Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cat flat flap
FINDING a place to rent is never easy – but for pet owners it is an even bigger headache. So when Zoe McMillan’s tenancy ran out, her first thought was for her cat.
In fact finding a pet-friendly home was so difficult for Zoe, 28, and boyfriend Ben, they ended up moving towns rather than parting with their beloved tabby Rhaegar.
The Cats Protection League says housing was one of the top five reasons pets were handed into its shelters in the past year.
Less than half of private rented housing allows cats, research has found.
Often, the reason is habit, with a third of landlords saying they followed a standard tenancy agreement template.
It took the couple 18 months to find kitty-friendly digs, forcing them to move in with Zoe’s mum. They finally relocated to Lewes in East Sussex, 10 miles from where they wanted to be in Brighton.
Zoe said: “It was soul-destroying. We’d search every day and all the ads would say ‘no pets’. We’d explain we were a professional couple and our cat had never caused a problem but the answer was no. We looked at house shares, flats, houses.
“In the end it wasn’t where we wanted to be, as it was away from our friends, but it was the only place that came up.
“We live in constant fear that the landlord will sell up and we’ll be back to square one.”
But not not all landlords view cats as a problem.
Mandy Boylett, a landlord, from Yarm, North Yorks, said: “Cats have never caused me any concern. I’m much more concerned about smokers.
“In my experience, people who own cats are lovely.”
Cats Protection League has launched a website offering free guidance for landlords and tenants, with downloadable legal wording for tenancy agreements, setting out conditions to keep everyone happy.