UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi - good tenant but is now thinking of moving in her bf, his son and his dog.  tenancy says no pets.   my questions are: do I need to employ someone to add another name to the tenancy?  should i ask for an increase to the bond just in case?  if yes can I organise this with the deposit protection people myself?   TIA

Firstly, is the property large enough to take the boyfriend, son and dog? What age is the son? What age is the dog? 

The fact you have asked the question may well indicate that you are uncomfortable to just go ahead and say "Yes" but I do understand that it is very hard to say "No" to good tenants as saying "No" is not something I like doing either.

I would ask for more money for the Deposit, yes, and you can arrange all that yourself. You can keep the AST as-is if you want... but usually a Landlord would want all adults to be jointly and severally liable. I would also consider taking a bath on it, ending the tenancy on good terms and saying to them that this doesn't work for you and trying to give your actual Tenant plenty of time to find somewhere that is appropriate for the new family unit.. all amicable-like.

The Tenant can't just do this, move extras in, unilaterally.

A pet deposit is essential, and if it is a young dog I would ask for a larger deposit.

However, HG makes a really good point about cutting the tenant loose in a flexible way.  You clearly have some doubts about the changes, and no one is forcing you to do this,

The only downside of doing that is that you may find having turned down the request, that boyfriend, son and dog turn into "perpetual temporary guests". And there is not a lot you can do about that.

Sorry,but nothing feels right about this.It may all be kosher,but I find myself wondering what has led to boyfriend being in this situation.I would agree that they would be better making a fresh start in a new place.

Without knowing much more about the situation, i would tend to say yes.

One of my properties is rented out to a mother and her 2 kids, but has recently got a boyfriend and pet dog.

Can't really expect someone to not have a life and relationship just because they rent a house off someone in the private sector. If the shoe was on the other foot, wouldn't you be pretty annoyed if you were asked to leave because you met a boyfriend, his son and pet dog?

No-one is even remotely being expected to not have a life and relationship. That's a tad silly. What is being discussed in a material change in circumstances. One assumes that as the relationship has grown, the other parties (inc. dog, even son) has been guests at the property... what's being asked now is for a change in the tenancy, which is a formalised document. For the Landlord there is likely to be increased wear-and-tear, there is at least the potential of future allergy issues pertaining to the dog... so the stance is a reasonable one and it's only a suggestion to consider letting the tenancy come to an end. Insurance Companies certainly like to be kept informed when your circumstances change... for obvious reasons - they like to take a different view of the world based on the new facts at-hand. This is kinda the same thing. For example... it could easily be suggested that the rent could deserve to be increased by more than a nominal amount if the number of creatures bouncing around inside the house has gone and, say, doubled (and especially as they're another adult, who can be held liable for non-payment of rent, damage etc.). There's many angles - as nearly always my advice is to try and arrange something amicably.

I don't think it is unreasonable for the landlord to tactfully get some background information.It is not nosy,just common sense.The tenant is the one changing the arrangement.This could be an established relationship,and they have plans for a future together.On the other hand,she might have just met him through Tinder,his wife has found out,walked out and left him with the child and dog.The tenant herself may be reliable,but love is blind.A property with more people plus a child and dog is going to take a bit of a battering,so added deposit would be needed.There are too many "what ifs" for my liking.