Struggling to find a rental property for you and your pet, compare our top tips!

1. Be quick: A good game is a fast game. The property market didn’t boom slowly, so you can’t afford to take your time. Make it a priority, set time and space aside to ready your approach and supporting documents, this includes your pets’ documents too, set up alerts on all of the property sites like our friends at realestate.co.nz and jump on the new listings with a friendly “Hi there, I’ve just spotted your rental…”. It’s getting harder to find stable, affordable accommodation with pets, so take control and leave nothing to chance.

2. Make an impression: Just like all new interactions in life, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. No matter our personal opinion on what we should be judged on, always be prepared that others can think differently. So, dress tidy, sort that hair and face, freshen up that breath and walk and talk with confidence not arrogance. This is an interview, just one where you’ll be paying if you’re successful!

3. Have references, lots of references: Don’t be last minute Larry and ask old landlords and friends for a reference when you spot a good rental, ASK NOW, let them take their time so it’s a great reference. You think only you need one? Think again, your pet needs references too. Make sure it mentions if they’re quiet, clean, friendly, old or young, inside or outside, socialized and size. You need to drive confidence that your pet won’t put the rental at risk and cost the owner money.

4. Be photo ready: This ones for your pet, a cute photo goes a long way in an application process. If your pet is a breed that is typically unfairly judged, then curve that judgement with a flower crown or burrito them up in a blanket for added ‘cute’ impact.

5. Be honest and be ok with still getting rejected: You will get rejected, with or without a pet in tow. It’s ok, houses will continue to pop up and you’ll learn from each experience what to do better next time. If your pet has some things that may be a problem, be honest “they bark if someone is new to the property but other than that they don’t”. Pets are animals, like humans we all have our down points to work on too.

6. Join in on the social support: Social media has plenty of pages set up for people looking for pet friendly rentals. Search, join and put you and your pet out there.

7. Blind date: Ask if the landlord wants to meet your pet, a happy pet meeting a cautious landlord can help that application progress.

8. Save more incase you need to pay more: It might cost more than you think to rent with a pet, take the time today to compare your bills and see if switching could save you some money to put aside at NZ Compare or give our friendly NZ Compare team a call on 0508 226 672 and we’ll guide you through what Power and Broadband plans are best for you.