We are all aware of the hassle of renting apartments in big cities. The high cost, less freedom to personalize you house. Renting your apartment can be a daunting task, especially in metro cities. Even if the money criteria is met, many landlords refuse to rent out apartment, discriminating tenants base on their religion, eating habits, skin color, ethnicity and even their profession. And the hunt gets even worse if you have pets. Dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles and parrots – these are some of the common pets people in India have. But most landlords in India do not allow pets. And by fluke if your landlord does agree, neighbors and society members create a fuss. If you are looking for flats for rent in Ranchi or in Mumbai- the problem is the same. There have been many cases where people were ignorant about this and bought pets months after shifting into the apartment. They were sent notices and were asked either to get rid of the pet or vacate the apartment. So if you have a pet and are looking for rented apartments, you hunt has gotten a little difficult. Firstly you have to find a pet-friendly apartment and your locality should be conducive to raising a pet easily. Let’s look at some of the things you need to keep in mind before apartment hunting and once you move in with a pet.
Landlord and Society Approval– As already mentioned finding a landlord and society that allow pets is the most difficult and crucial factor. If you are searching flats online, check for pet friendly apartments. Before making a visit to these apartments, speak to the landlord or the person in charge on the phone and mention your pet and make sure they are okay with it. Same is the case if you are going through a broker. Let them know that you have a pet and need to see only those apartments that allow pets. In case you find such apartments where the landlord is okay with pets, make sure you reconfirm this fact with the society members. Transparency is important. You don’t want the society members objecting and making life impossible for you after you have moved in.
Dog Walking- If you have dogs as pets then they need to do walking. You can keep your pets inside the house all the time. Ensure that the locality you want to live in has parks, empty walking spaces where you can take your dogs for walks. If your area has only busy streets with lots for traffic, then it will be very difficult for you.
Pet shops/ Vet- While you cannot expect a pet shop and a veterinarian to be at your doorstep, make sure these two are in and around your locality. Life is unpredictable, so these things should be within your reach in an hour of need.
Healthy and Clean- Keep your pets clean and healthy. Get them checked regularly for diseases and vaccinate them when necessary. Feed them well and make sure you don’t let them stink. Do not chain the pet for too long, it can lead to aggressive behavior.
Living in Harmony- Train your pets well and ensure they live in harmony in your surroundings. Your neighbors are humans too and it’s not fair to expect them to live among incessant barking noise, animal poop and stink. You need to earn goodwill among your neighbors. Take total responsibility of your pets and don’t create any nuisance in the society. Don’t let the pet loose on main roads and other common, busy areas. This is not just to avoid chaos and nuisance, but also for the safety of your pet.
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