5 tips for pet friendly renting 

My first instinct when I see an animal is to say hello. My first instinct when I see another human is to avoid eye contact and hope it goes away. Kidding, kinda. But as a fully-fledged member of the crazy dog lady society, I thought I’d compile my 5 top tips for pet friendly renting for any new mamas and puppers…

1. Research is fundamental 

Obviously, with lockers, everyone has more time than they can shake a banana loaf at – where is Bernard’s watch when you need it! Wow, I’ve woken up and chosen to show my age today. Researching your new area is key. What will your commute be like (bed to sofa lol), what will you do with your pup if you have to head back to the office après covid? Also, do you have your heart set on an area that welcomes dogs? 

For example, Peckham and South London are dog friendly havens. Bear used to dine everywhere with us and I even used to pop little B into my coat whilst doing a Tesco shop. A big selling point for Twells is all the gorgeous dog friendly country pubs dotted around plus all the greenery. This leads me nicely on to my next point… walkies.

2. Pet friendly renting – Sissy that walk

Are there lots of places to walk your new addition or are you planning on traipsing around the same small patch of central London green estate until your eyes resemble tiny little squares? It’s worth thinking about what types of walks you enjoy e.g beach/city/country/woodland because this will impact your rental choice. 

3. Pet friendly renting – Be upfront with the landlord 

When we moved into our old flat we were 90% sure it was fine to have a dog as the lettings agency said they’d check with the landlord. They never actually confirmed. Leading to a few hairy first visits (pun intended) where I was sure they’d question the squirrel doing doughnuts in the living room.

To be honest they were absolutely useless in many ways, which worked in our favour when it came to Bear, as they didn’t bat an eyelid. We could all have dressed up as dogs and greeted them on all fours and they wouldn’t have noticed tbh. 

I have friends that snuck pups into their rental property, who then had to play hide and seek with their dogs and explain why the curtains had been chewed and some of the wall was missing. Moral of the story here: honesty is always the best policy.

4. Are they pet friendly or pet tolerant?

Because there’s a big difference. I don’t mind the odd gherkin sliding into my burger on occasions but do I want a whole bunch of gherkins invited to every meal. It’s going to be a no. An odd comparison I’m aware, but you get the gist. 

It’s good to get a feel from the landlord what the neighbours are like (in general) and in regards to pets. The last thing you want is to move into a property next to a curtain-twitching Tom or someone who enjoys playing Jenga with the layout of the bins in the early hours. If you get a neighbour who gives a positive reaction to the pooch, it’s very much a plus. Extra points if they make a fuss over your fluffy fren.

5. I found you the Dolce & Dogbana of lettings…

Before lockdown started playing fetch with my social life we were invited to stay at the Vertus apartments in Canary Wharf. If I was still a London gal, this is where I’d choose to reside. Vertus is the first luxury pet-friendly build-to-rent in the Wharf with its own roof terrace plus incredible views over the docklands.

They also have a concierge available for pet sitting – we headed for dins leaving Bear to hang with a sitter. Apparently, she entertained for approx 20 mins before taking herself off to the master bedroom to retire for the night (Bear not the pet sitter). This dog does not understand how good her life is. 

Vertus also has its own communal lounge and snuggly movie area as well as coffee and wine dispensers, yep you read that correctly. Which is the perfect setup for all the thinking outside the box, touching base, and duck rearranging we’re being forced to do from home at the moment. 

Not to mention the abundance of local gardens for walkies and great pup friendly eateries nearby – plenty of options to supplement my dining with my dog series. Can personally recommend The Parlour which is part of the Drake & Morgan chain. The seafood linguine was an absolute dream!

So in summary my top 5 tips for pet friendly renting are:

1. Do your research into the local area
2. Go for a walk 
3. Be upfront with the landlord
4. Get an idea of what the neighbours are like
5. Or just move into a Vertus apartment… 

*[AD ~ Press Trip] We were invited to stay at Vertus apartments–but I had no obligation to post – all views, sarcasm, and sass are my own.