by Mr S GautamI request that the Government ends discrimination against pet owners who are living as private tenants in rented accommodation. A regulation in my existing lease states “No bird dog cat or other animal shall be kept in any Flat or in any other part of the building.” For 7 years, I’ve lived in the same building with my cat, and now I’m being evicted for being in breach of this term in my lease. What should private tenants to do in such a situation? Animal-shelters such as Battersea Dogs Home are already overpopulated with abandoned pets. And living with a pet provides a great source of comfort for the elderly, the disabled and for people suffering with a mental illness (in addition to single people, people who don’t have children etc). I feel that this regulation should be removed from all leases so that pet-owners are not discriminated against and have the same protection as non-pet owners.
Surely a more sensible idea would be to simply not be in breach of your bloody lease agreement. Many landlords prefer to disallow pets and animals for a number of reasons. The scent and hair can be difficult to clean out, for instance, which means if another potential tenant with, say, a cat allergy comes to look at the property they wouldn’t be able to take it because they might die.
When I lived in the UK with my now ex-girlfriend, we had cats. And when we were looking at flats we were very up-front with our potential landlords about them. If you mention it from the off it’s much easier for a letting agency to find something suitable for you. If it’s for medical reasons then… well, you could get a note from your GP that says “This guy needs to live with a cat, or a dog, or whatever. For some reason. Signed, Doctor Proctor.”
And if the landlord still won’t let you have a pet then maybe it’d be worth looking for somewhere else to live.
Tags: Mr S Gautam
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