Renting with 4 dogs (Austin: apartments, rentals, condos)

[Aaarrrggg]

Well I got my visa approved yesterday and my husband and I will be moving from the UK to Austin asap! Its a dream that's been years in the making and we can't stop smiling!

Our plan is to rent for 6-12 months to get a feel for the city before buying a house. We'll be jetting over in a couple of weeks to scout out some properties to rent and hopefully sign a lease. Then we'll come back to the UK, pack everything up, put our UK house on the market and come and enjoy the sun!

The problem... we have 4 dogs...! They're all small ones (2 chihuahuas, a chinese crested and a boston terrier) but after emailing a few rental agencies it seems like they don't want to know if its over 2, regardless of size/breed. We're completely prepared to hunt for somewhere to rent, and pay extra for the dogs, but can anyone think of any good places to start?

One realtor told us to look for private rentals, but I have no idea where to look for them. There's craigslist, but another warned us against looking there because they could be dodgy. We thought we hit gold when we found a website that specialised in finding accommodation for relocating pet owners, but they too (quite rudely) told us that they couldn't help with 4 dogs.

Any advice/links would be much appreciated!

[triwing]

Rent a house.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by Aaarrrggg

Well I got my visa approved yesterday and my husband and I will be moving from the UK to Austin asap! Its a dream that's been years in the making and we can't stop smiling!

Our plan is to rent for 6-12 months to get a feel for the city before buying a house. We'll be jetting over in a couple of weeks to scout out some properties to rent and hopefully sign a lease. Then we'll come back to the UK, pack everything up, put our UK house on the market and come and enjoy the sun!

The problem... we have 4 dogs...! They're all small ones (2 chihuahuas, a chinese crested and a boston terrier) but after emailing a few rental agencies it seems like they don't want to know if its over 2, regardless of size/breed. We're completely prepared to hunt for somewhere to rent, and pay extra for the dogs, but can anyone think of any good places to start?

One realtor told us to look for private rentals, but I have no idea where to look for them. There's craigslist, but another warned us against looking there because they could be dodgy. We thought we hit gold when we found a website that specialised in finding accommodation for relocating pet owners, but they too (quite rudely) told us that they couldn't help with 4 dogs.

Any advice/links would be much appreciated!

Craigslist is not anymore dodgy then any other source. As long as you sign a fair rental agreement that protects you legally, that is what you should worry about. There are also apartment finders in Austin, you can find them using a google search. Some of them, in addition to finding apartments, know of house rentals currently available. You are just going to have to keep calling till you find someone willing to work with you.

To be honest though, there are few apartments that I have ever heard of in America that allow that many pets. It's not even something they will consider. You're on the right track looking for a private house to rent, but even that will be difficult with 4 dogs. It's just a difficult placement, no one wants to take the chance.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by triwing

Rent a house.

that's what she is trying to do.

[zach5150]

Is there any chance you could get a family member to puppy sit for 6-12 months until you purchase a place?

[Aaarrrggg]

If we had to, it might be possible to get some relatives to puppy sit, but we'd rather not go that route. We have talked about it though, so its definitely a fall back option if push came to shove.

Thats interesting info about Craigslist. I've never used it before, but I hear it mentioned on TV so it must be doing something right! I'll keep an eye on it, thanks!

Just found a company called "Habitat Hunters" in Austin. Going to email them and see if they can help... *fingers crossed* I'll let you know how it goes!

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by Aaarrrggg

If we had to, it might be possible to get some relatives to puppy sit, but we'd rather not go that route. We have talked about it though, so its definitely a fall back option if push came to shove.

Thats interesting info about Craigslist. I've never used it before, but I hear it mentioned on TV so it must be doing something right! I'll keep an eye on it, thanks!

Just found a company called "Habitat Hunters" in Austin. Going to email them and see if they can help... *fingers crossed* I'll let you know how it goes!

I hope it works out for you. I would hate if you would have to kennel your dogs for 6 months because you could not find a rental. Although, if you were bringing dogs INTO the UK, then 6 months would be a lucky break. Quarantine of dogs there is crazy.

[atxcio]

What part of the city are you looking in? Craigslist is a useful resource, you just need to be willing to spend the time to filter out all the spam complexes and apartment finders, and stick to the by-owner postings. Also, craigslist lets you search by "dogs ok".

Also look at statesman.com, and find listings that look like they are by the property owner. A small landlord is more likely to work with you. Habitat Hunters is a well known and long-time Austin locating service, so that route definitely might work (although they specialize more towards students and apartments/condos).