Dog smell throughout the house

[sovietsong 1]

I have rented out my property to a 50+ male with a large dog.

He has signed a 12 month contract and has 6 months left.

My tenant seems friendly enough.

He is likely to find his own place in the next 6-12 months.

 

The house now has an unbearable stench, in every room, it is mainly due to his unwashed wild dog.

 

How do I get rid of this stench from the house, which is now embedded in the carpets, walls and kitchen?

 

Any advise would be appreciated.

[scott elliott 24]

Hi Kiran,

Yeah some dogs can stink.

You will prob need to get the carpets shampooed... Any local cleanimg company should do this for you.

Cheers

[Matt Davies 3]

I have my own Dog and there are various sprays and disinfectants that you can purchase from pet stores or online which will help clean and also get rid of any smells. If the smell is ingrained into the carpet then these will need to be professionally cleaned (check your AST to establish whether the Tenant is liable for this). Opening windows, air sprays may also work for a while.

 

I guess if you included in the AST that Dogs were allowed the property then there is not too much you can do regarding claiming. Unless there is literally Dog feces on the carpet which hasn't been cleaned properly. I'm not entirely sure though where the law stands with this as I never agree to pets in the first place.

[sovietsong 1]

Hi Matt

 

I have managed to get a copy of the AST from the letting agency and it states:

 

The Tenant must not keep any pets or other animals at the Property without the prior written consent of the Landlord which must not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.

 

I never received written consent. On the three month inspection, the agent did not challenge or question the wild dog. No additional deposit was taken to cover wear & tear.

 

Where do I stand now?

 

Thanks

[Matt Davies 3]

Hello Kiran,

 

I guess you have kind of discovered your answer, if you never agreed to any pets in the first place and its states in your AST that no pets are allowed then your Tenant is in 'Breach of Contract' under that clause and your tenant will be liable for any damage and cleaning which can be taken from their deposit.

 

You can send your tenant a letter notifying they are in breach of contract and either:

 

1) Sign a Pet agreement form between you both allowing them to keep a pet on the property if you are happy to do so, you can put conditions in this stating they must get the property 'Professionally cleaned' when they move out and you can also add an additional cost for them keeping pets.

 

2) If you are not happy at all about pets in the property then you could start eviction on this clause.

 

However the damage has probably been done so the first option may be a better choice and a lot less hassle.

 

I would speak to your letting agent and also make sure that they did not give written consent for pets. Check over your communication with your letting agent because if you stated that you were happy for your agent to accept a tenant under ANY condition then you may not have a leg to stand on, in which case treat it as a learning curve for next time.

 

I hope that helps.

 

---------------------------------------

 

Please note: I am not qualified and you must seek legal and professional advice regarding any such matters as this is just my personal opinion.

[sovietsong 1]

Having consulted my agent, I have decided to go for option 1.

 

Thanks Matt, for your insightful help and knowledge.

[paulrybak 61]

You can buy odour foggers to get rid of the smell, they are very effective and inexpensive.

[TSE Property 0]

ouch!

[Vicky Nunes 89]

Matt has given you really sound advice I think, and option one would sound most reasonable if the tenancy is otherwise running smoothly. Many Landlord's ask for an additional pet security deposit when signing to give permission for the pet to be kept and/or add that the tenant must get the property professionally cleaned (including carpet shampoo) at the end of the tenancy. 

[Vicky Nunes 89]

Also I would say you need to have a word with your agent. They really should have been alerting you to the presence of the dog at the three month check - that is pretty basic. 

[brad sherwin 6]

I would also purchase a UV light.  Its possible the dog is weeing in a specific corner it could seep through the carpet and accumulate on either the concrete floor or even worse the floor boards.

 

The UV light will highlight the areas and you can action with baking soda and a good scrub.  I had this issue in my home and was lucky to have found it before any costly damage was done.

[sovietsong 1]

Thanks to all for your advice. I will be investing in a UV light.

 

Since I posted this topic, I have changed letting agencies. On another note, my Gas safety inspection was due on or before 22 Oct 2016, I contacted my agency for a copy of my new Gas certificate -  and it is signed/dated 2nd Nov 2016. 

 

Should I make an issue about this? Or is it common practice?

 

Thanks

[mogsie 111]

Hi Kiran,

 

Ideally there should not be any gaps, however in my experience as long as you or the agent can show they tried to do the inspection with 12 months I wouldn't have thought it was a problem. I have had a large gap due to the tenants refusing to co-operate or have any communication with them. Thankfully the tenant has now gone !