Hi all.
Not sure if this is the right forum or not.
I’m in process of moving to Sydney due to a work promotion. Due to this I’ll be renting out my current property and becoming a rental tenant in Sydney. Going with me will be two cats. Both very well house trained and spend their time insides (therefore no flea problems).
Questions is, how much of a problem is it to rent a unit in Sydney (in a nice area) when cats are involved? I’ve heard that it can be a problem, but less so if renting a house. There wouldn’t be any flea problems, but would offering to fumigate at end of lease help to alleviate any concerns? Also offering to pay a higher bond, say 6 weeks instead of 4? Trying to work through any potential problems from the perspective of a soon to be first-time property investors and also first-time renter!! (Never rented before, only lived in houses that I’ve purchased, so it’s all very new!!).
Thanks for any advice/tips that you can share.
Hi Yezzum and welcome.
I’m not sure about NSW, but it’s my experience that the bond collected can be ‘up to four weeks’, so six wouldn’t be allowed.
As to pets, a LOT of landlords have a no pets policy. I suggest the first question you ask either private landlords or real estate agents is ‘will i be allowed to have cats?’ There are some out there. You might also find that extra $$ per week will be required. However, if you want to live somewhere where there are MANY vacant units, you might find a landlord who is happy to have a tenant with any extras just to get the place rented.
Cheers
MelYezzum,
You could well find that most Body Coporates have mandates that expressly forbid pets of any nature, dogs, cats, bears etc…
Cheers……Doug
Sometimes if you talk to the RE Agent although the lease may say no pets the agent will say differently or that the landlord is negotiable.
Offering extras to hekp cover the risk is a good idea. I knew a RE agent who had accepted 6 weeks bond so I am not sure how that worked.
I would suggest talking to the real estate agent that is going to rent out your property to give a refernece to the state of the property and that the presence of these animals has in no way degraded the property. And yes you can get a real estate agent to do this for you.
We had to have it done when we sold in NSW and had to rent in QLD and needed a reference.
Good Luck and keep trying and asking questions.
Bronwen
If the good die young then I will live forever
The Residential Tenancies Act stipulates the amount of bond that may be collected from a tenant in Sydney :
4 weeks for unfurnished premises,
6 weeks for fully furnished or if the premises are under $250 per week,
Unlimited if the rent for fully furnished premises is more than $250 per week.So for most properties the bond would be 4 weeks rent. The only way you could persuade a lot of owners would be to offer more rent.
Additional conditions such as your offer to fumigate the premises are unenforceable (and illegal) and hence are not likely to be accepted (except by a duff agent)
Steve
There are some agents in Sydney that have a fondness for cats, birds and fish. You just have to stipulate it before hand. A friend of mine is renting a poperty through LJ Hooker in Kingsford and the tenant has a cat.
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