Moggy Matilda lands the purr-fect landlord ...
02 March 2018
An Erdington woman who has rented the same flat for 20 years recently adopted indoor moggie Matilda – with the full blessing of her landlady. And it seems, from new research, that landlords should, in their own interests, be ‘more amenable to taking on and welcoming tenants who have pets'.
Certainly, cat-lover Ann's experience with her landlady, Maureen, proves the point.
Says Ann: “I just asked, as I always do whenever I want to make any sort of a change, if it was okay if I adopted a cat, and her reaction was ‘of course, and I know the cat will be well-looked after by you, Ann’. So I applied to North Birmingham Cats Protection, and waited patiently until a cat used to living indoors came into Branch. Now I am the proud and happy Mom to Matilda. She came from an indoor multicat household, and now has the run of a large flat without having to share it or fight for resources. She is delightful, has settled well, I’m happy and so is my landlady. Good communication is key. My rent is reasonable and Maureen wishes all her tenants were as good as me. Maybe she should just rent to pet-owners in future!”
And a feature on renting in a newsletter sent out by local estate agents Bill Tandy & Co gives a flavour of the bigger picture.
“Britain is without a doubt a nation that loves its pets and the pet population continues to grow. But what is surprising to some is that the stance from landlords on pets in rented accommodation seems to have remained unchanged.
“A new study from LSL Corporate Client Department surveyed over 3,200 people throughout the UK on pets in rented accommodation and has now revealed some of the reasons why it may well be time for landlords to make some exceptions.”
And just as the survey results come out, Cats Protection is launching its own ‘Purrfect Landlord’ campaign to encourage more landlords to adopt responsible and reasonable pet policies – allowing tenants to have cats subject to conditions encouraging responsible cat ownership.
Madison Rogers, Advocacy & Government Relations Officer with the charity, confirms: “Pet policies should include that cats are neutered, microchipped and vaccinated as well as setting limits on the number of cats owned per household. Sadly, some landlords have a ‘no pets’ policy and tenants are denied the opportunity to own a cat while some suffer the heartbreak of giving up a beloved pet when moving into rented accommodation.
“It’s wonderful to hear of landlords like Ann’s and we hope many more will follow suit. Cats can bring so much love, affection and companionship to tenants and Cats Protection prides itself on matching the right cat to the right person and place. We hope our ‘Purrfect Landlord’ campaign will help home more lucky cats like Matilda.’
Martyn Alderton, National Lettings Director at Your Move, comments on the results of the survey: “Our research clearly shows that being able to live with a pet is a huge incentive for some tenants.”
Tenant Ann, landlady Maureen and moggy Matilda fully con-purr!