Pet friendly flats for rent

Moving house has its complications. And when you add a pet to the equation, even more so.

Find flats in rental accepting pets is not easy as they are not always welcome. The number of pets is growing and owners are still reluctant to give an easy yes, for fear of the inconvenience they may cause.

How to find pet-friendly flats for rent in Spain?

A first fact to understand that the problem is not small: In Spain there are more pets than minors.

According to this sectoral report of the Madrid Association of Companion Animal Veterinary Surgeons, 40% of Spanish households have at least one pet, which gives us the figure of between 13 and 20 million pets in Spain. Although there are many types of pets, dogs are the most popular and it is estimated that there are more than 6 million dogs living in Spain. In this graph, we can see the number of dogs as pets in Spain from 2010 to 2019.

Do you know how many children aged 0-14 years were registered in the last national census? Only 6.900.000. And if we add the 15-19 age group, the number is around 9,100,000. In other words, almost half the number of pets in Spain.

But there is something else that may help explain this phenomenon. According to data collected in research conducted in 2015 in the Global Pet Expowe know that: 

1. There are more than 75 million US millennials (people aged 18-34) who own at least one pet.
2. 63% of all these millennials, or some 47 million people, believe that pets should be cared for and looked after.
3. Finally (and this is a topic of much discussion), millennials regard their pets as if they were their children.

Millennials are digital natives and modern, multi-screen and hyper-connected. They are enterprising, tolerant and social, but they also stand out for their tendency to delay the milestones of a traditional life such as marriage, buying a house and taking responsibility for a child. Hence, the habit among them of adopting pets and considering them as children. But when the time comes to move house, this does not seem to matter too much to the owner of the property, as there are still obstacles to the possible damage that pets can cause to the property.

Why do some rental flats not accept pets?

Simply put: because they can lead to additional problems. At Monapart we are pro-pet (what would we do without our hummingbird!), but there are often homeowners who do not accept them because of the possible inconvenience to neighbours or the damage they can cause to the property. 

Finding pet-friendly flats for rent is complicated for this very reason. If you put yourself in the landlord's shoes, what would you choose? There are dogs that bark a lot because they are alone in the house for long hours and this causes a lot of discomfort to the neighbours. There are also animals that smell very strongly or behave aggressively towards other people or animals, or they are not educated and do their excrement anywhere... In the end, we believe that the problem is not the pets, but irresponsible owners! With regard to animal excrement, the issue is so important that in Madrid there is already a poop map!

All these reasons are important and if a landlord has had bad experiences in the past with tenants with pets, it is likely to be very difficult to trust and make an exception for a new tenant with a pet.

How to find a pet-friendly flat + 5 tips breakers of anti-pet owners

1. Don't wait until the last minute, look for your new home in good time and you will be better able to prepare your case.
    
2. Filter your search: In Idealista there are 15.265 flats for rent in Barcelona of which only 1175 are pet friendly, that is 7,6% of the total. The number of pets is growing all the time. Attack those kind-hearted, permissive landlords first before you end up sapping your energy knocking on anti-pet doors.
    
3. Be creative with the area you are looking for. If traditional doesn't work, use a bit of lateral thinking: talk to vets in the area you want to move to, animal protection associations or any pet-loving community that can provide guidance on pet-friendly rental properties.
    
4. Promote yourself as a good tenant. Anticipating that you will encounter many negative responses, prepare a script with the rationale for why you consider yourself a responsible tenant in terms of your pet's behaviour.
    
5. Express in the contract that you have the permission of the owner to live with your pet.. A tip that serves more to maintain than to find a flat to rent that accepts pets. The Ley de Arrendamientos Urbanos does not say anything about living with pets, but art. 22 states that the landlord may terminate the rental contract when the pet is not allowed: "nuisance, unhealthy, noxious, noxious, dangerous or unlawful activities take place in the dwelling". In other words, although it is legal to live with your pet, if it causes inconvenience or discomfort, this may be sufficient reason to be considered as an act in breach of the law and authorise the landlord to terminate the contract. 

Dogs and cats in rented flats: which one is the chosen one in Spain? 

While in Europe the general rule is that cats are chosen, in Spain dogs win. At least that is the conclusion of the FEDIAF annual report (European Petfood Manufacturers Federation).

At Monapart we don't discriminate, we love animals! And we don't care if your pet is a cat, a dog or a guanaco. So, if you are desperately looking for a pet friendly flat for rent We have dealt with thousands of owners who do accept them. ;D