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OTHER GUIDES & TIPS

Pets cost for damage and cleaning come back to bite owners

A new survey has painted a daunting picture of how much it may cost a landlord to remedy damage from pets.

Amidst the covid pet boom, as many as 3.2m people are estimated to have bought a pet. 

Home furnishings and fashion company Next has surveyed some 2,000 UK pet owners and found that dog owners are spending £4,377 and cat owners £4,086 over their lifetimes to cover accidental pet-related damage and cleaning costs. 

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Next says bedding is the most common item in need of replacement as a result of pet damage, followed by sofas and cushions.  Other common items pet owners have had to replace include carpets, electricals and even doors.

The company claims that 40 per cent of pet owners admit a lack of research before choosing the right breed for them. Likewise, only 29 per cent researched the behaviours of the breed and just 23 per cent researched energy levels and exercise needs ahead of purchase.

Some breeds may also shed more than others and so it’s worth also preparing for extra cleaning. At least once a week, 33 per cent of UK pet owners clean their carpet and 30 per cent clean their sofa due to fur, dribble and mess created by their pet.

Some 27 per cent of pet owners hire a professional cleaner at least once a month, making the estimated average cleaning cost £237 a year per household. This cost goes towards the maintenance of our furniture plus the removal of stains and fur around the house caused by pets.

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  • George Dawes

    A cat I can understand , they are cuddly , fairly quiet , clean and catch rats mice etc , dogs on the other hand are the total opposite

    I had a dog recently and thank god we got rid of the thing , miss my cat though , he was amazing

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    I have small caged animals. Much easier to control.

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    I used to like birds but they didn't have feathers

     
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    I liked birds that could dance with a feather boa - saw some in a London strip club once (OK more than once) but £20 for a pint made me decide not to go back ever again!

     
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    I love all animals, but I worry about cat fleas. Lots of cats have fleas unfortunately, and the owner may not even be aware of that. If a tenant with a cat moves out, then the host (the cat) for the fleas has gone. The eggs will hatch and the fleas jump onto the next tenants' legs. Cleaning doesn't always get rid of flea eggs - they can be like glue. That is why I am worried to have a tenant with a cat.

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    Sorry George but I have to agree with Ellie on this one, cats and fleas are a night mare, had a property few yrs back with fleas which has not been rented to anyone with a animal , couldn't make out where the fleas had come from, turns out that while the property had been empty a cat had come visiting while an electrician had been working there , as simple and as quick as that

     
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    The right to say no to pets will soon be taken away from the landlord. Come to think of it, the right to say no to a potential tenant is on the horizon too…

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    Not quite true - the right to blanket ban pets is what's going. There will always be ways around that.

     
  • George Dawes

    The vet told me don’t feed smoked salmon or prawns to a cat as he’ll eat nothing else

    So alL I fed him was smoked salmon and prawns 😂 cost a small fortune but worth every penny

  • George Dawes

    I suppose hamsters and gerbils are a good idea , specially if you’re renting to a film star

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    Never heard of a tenant hiring a professional cleaner!! Have had to replace carpets several times once tenants with dogs have moved out, and guess what, the deposit didn't cover the damage. Also had tenants get thousands in arrears due to vet bills. So really not keen on pets for good reasons. I had cats myself but they trashed the flooring, peed in corners etc, you can't stop them. When prospective tenants say they have a "well behaved cat" I laugh out loud, there is no such thing.

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    Well I can only speak as I find, had a tenant of 5 yrs and 2 dogs move out Monday, other than the cooker the place is spotless and no damage.

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    Andrew,vwait till you have had a good luck. Some time ago housing associations said it cost over £700 to clean their properties, every time a tenant left. I know someone who works for a housing association and they have to have properties specially cleaned when drug addicts have been in. Quite common, l assume it costs a lot.

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    Edwin, I've had bad ones of course I have, not surprised about the Housing Associations just look at their low life tenants we wouldn't touch people like that .

     
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    Andrew, my point is that vacated properties can look ok, but often aren't. Further it's very difficult to get good tenants, such people don't exist,in the end you compromise with not so good tenants. Unless you spend a lot of time vetting tenants you will have no real idea who they are. Letting agents normally go on financial references.

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    Agreed we can never be 100% certain, but there are good tenants out there , the letting agent I use is better than most, benefit claimants automatically fail the affordability checks, I've had some nightmare single mums in the past once they are moved in the moron boyfriend moves in as well, so no to single mums and I don't really want under 25s either, now that we have so many applicants on every property that comes available we can pick and choose carefully

     
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    Agree in future we will have to pick and choose even more carefully. However we might have a better pool of applicants to choose from. Problem is what do you say to all the unsuccessful ones, you can't stop them applying unless you say something you won't be allowed to say, like no pets.

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    We don't have to say anything to unsuccessful applicants, and probably best we don't say anything

     
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