Renting with Cats

We may be living in a nation of animal-lovers, but all too often the dreaded words ‘no pets’ appear in advertisements for rental properties. But if you have to move homes and want to take your cat with you, there are options.

Many people search for rental properties online these days, which can be problematic for cat owners. A suburb search on realestate.com.au or domain.com.au can sometimes yield over 200 results, which means you’ve got to click on each individual property then trawl through the blurb to find out whether pets are allowed.

Which is where Pet Friendly Rentals comes in. You can download a search tool compatible with the largest real estate websites for just $9.95, and it instantly shows you which properties are pet-friendly in your desired neighbourhood. But what do you do if no such properties exist?

The Australian Companion Animal Council (ACAC) recommends a number of measures you can take. These include:

•    Raising the subject of cats with the owner/manager, ideally in a face-to-face meeting;
•    Preparing a résumé for your cat that includes medical records (vaccinations, proof of neutering, etc) and references from past landlords, neighbours and vets;
•    Offering to draw up and sign a pet agreement in conjunction with the owner/manager to clearly define behaviour appropriate to the property (the ACAC provides a sample agreement);
•    Remembering pets are simply not allowed in many strata title properties because of specific body corporate by-laws;
•    Encouraging the owner/manager to meet your well-groomed, well-behaved, toilet-trained cat.

If you live in Western Australia, you can offer to pay an additional ‘pet deposit’ of up to $100 to cover any charges resulting from your cat’s activities. Those living in other states or territories do not have that option, so the above steps become even more important.

You should also be able to demonstrate that you’ve found a safe alternative to declawing your cat by providing an appropriate surface – such as a cat tree scratching post – to scratch on, as well as proving that your cat actually uses it! And investing in odour-reducing litter accessories is certain to create a favourable impression.

So while it may require a little effort to find a rental property that will accept both you and your cat, it’s by no means impossible. Remember that over two-thirds of the Australian population currently owns a pet of some sort, so the chances are your potential new landlord is one of them!

Main Image  by Ga Music Maker~ Claire