As a pet friendly property broker in the UK, I love that every day is different. You see how much your clients love their pets.
It is all about ‘property & pets’ and the satisfaction of seeing clients, two & four-legged’, happy in their new homes is pawsome!
Property is only part of the process. Many of my clients are relocating from overseas with their pets, with the travel and the paperwork being extremely stressful.
That is why I set up the Facebook group, “Relocating to the UK with Pets”, which is growing into a delightful community where everyone wants to help each other.
The other day we had someone post that they were stranded in Calais as their cats paperwork was missing a digit. Within minutes, people were offering advice and a couple of local vets to contact. The outcome was a success. Pets bring people together.
Estate agents still see pets as being niche
I still find it amazing, when you talk to some estate agents and mention the company name, they say ‘pets, that is really niche’.
Is it though? 50% of the UK population own a pet and millions of people travel to the UK every year with their pets.
The trouble is that a lot in the property sector, don’t really understand the importance of pets to people. They cannot grasp, how much our pets are part of the family.
The ‘Crazy’ UK Rental Market
The UK rental market, especially in London, is all over the place. ‘Blink’ and properties are gone. I wish I was exaggerating as it does make my job really difficult, especially when many of my clients are based in the US & Canada and there is the time difference.
I remember once being on a call trying to make a card payment for a client for the holding deposit, to take a flat off the market. Whilst on the phone, a counter-offer came in and my client was unavailable as they were in a meeting.
Even estate agents ‘shake their heads’ when you talk to them about the market. You could see how they are ‘juggling’ their diaries, with some properties not even making it onto the property portals.
The one agent said to me, anything good, just goes really quickly. You walk into a property and there is already an offer.
Why is it so crazy?
It is all about supply versus demand. With changes to property law and forthcoming changes by the current UK government, many private landlords are selling their properties . For every property in London, for example, there are a number of potential tenants.
Some of the properties don’t even make it on to the property portals such as Rightmove or Zoopla . Some people even agree a property by just looking at a video. However, some agencies and landlords prefer the potential tenant or a representative to see the property in person before letting it, as too many issues could arise upon moving in.
Renting with pets in the UK
Working a lot with overseas clients relocating with their pets, I get asked a lot about the state on the ‘non-pet friendly’ UK market. How can the UK be a pet loving nation, yet it is so difficult to rent with our dogs and cats? Why are landlords so petrified of pets damaging a property?
The answer is simple; the actions by a few irresponsible pet owners over the years, has given the ‘pets’ a bad reputation.
Cases of a cat clawing carpets and curtains or dogs chewing furniture or causing disturbances by howling late into the night, has put landlords off renting to people with pets.
Another big issue is dog owners not ‘picking up’ after their dogs. In London, for example, you walk the street, parks and commons and it is everywhere. Those same places are frequented by property owners. Physiologically, you think, wow, I’m not going to rent to people with dogs. How irresponsible.
Sadly some dog owners are; I have seen patios, when I’ve been viewing ‘caked’ in dog poo.
The Future of the UK Rental Market
I would like to say that the UK rental market will improve for dog owners. Yes, the current government will bring in new laws making it harder for landlords to say no to pets. However, landlords find ‘loopholes’ and estate agents don’t want to lose their clients as they are repeat business, by insisting on allowing a pet.
What is already happening is the ‘rise of the corporate landlord’, aka Build To Rents. Many of which are more pet friendly and offer communal areas as well as gyms. A way of life that is more appealing to younger generations.
With private landlords selling up due to interest rate increases and increasingly stringent legislation, the ‘tide is turning’ to the corporate sector.
I am not convinced this is a good thing. Just like when Uber came to the market, it was cheap and reliable. The same will happen, prices will increase and the corporate sector will gain influence in the market and will be able to tell tenants to ‘take it or leave it’.
Younger Generations less interested in owning property
With the rise of social media, IT and working from home culture, many people don’t have to be in one place to work.
Many can sit on a laptop anywhere in the world. Why limit yourself, when you have live in a more ‘exotic’ location and pay less rent.
I was talking to a contact in the pet transport business; he has a family and spends half the year in Portugal and the other half in India.
The idea that you have to own a property, is an ‘antiquated’ point of view now and many people don’t want to be burdened with a mortgage.
I hope this information is helpful. If you’re relocating to the UK with your pets, feel free to join our informative Facebook group, “Relocating to the UK with Pets” for more guidance and support.
Russell Hunt, is a leading UK pet friendly property specialist, advising clients on renting and buying properties in and around London as well as other parts of the UK
Have a look at Petsletsrelocation.com or click on this link for a no-obligation call