Landlords don’t like kids and dogs

"Why is it that a 'no pets, no kids' rental attitude exists in Knysna?" she asks.

"It's cruel and uncalled for. Many people are finding themselves without homes. One has left her children with their grandparents in Gauteng! This is unacceptable.

"Are they expected to put their children in orphanages and euthanise their pets? Surely the undevoted love of pets and the laughter of children are what makes a house a home?

"Dogs also provide security - and cats, freedom from the rat infestation now running rife with our waste disposal problems.

"To all the landlords out there - and this goes for rental and/or selling:

People can foul up a house far worse than a pet, believe me. I was a landlord once. One tenant dragged a car engine into the living room, smashed a hole in the chimney breast and broke the window at the back of the house. In every case, tenants left piles of foul-smelling rubbish on departure. The pets did not break toilets they were too obese to sit on, glue ropes along ceiling edges, break the basins, taps, windows or mirrors, chop down trees or pull up expensive exotic plants.

"In parts of the UK it is forbidden by law to discriminate against renting or selling to families with pets. Municipal by-laws permit two dogs per property, so it's not as if homes will be over-run with pets. If a small child should scribble on a wall, sugar-soap removes it. We were all children once. Why has the Garden Route become so anti pets and families?"

Schalk van der Merwe of RE/ MAX Coastal responds:

There are landlords who don't accept pets and children, but this situation is not unique to Knysna. It happens in other towns as well.

Finding a rental that accepts pets and children is just more challenging.

The cost of rentals in Knysna is more of an issue. Asking rental rates have increased for several reasons. The effect of the semigration from (mostly) Gauteng and Northern KZN, does have a big effect on costing, but rentals here are marketrelated.

It's not all gloom, there are still affordable units available, but they are just harder to find.

Are there affordable places to rent for middle-income people? Yes, but there is a shortage of affordable places, and properties that are priced right, go fast.