..... your benevolent landlord is likely to spend 10x to 1000x on renovating, lost rents, lost / displaced co-tenants who cannot tolerate pets...tenants.

I'm all for pets... I have had 'working' farm dogs & cats + livestock for over 60 yrs... but.... I would never impose my 'pet habit' on others (renting / airplanes / public parks / stores / eating places...).

As a landlord I was forced to displace 3 senior tenants this yr. (10+ yrs with me) due to ONE insistent 'companion pet' privilege.

They now have to pay 50% more plus they had to leave "home"
I was forced to sell the very nice and previously quiet complex.

Very greedy, very sad. (Pet tenant has since left too),

Disrupted a lot of lives and cost 10s of thousands to the 'non-pet' residents.

If with pet...Consider buying!
Please buy!

Not sure why I was quoted here. I'm not a renter. I have tenants with pets myself, and they're all doing fine.

If you had to sell a previously nice complex that got trashed, that's on you. I do, though, think that landlords need to start standing up to these "therapy pet" types who get fake certifications off the internet.

My places have yards and I'm able to pick and choose tenants from a long list, but I haven't had a place open in years, and the homes are clean and well-tended.

Not losing any money here.

[Metlakatla]

As a landlord I was forced to displace 3 senior tenants this yr. (10+ yrs with me) due to ONE insistent 'companion pet' privilege.

You should have done your homework. Companion animals legally aren't pets. You could have handled this thing in a way that didn't result in the disruption you claim. You've got a right as a landlord to require that assistance animals don't create a nuisance for other tenants.

I think a lot of landlords fail to understand that there's a legal difference between service and companion animals as well. Those who are confused might want to read this:

https://www.rentprep.com/property-ma...tance-animals/

If things were so bad you were "forced" to displace long term tenants, I'm pretty sure you had some sort of legal recourse.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by CAjerseychick

my dog has literally saved my life.
twice.

for a woman living the urban life, a dog is definitely a bonus.

Oh hell yeah, but it's the same for our rural sisters. My properties are way off the beaten track in extremely rural areas, and I care deeply about the safety of my tenants...we have bears and wolves as well as two-legged threats. But my rentals are set up for pets -- easy-to-clean flooring
in the case of accidents, actual porches, and fenced yards. I don't see the point in allowing animals in places that don't provide pet-friendly environments and then complaining when problems occur.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

.......... I do, though, think that landlords need to start standing up to these "therapy pet" types who get fake certifications off the internet.............

It's difficult to stand up to the fake therapy pets when the law is 100% on the side of the tenant and penalties for the landlord can be astronomical. Lots of complaints to lawmakers from landlord associations have had no result.

I allow carefully screened pets, but I have individual houses set up for dogs. If I had apartments I would not allow pets. Apartment dwellers seem to have enough problems getting along without throwing some barking or dog poop into the mix.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

It's difficult to stand up to the fake therapy pets when the law is 100% on the side of the tenant and penalties for the landlord can be astronomical. Lots of complaints to lawmakers from landlord associations have had no result.

I allow carefully screened pets, but I have individual houses set up for dogs. If I had apartments I would not allow pets. Apartment dwellers seem to have enough problems getting along without throwing some barking or dog poop into the mix.

If a therapy pet is causing a lot of problems or damage, including disrupting other tenants, you can evict the person, and you can file against the tenant for damages. The FHA doesn't cover privately managed single family dwellings, so no, the law isn't entirely on the side of the tenant, although I agree it's certainly skewed that way. Completely agree about apartments and pets.

The laws vary in every state, but I think that too many landlords are just taking these fake letters people are getting off the internet saying their pets are assistance animals as something they can't fight back on. I think that if things got so bad that other tenants were forced to leave and the landlord was forced to sell, there'd be some legal recourse in there somewhere.