Need pitbull friendly rental near Olympia, coming up empty (Aberdeen: house, place to live)

[elkotronics]

We found an ad on craigslist for recreational property to rent, but as soon as we informed them we had a pitbull mix we never heard from them again. Trying to find a rental for several months until we find a home to buy is looking almost impossible at this point. Are you a member of any classified sites in your area Jason?

I joined several and have come across a few here and there, but they get rented pretty quick, and tend to be in less than desirable neighborhoods.......

Ahh, yes, a subject near and dear to my heart. My wife and I have a Pomeranian, Chow Chow and two cats. We own our own house in New Mexico now, but had been renting since 2010 until we bought this Alamogordo house in late March of 2018. We had a terrible time finding a rental in the last town we rented in, which was Wenatchee, WA, in September of 2017. We were upfront about having the two dogs and two cats, and finally a rental on Lake Chelan in the town of Manson became available to us.

We actually weren't charged too much of a pet fee, IIRC it was $500 non-refundable. That was on top of the $800 security deposit. We rented the top floor of a really nice lodge overlooking Lake Chelan. The property is managed by Coldwell Banker Lake Chelan Properties. The rental application was long, trying and intense. I thought I was trying to get us into the Rockefeller House or something. We were approved, moved in, stayed until I found a job down here in New Mexico, broke our lease with them, and moved down here.

The hospital I went to work for down here paid off the lease early. Good thing, or we would have owed that $1,200 a month rent that we agreed to pay through mid-May of this year. Thank goodness for my current employer.

But as far as renting with animals goes, we couldn't find any takers for us in Wenatchee, Quincy, Peshastin-Dryden, Leavenworth, Chelan, you name it. I tried and tried and tried - finally, on a tip via a text from our son, I called this Property Management Company on Lake Chelan. My drive to work was about an hour and 15 minutes each way. I nodded off driving on the way home - eventually realized the Wenatchee gig wasn't gonna work for us - found this new gig - and the rest is, as they say on TV...history.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by karee70

We found an ad on craigslist for recreational property to rent, but as soon as we informed them we had a pitbull mix we never heard from them again. Trying to find a rental for several months until we find a home to buy is looking almost impossible at this point. Are you a member of any classified sites in your area Jason?

I joined several and have come across a few here and there, but they get rented pretty quick, and tend to be in less than desirable neighborhoods.......

Exactly. Where demand is outrunning supply by a wide margin there is no reason for property owners to allow "restricted" breeds. In many cases, it is their insurance companies who are insisting on the restriction. Your choices are:

1) Try to get lucky by finding the "odd duck" landlord willing to allow restricted breeds within a "desirable" area. Don't be surprised if you come up empty.

2) Look in less than "desirable", even "undesirable", areas, where supply is outrunning demand to hopefully find a landlord who cares more about filling a vacancy than the breed of your dog. Be ready to offer to pay a double pet fee/deposit and provide testimonials that your dog is well-behaved and not aggressive. If not willing to live in a "bad" area, be prepared for a long commute, since that is a primary factor determining demand.

3) See if a family member or friend is willing to provide a temporary home for your dog, so you can rent while looking to purchase a house. You'll likely need to pay room-and-board, vet bills, etc.

4) Although you may not be willing to do it, finding a new permanent home for your dog is still an option.

It is pointless to complain about this. It is the way it is. There have been several high profile vicious attacks by pitt bulls in this state. If you want to blame someone, blame "bad owners" who have failed to keep the public, often children or the elderly, safe from their aggressive and vicious dogs.

[Jason2112]

Originally Posted by karee70

We found an ad on craigslist for recreational property to rent, but as soon as we informed them we had a pitbull mix we never heard from them again. Trying to find a rental for several months until we find a home to buy is looking almost impossible at this point. Are you a member of any classified sites in your area Jason?

I joined several and have come across a few here and there, but they get rented pretty quick, and tend to be in less than desirable neighborhoods.......

I haven’t had much luck with Craigslist and I’m not on Facebook so if there are groups they’re out of my reach. I have a contact on Seattle who is trying to help but he’s coming up short too.

I have a job prospect in OR, I may have to go that route because I’m running out of time with the job offer in Olympia.

[Jason2112]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

It is pointless to complain about this. It is the way it is. There have been several high profile vicious attacks by pitt bulls in this state. If you want to blame someone, blame "bad owners" who have failed to keep the public, often children or the elderly, safe from their aggressive and vicious dogs.

I do agree that complaining about the plight of dog owners can seem like a waste of time, but doing nothing solves nothing. Restricted breed owners still need a place to live, I mean this is the ultra liberal, free spirited NW right?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Jason2112

.........I have a job prospect in OR, I may have to go that route because I’m running out of time with the job offer in Olympia.

You might look around before you leap into that job in Oregon. You might have problems finding a rental that accepts pitbulls in Oregon, too.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Jason2112

.......... I mean this is the ultra liberal, free spirited NW right?

The PNW was rather free-spirited and live and let live until all the liberal progressives moved in and started passing laws restrictions personal freedoms, interfering in personal property rights, and passing lots of new tax bills, cutting into available income. You've got a rather unrealistic view of what liberals stand for, and it is not free spirited, but rather, lots of control.

[Jason2112]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

You might look around before you leap into that job in Oregon. You might have problems finding a rental that accepts pitbulls in Oregon, too.

Well, I found 3 all-breed apartments in Salem in about 30 minutes of looking, and 6 (so far) in Portland. I guess gentrification is good for something...

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

The PNW was rather free-spirited and live and let live until all the liberal progressives moved in and started passing laws restrictions personal freedoms, interfering in personal property rights, and passing lots of new tax bills, cutting into available income. You've got a rather unrealistic view of what liberals stand for, and it is not free spirited, but rather, lots of control.

I was being facetious. I am not liberal nor do I ever plan to be, but I'll grow a beard and roll up my pant legs if it means I can find a place to live with my dog.

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

The PNW was rather free-spirited and live and let live until all the liberal progressives moved in and started passing laws restrictions personal freedoms, interfering in personal property rights, and passing lots of new tax bills, cutting into available income. You've got a rather unrealistic view of what liberals stand for, and it is not free spirited, but rather, lots of control.

Liberals had absolutely nothing to do with the restrictions on pit bulls. Restrictions on pit bulls are the result of insurance companies. Landlords still have a liability and due to the frequent stories about bites and maulings with the lawsuits that follow, insurance companies have passed those costs on. The OP would do best to either rent in a rural area where perhaps the owner is willing to take the risk, or look at buying something and paying the insurance costs himself.

Originally Posted by Jason2112

Well, I found 3 all-breed apartments in Salem in about 30 minutes of looking, and 6 (so far) in Portland. I guess gentrification is good for something...

I was being facetious. I am not liberal nor do I ever plan to be, but I'll grow a beard and roll up my pant legs if it means I can find a place to live with my dog.

Sounds like the job offer in Oregon is a better path; liberal Olympia was probably a bad fit anyway.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Jason2112

I do agree that complaining about the plight of dog owners can seem like a waste of time, but doing nothing solves nothing. Restricted breed owners still need a place to live, I mean this is the ultra liberal, free spirited NW right?

As I said, blame the "bad owners", and the insurance companies. No one is required to rent to you. For a place for you and your dog, you need to look in areas with less demand, or buy a place of your own.

[elkotronics]

Yes to the above post. The reason we were approved to rent the lower floor of the lodge on Lake Chelan with our four animals was partly because it was a mid-September rental. Off-season, demand is down for a fall rental on Lake Chelan. Lake Chelan is a nutty madhouse in the summer. Play time.