There are alternative ways to rent (or let) your home, if you are fed up with high fees of letting agents. Also see alternatives ways to buy or sell and how to move home (without going insane).
- OpenRent charges low fees, to cover legal checks & deposits.
- Monday to Friday offers mid-week rooms, for Rent-a-Room income.
- Movebubble App (London & Manchester) has filters for pets, disabled access, gardens ((Movebubble One properties include bills or zero deposit).
- Reposit lets renters pay one week’s rent (covered by insurance).
- Marks Out of Tenancy is a landlord review site. Obviously it must be used responsibly (landlords can reply).
- Yorkshire’s My Landlord Cares supports tenants with paperwork, local parenting and has lower fees. New View Residential (Cambridge) donates profits to animal shelters and hospices. And Homes for Good (nationwide) offers fair rents and a team of support officers, plumbers & designers.
- Property Guardians rent empty offices or warehouses, for lower rents (usually for a few months). Ideal for basic cheap accommodation.
- Trusted Housesitters vets people to look after homes while owners are away (to look after house and plants, and sometimes pets).
- On benefits? Shelter & Citizens Advice have tips. Find social housing at HomeHunt & Sanctuary Housing.
- Share & Care matches (vetted) people who need rent-free accommodation with owners, in return for company and a few chores.
Renting Homes with Pets
Pets often find moving stressful (especially if older or abandoned in the past). Blue Cross has tips on moving with dogs and moving with cats. Also see how to deal with break-ups as a pet owner:
- Use familiar beds & toys, to help settle them in
- Keep food and bowls nearby, for arrival.
- Ensure new ID is up-to-date on day of move.
- Look up best local dog walks, near new property.
- A familiar friend may wish to pet-sit, while you move
It’s easier to find pet-friendly homes by giving references from previous landlords, paying a higher deposit and offering to replace carpets at end of tenancy (often many ‘non-pet-friendly landlords’ change their mind:
- Let’s With Pets is a site run by Dog’s Trust, with info on finding properties. It also has info for landlords, on why pet-friendly rentals find more tenants.
- Pets Lets (London) finds pet-friendly properties in good locations, and can also insert a pet’s clause into a contract. Run by Russell (who sorts out legal stuff) and his sidekick Biscuit (a beagle who sniffs out places to eat!)