question for friends in Scotland

[winterbadger]

So, the end of the calendar year is rapidly approaching, and I'm looking ahead to next year. I want to come to some sort of closure, one way or the other, about where I'm going to live for the next year or two.

One of the options that I was considering is postgraduate study, possibly in the UK. One of the things that keeps giving me pause, though, is the subject of my cats.

I'm not going to leave them behind, even with the kindest of friends or relatives. I've taken care of the rabies issue by having them chipped, vaccinated, and tested, so they should not need to go into quarantine.

But I'm [revised: more than] a bit apprehensive about the ease of finding a place to live. With no prospect of being able to stay for more than a year or two of study, there's no point in even considering buying property (as a nonresident with no UK credit record, there's also probably zero chance of getting a mortgage anyway). And every time I look for rental accommodations, almost all of them say "no pets" (a search today on ESPC.com turned up 7 properties that the search engine claimed were "pets considered", 4 of which clearly stated "no pets" in the listing text and only one of which said "pets MAY be considered"). A search on Gumtree found nothing. And you can't even search on the subject on sites like s1homes or citylets.

This is a major issue for me. "Just turn up and see what's available" is not going to be an issue. And--as much as I long to live in the UK--I'm already having trouble justifying to myself the expense of taking a year or more off from working and moving 3,000 miles when I've no real chance to settle there. Not begin able to take the cats would cast the deciding vote in that internal debate.

Is it really totally unheard of for renters to have pets? What do people who have pets do if they can't buy a place? Live in a cardboard box? Or is there some source of information that I'm missing?

ETA: Well, this seems to answer my question. :-( I've seen a number of message boards where people ask the same question, and the common replies seem to be (a) just don't have a pet, (b) have a pet and lie about it/don't tell the landlord (that's a nonstarter for me), and (c) just call all the people who say "no pets" anyway and ask them if they will change their mind (one poster actually tried that feeble-minded advice and said they gave up after asking six different landlords or agencies).

Comments

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I've had plenty of friends with animals who have rented. You might be better off finding a private rental rather than through an agency

[winterbadger]

Thanks, but I have no idea how I would even go about that. If people don't list rentals on websites, how do people find them?

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

local newspapers I guess. Coincidently I have a copy of Friday-Ad I just brought back from my mother's this afternoon and a quick look in the property rental section it has only one that states no pets.
I guess you could decide on the area you want to live in, find out what the local papers are and then see if they have online versions

[winterbadger]

Thanks! That's still rather daunting, as I'd be depending on personal negotiation with individual homeowners, after going through the entire university application process starting 5-6 months prior, on a wing and a prayer that I'd find a place to live at the last minute.

This is so mysterious to me. I've lived all over the US in rental accommodation, and there's almost never a problem finding a range of different appealing choices, with the only issue being an extra rental deposit and some extra cleaning when you leave.

I thought the British liked animals. :-(

[ingenious76.livejournal.com]

You're more likely to get a rental that allows pets if its unfurnished. Most landlords who rent out furnished places won't consider animals, as their logic is that its their furniture and curtains.

[winterbadger]

Good point. It's very unusual for rentals to be furnished here, which may account for some of the difference.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Hm, I'm a landlord who allows pets (spiders, a snake and a large dog), but that's because I'm renting to family and I trust them. Also, it's a very long-term rental, so I know they'll look after the house.

Have you considered offering to pay a larger than normal damage deposit?

Find out whether US credit history could be used to count towards a UK mortgage. There are banks that operate in both countries. Also, think whether you could share a house with another student.

[winterbadger]

Hmmm, when you say "summer", when are you thinking of moving? Induction week at U of E starts in early September, and Tier 4 allows one to come to the UK a month ahead of the course start date. For a flat that would take the boys, I wouldn't mind paying rent for a month or two ahead (one of the advantages of having some money saved up) if the landlord would be amenable. I would certainly know well in advance of that whether I had been offered a place at the university and could provide that, along with some financial bona fides, and a face to face interview, if needed, to your landlord as surety that I wasn't just a time-waster.

I'm kind of assuming that the flat is OK, given that you guys are happily living there. :-) I'm sure ti won't be as de luxe as my current accommodation (which you've seen), but then I tend to think of UK housing as being a bit like the bit of Dr Zhivago after the Revolution, when a dozen families get moved into the house the doctor had lived in with just his wife and her father before. :-)

[pisica.livejournal.com]

Whoops, didn't realise this was a public entry, but anyway, email me. :)

I emailed citylets to ask them to put a 'pets' category. They said they'd consider it. But if you email them and ask, specifying an area of the city, they will send you a list of 'pets considered' properties.

[winterbadger]

Oh, cool, good to know--thank you!