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Me and my husband have been looking at rental homes in the Northern Westchester area for a couple of months now. We have one son, age 3. He also has an older daughter from previous marriage who lives in another state and comes to visit her dad a couple times per year for a week each time. We figured that a three bedroom house would be ideal, as we could make use of a guest bedroom. My husband answered an ad for a beautiful three bedroom home on the North Salem/Brewster border. When we went to see the home and mentioned we had a small child the owner immediatley started to discourage us from liking the place. "Oh...well...it's sort of small (1550 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 floors), and where would you put his toys. It's nice for one person, but other than that it can get "crowded." We were so in love with the home as it really did fit all of our needs, that we emailed her the next morning reiterating our interest. She also mentioned in her ad that she would "negotiate for the right person." So in my husbands email, he tried to negotiate the very hefty security deposit she was asking for. Her return email stated that she will only negotiate for a "single" tenant, as more people (meaning...a child) would expose the home to "wear and tear." She also stated that she would get back to us after she talks to another prospective tenant.
I am insulted, appaled, and completely in shock. I grew up in the affluent areas of Katonah/Bedford. So I am fully aware of the attitude up this way, and even I was taken aback. I know many families with more than one child that get along just fine in homes between 1500-2000 square feet. If your renting a three bedroom home on an acre of property wouldn't you expect prospective tenants to maybe possibly have children? This woman also is an animal lover with a dog and a couple of cats that she had roaming around the home in between tenants. Wouldn't they wreck the place more than a small child would. Maybe some kids will draw on the walls with markers, but not mine. We are a clean, quiet, well behaved family with stable jobs and an upper middle class income.
We have been living in a home that my husband rented out before we were married. This is the first time we are attempting to look at places, and the first time for me with a child. Are home owners reluctant to rent to those with children? Or even one child?
FYI - The reason we are looking to leave is because the rental home we have currently is in the Peekskill school district. That's a whole other thread all together.
Me and my husband have been looking at rental homes in the Northern Westchester area for a couple of months now. We have one son, age 3. He also has an older daughter from previous marriage who lives in another state and comes to visit her dad a couple times per year for a week each time. We figured that a three bedroom house would be ideal, as we could make use of a guest bedroom. My husband answered an ad for a beautiful three bedroom home on the North Salem/Brewster border. When we went to see the home and mentioned we had a small child the owner immediatley started to discourage us from liking the place. "Oh...well...it's sort of small (1550 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 floors), and where would you put his toys. It's nice for one person, but other than that it can get "crowded." We were so in love with the home as it really did fit all of our needs, that we emailed her the next morning reiterating our interest. She also mentioned in her ad that she would "negotiate for the right person." So in my husbands email, he tried to negotiate the very hefty security deposit she was asking for. Her return email stated that she will only negotiate for a "single" tenant, as more people (meaning...a child) would expose the home to "wear and tear." She also stated that she would get back to us after she talks to another prospective tenant.
I am insulted, appaled, and completely in shock. I grew up in the affluent areas of Katonah/Bedford. So I am fully aware of the attitude up this way, and even I was taken aback. I know many families with more than one child that get along just fine in homes between 1500-2000 square feet. If your renting a three bedroom home on an acre of property wouldn't you expect prospective tenants to maybe possibly have children? This woman also is an animal lover with a dog and a couple of cats that she had roaming around the home in between tenants. Wouldn't they wreck the place more than a small child would. Maybe some kids will draw on the walls with markers, but not mine. We are a clean, quiet, well behaved family with stable jobs and an upper middle class income.
We have been living in a home that my husband rented out before we were married. This is the first time we are attempting to look at places, and the first time for me with a child. Are home owners reluctant to rent to those with children? Or even one child?
FYI - The reason we are looking to leave is because the rental home we have currently is in the Peekskill school district. That's a whole other thread all together.
Doesn't sound reasonable to me. You sound like ideal tenants. The only conclusion I can draw is that the landlord truly doesn't like kids. Kids are noisy and they do grow older and have playdates leading to other kids coming around. Is the landlord in the vicinity to hear or see kids playing around? The only other reason is that she just didn't like you &/or your husband for whatever reason and may be in no hurry to rent. Still, doesn't sound reasonable. But you really don't have much recourse I don't think.
Disgraceful attitude on the part of the so-called land lord - In Toronto - they can not turn you down because you have a DOG...sounds like you really don't want to be a tenant that has this type of landlord anyway - no loss.
sounds like you really don't want to be a tenant that has this type of landlord anyway - no loss.
While I agree with you, with affordable housing hard to find it's not easy to think this way.
Too bad you didn't record the conversation, what they are doing is against the law.....the only legal housing discrimination is retirement communities can ban kids.
Yes Oleg Bach, that's how we feel. As much as we would have loved to rent the home, we got such a negative vibe from her that even if her first choice tenant dropped out and she offered to rent us her place, we would decline due to the uptightness on her part. It's possible that we weren't what she had in mind, as I believe the previous tenant was single with no children. I really think it was the "kid" thing as she herself is childless and never married. She lives in a town about 15 minutes away, so she would not "hear" our child. She also seemed to like us just fine until the topic of our son came up. What made me crack up though was her excuse "It's too small for a family." BELIEVE me, while not a large home by any means it was certainly not too small for a family of 3. Even a family of four would live comfortably there. She rubbed me the wrong way, and I was just hoping that this isn't the "norm" for rental homes. Meaning...will I find it difficult to rent a home with a child?
I can't think that would be true. She must have been a crazy landlord. We never had trouble renting in Westchester (and we have 4 kids, only 5 years apart, the oldest not even 10). But boy was it impossible to rent in the city. No one wanted to rent to us. That's what pushed us up here. Shake it off and find a better landlord. She'd obviously be terrible to rent from!!!
We only had one rental up here but never had an issue finding it with 2 kids under 4. I get the security deposit thing - you are more likely, on average, to do more damage with more people living there (regardless of the age). Everyone here has families it seems - I'd be surprised if anyone with a 3BR was really holding out for a single person. Not many singles want a 3BR and even fewer want to live in N. Salem.
I would say forget this one. She will just make your life as miserable as hers.
In reality it's against the law not to rent to you because of a child. However, I think she did you a favor in the long run. Sounds like she'd find a way to make your lives hell, blaming you for anything that goes wrong (and could blame you for things already needing repair before you moved in too, claiming you caused the damage).
If she doesn't want wear and tear maybe she should just cover the house with bubble wrap. I hope that you'll find a decent place before too long. They are out there. We're in the process of looking also. It can be very tedious and frustrating.
I once made a call to the representative for a condo complex rental office. He would rent to us (with a child) only on the first floor, because, as he put it, "kids and heavy people make a lot of noise, so the first floor is the way to go". Huh? Needless to say we didn't pursue it further.
Having had small children once myself, they are hard on houses. She is probably hoping to find adults, rather than someone w/ children. Can't blame a person, a home is an investment, and they cost money to maintain and/or repair. Besides, if you haven't got a rental history, how would she know how careful you are.
Sometimes it's better not to disclose you have children then sneak em in. There's nothing they can do then.
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