Renting with a pet can be complicated as not every rental property allows pets. While a lot of landlords are open to the idea of making their rental ‘pet friendly’ (and some even encourage it), securing a rental with a pet can be tough in this competitive market.
So, if you are finding it hard to secure a pet friendly rental, maybe it's time to take your rental application to the next level with a pet resume. Here are some ways a pet resume can increase your chances of securing a rental faster.
1. Include a small written summary
Almost like a CV for your pet, a small introductory summary describing your pet’s nature, personality and appearance can give the property manager and landlord an overview of your pet. Make sure you explain why they make the perfect pet and belong in their rental property.
It’s important to remember the purpose of a pet resume – to streamline the process and improve your chances of securing a pet friendly rental. This means, you should describe your pet as best as possible so that the property manager doesn’t have to make any follow-up phone calls with any questions they may have.
2. References
While it’s common to include references for yourself and your rental history, it has the same effect for your pet, so be sure to include a variety of references for them too.
For example, provide a reference of a past rental where you’ve resided with your pet and had no issues. Also, give a personal reference of someone who knows or may have lived with your furry friend as well.
You want to use this opportunity to show that your pet is neat, tidy and will cause no damage to the property.
3. Provide the documentation
Proving that your dog or cat is microchipped and registered under your name will also provide your animal with some security and give peace of mind to the landlord.
If you can, include photocopies of these documents and you may get extra points if you can prove you’ve owned the animal for a long time.
Anything to show you’re a responsible owner is a great way to better your chances for you and your pet.
4. Include photographs
Try and personalise your pet’s resume. After all, it’s much harder to say no after they see how cute your pet is!
The landlord or property manager will be able to tell a lot from the images you provide of your pet. Are they being groomed? Do they look messy? Will they shed hair? Are they big or small?
As soon as you put a photo to the name you’ve automatically personalised the resume, meaning you have a better chance of standing out and your pet is more likely to be remembered.
5. Be honest
The best thing to do is to be honest in your pet’s resume. It will look bad if you say one thing then the property manager finds out later your pet is not what you made it out to be.
Remember, you don’t need to go overboard with information as you want to make sure the property manager and landlord actually read it and don’t just skip over it.
A pet resume should be concise and considered as a gesture to show you are interested and really want to be chosen for the rental property you apply for.
Did you know that you can search for pet friendly rentals on reiwa.com? If you and your furry friend are looking for a rental in Perth, just tick the ‘pet friendly’ box to narrow your search.