Landlords are turning down pet owners because they worry about the smell of their animals, a spokesperson for the Irish Property Owners Association has said. 

A petition demanding the Government bans rental agreements that do not allow people to keep pets has been signed by over 20,000 animal lovers. 

The move comes after Dogs Trust revealed they have been inundated with surrenders by heartbroken pet owners, forced to choose between a roof over their heads and their animals. 

On Lunchtime Live, Irish Property Owners Association spokesperson Maurice Deverell explained why there are several reasons why landlords do not like renting to pet owners. 

“Obviously, the smell,” he said. 

“If a dog is not house trained; I have had dogs, they are brilliant and everything else. 

“But the smell can take an awfully long time to seep out of a house that has had dogs in it for a year or two. 

“Often it’s due to the owners not taking care of the dogs is what has made landlords shy of it.” 

A cat. Picture by: Carline Jean/TNS via ZUMA Press

Mr Deverell continued that even if animals do not smell, they often behave badly, noting he was once bitten by a tenant’s dog. 

“Frequently, animals can do damage to property, which costs landlords money,” he said. 

“From that point of view, the ideal situation would be that you pay an extra deposit at the start to cover the cost of what may happen and get it back back at the end of the tenancy - if no damage is done.” 

 

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A reasonable compromise, Mr Deverell believes, would be for the Government to allow landlords to ask tenants with pets for a larger deposit. 

“In his wisdom, the Minister in August 2021, turned around and limited the deposit to one month only,” he said. 

“Because he limited it to one month only and because we have a minimal amount of time that tenants have to give notice, often that deposit is eaten up. 

“It isn’t going to be enough to cover the damage of replacing carpets or other stuff. 

“Because we’re limited on this deposit, taking the risk to actually let an animal in, a lot of landlords would be shy.

“There is not a blanket ban.”

Main image: A woman with her dog. Picture by: Alamy.com.