HELP! Moving NY to AZ with 2 large dogs/3 kitties-Where can I rent? (Mesa: real estate market, apartment)

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by Colt Cassidy

Good property owners desire to protect their properties, and they will do what they need to do to secure their investments. However, there definitely are those owners (aka: slumlords) who may not care what kind of problems the tenant may bring, as long as they fill that vacancy.

What others here have said to you is correct. Most likely, you may not be the most desirable tenant at this point in time, based on your current situation. Purchasing a property may be the best possible way for you to go, and then no one will question your personal history, your financial standing, your credit report, or the number of animals you have.

Except the mortgage company who might loan the money and the homeowner's associaition who MIGHT have an issue with the number of pets. (Yep, I lived in one that limited pets to four and yes, they took action when somebody had four large, noisy dogs on a lakefront property. That was the second house that I ever purchased.)

[AZgarden]

It can be done, but you will have to negotiate pet fees and increased rent. My daughter and hubby have 3 dogs and a cat. They had another cat but she died. They also had chickens for awhile. They live in the Osborn/40th area of Phoenix. There will be someone who wants an animal loving tenant like you.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

It can be done, but you will have to negotiate pet fees and increased rent. My daughter and hubby have 3 dogs and a cat. They had another cat but she died. They also had chickens for awhile. They live in the Osborn/40th area of Phoenix. There will be someone who wants an animal loving tenant like you.

I like the positive spin PhxBarb put on this. I don't think people are saying your situation is impossible, just that it will be more of a challenge. By all means, keep looking and trying and hopefully something will open for you.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by NYtoAZ2016

Wow- delusional. Section 8 and 3-5 destructive kids is ok for you to rent to but not a clean cut, no criminal record, great credit score, person with a few animals that have NEVER EVER have done anything bad. OK. The song remains the same----be broke and on the public dime and you can live like a king..free food, free housing, free healthcare and babysitting...... God Save America! Smh....

Some landlords have been burned by tenants with pets who were described as well behaved, not destructive. Given the choice between someone like you with 5 animals and someone like you without, they are going to take the one without the pets. Let's not make this a political discussion. I don't think most Section 8 landlords want five pets either. And the one person I've ever known who used Section 8 for housing kept one of the most immaculate houses I've ever seen- with kids and others in the house all the time.


PhxBarb is right, you may find something to rent, but you are going to need to be a bit creative about it, and it may take time. Fellow animal lovers are the best bet.. perhaps a guest house on an urban or suburban ranch property.

[autism360]

Since you own 2 homes my advice would be to pull some equity out of a home and buy a condo or a home, prices are going up and you will most likely be able to sell the home for a profit if you decide to move.

[DogLovinGal]

Another landlord here, agree with the previous statements that you present a high risk. No real ties to AZ, hard to recoup losses from if things go south, a lot of animals, and an okay-ish credit score. If you can present yourself as low-risk as possible- for example, larger pet deposit or pet fee, larger down payment then required, proof of AZ income, etc it might not be impossible but you're still finding yourself in a hot rental market up against tenants with less or no pets, and perhaps better circumstances.

[infocyde]

Another Option: Move outside of the Phoenix metro.

In rural areas there is a bit more tolerance for pets, rents are cheaper, and you can often rent properties with larger yards for your animals. Try outside of the Prescott area (Chino Valley / Dewy). If you are self sufficient the quality of life in Northern Arizona is better than in the Phoenix metro IMHO (although don't get me wrong I'm not hating on Phoenix, I lived in the valley for close to 10 years and it did me wonders...I just don't now and I like Northern AZ better).

Good luck.

[thinkalot]

Originally Posted by autism360

Since you own 2 homes my advice would be to pull some equity out of a home and buy a condo or a home, prices are going up and you will most likely be able to sell the home for a profit if you decide to move.

Try to find a condo anywhere that will allow 5 pets.

[autism360]

Originally Posted by thinkalot

Try to find a condo anywhere that will allow 5 pets.

I rent a condo to someone who has 3 pets and if they got another 2 indoor cats I would not have a problem,as long as they keep the place clean. Condo hoas do not inspect and are not allowed to enter a privately owned condo to see how many pets you have so if you are an owner and keep it on the down low you should not have a problem.The nice thing about renting to someone with multiple pets is you have a tenant that most likely will not move for a very long time.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by NYtoAZ2016

Wow- delusional. Section 8 and 3-5 destructive kids is ok for you to rent to but not a clean cut, no criminal record, great credit score, person with a few animals that have NEVER EVER have done anything bad. OK. The song remains the same----be broke and on the public dime and you can live like a king..free food, free housing, free healthcare and babysitting...... God Save America! Smh....

I don't believe a section 8 tenant would stand a chance of renting a sfr in my zip code - there aren't enough rentals to go around anyway - you can count the sfr's for rent in my zip code under $1500 with the fingers on one hand.