Renting a flat with a dog

Best of luck. I live in Sliema and our flat is dog friendly, so I'm surprised the agencies can't find anything, though there does seem to be a fairly high level of pet irresponsibility among the Maltese and thus I'm guessing home owners tend to paint all dog owners with the same brush. I'm sure if you met the owner first and they got to know you and your dog you could work something out. Maybe offer a pet deposit? Though if the entire building is non pet friendly I guess there's not much you can do. Keep trying!

Thank you for your thoughts. I have instructed everybody who is looking for me that we are more than happy to pay an extra deposit to cover cleaning etc but as you say they seem to think that all dog owners are irresponsible. Our biggest problem is that we now have nowhere to stay in the interim if we arrive as scheduled.

I have just had a thought, I wonder if we could get a holiday apartment for a couple of weeks to to tie us over?

I actually just googled 'pet friendly rentals in marsaskala' and some did come up! They were all vacation rentals but perhaps you could do that and then look for a permanent rental, meet the owner directly, etc.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/VacationRenta … ntals.html

I have recently been looking for a new apartment and mentioned that we wanted the option to have a small dog.  Out of 8 properties viewed, all except 1 rejected the idea immediately.  We were warned that if we wanted the landlord to accept a dog we would be severely limited and also to expect to be asked for up to 3 months' rent as deposit.  Much to our 5 year olds disappointment, I don't foresee being able to have a dog in rented accommodation in Malta.

is this also a problem in Gozo? I heard that it wasn't, but Hank is now a bit worried.

Darrylv wrote:

I have recently been looking for a new apartment and mentioned that we wanted the option to have a small dog.  Out of 8 properties viewed, all except 1 rejected the idea immediately.  We were warned that if we wanted the landlord to accept a dog we would be severely limited and also to expect to be asked for up to 3 months' rent as deposit.  Much to our 5 year olds disappointment, I don't foresee being able to have a dog in rented accommodation in Malta.

You need to contact owners and not estate agents as most can not be bothered to do  anything but the bare minimum to get you a rental.

Loads of people rent with dogs ( us included ) and we have had no problem finding places.

This is our second house and second dog since arriving in Malta.

You need to make the effort and not just except what the estate agent says.

We just added a clause in our contract to say we would make good or pay for any damage our dog made.

You also need to be a responsible dog owner and do not let your dog annoy your neighbours by barking all day if you are out and not foul the pavement or walkways.

Its not rocket science just common  sense.

Terry

Thank you Terry for your reply. I 100% agree with you but can you advise how to contact the owners directly? Or where they advertise? I have just joined Malta Park and am waiting for their activation email so I can contact the landlords directly.
I have been liaising closely with a friend in Marsaskala and am trying to take an active role in finding somewhere but as we are still in the uk I am limited with what I can do.

Any suggestions on the further effort that I can do to find somewhere - web sites etc

Any help is appreciated

terrapin68 wrote:

Thank you Terry for your reply. I 100% agree with you but can you advise how to contact the owners directly? Or where they advertise? I have just joined Malta Park and am waiting for their activation email so I can contact the landlords directly.
I have been liaising closely with a friend in Marsaskala and am trying to take an active role in finding somewhere but as we are still in the uk I am limited with what I can do.

Any suggestions on the further effort that I can do to find somewhere - web sites etc

Any help is appreciated

Still in the UK is your problem as you really need to meet the owners.
Adverts in shops etc are good sources of flats, then meet the landlord "if" you like the place then  ask him if he would consider  you having a dog in exchange for a long let.
Its worked for us and for others but you do need to be in Malta ( we came for a weeks holiday without the dog and rented our first place ).

Terry

Wow thank you Nange I will google it once I return from the school run. Thank you very very much I will keep you posted and any more ideas will be gratefully received and appreciated :-)

try this facebook page :-)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/235808876559630/

terrapin68 wrote:

Thank you Terry for your reply. I 100% agree with you but can you advise how to contact the owners directly? Or where they advertise? I have just joined Malta Park and am waiting for their activation email so I can contact the landlords directly.
I have been liaising closely with a friend in Marsaskala and am trying to take an active role in finding somewhere but as we are still in the uk I am limited with what I can do.

Any suggestions on the further effort that I can do to find somewhere - web sites etc

Any help is appreciated

you  may find your maltapark email never arrives if you dont register from a maltese ip address they get really upset..

Thank you a Terry we have more or less come to that conclusion so we have investigated a holiday let in Marsaskala that is dog friendly for 2weeks (maybe a bit longer) so we are on site so to speak and let them meet Buster for themselves and with actual cash incentive (I've heard this can work) we should be able to find something.

How long do you think it would take to find a flat? My friend in Malta has been looking for a week with no luck at all.

Helen

it took us 12 hours from looking ... they must be really fussy lol

suppose depends on size area etc and price but there are lots of properties posted daily

We used this site and though most are holiday lets, there are many that will negotiate long term let and you speak with the owner.  http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/malta-gozo.htm

We found our first house within  a week.
I personally would not offer a cash incentive, they will probably finish up with your deposit when you leave anyway!

Good luck

Terry

I think quicklets has a pet friendly list of rentals.

This might be of interest:

http://www.maltapark.com/item.aspx?ItemID=3986049

We moved here from Canary Islands . Renting was easy there with a dog , when we moved here we thought it would be as easy.
Sadly we have been left to view very few apartments which would take a small dog even when they met my dog (including viewings privately or with agent my dog is only 4kg , we are retired and she comes out with us most of the time so there was no issues with noise or damage . I offered a pet deposit but I think the majority of owners have made their decision and the only way you can change a mind is by knowing the owner or being recommended from people who know with apartments to rent.

Hi,
We are in our second rental with our dog. The first was an older house with a small garden and we had no problems there. When we tried moving with her we did get the usual chat about owners not wanting dogs and needing extra deposits but found a new place without too much hassle. The reason I am writing is just to echo what was said up thread - to make sure that it is a dog friendly block if that is where you end up. We rented an appt, paid an extra deposit and even asked the letting agent specifically about whether there were any bad feelings towards dogs and were told all was fine. Now we have a group of neighbours basically trying to run us out because of their aversion to dogs - they have written letter upon letter complaining about the fact that she is in the building at all, telling tales of other tenants they have run out over the years because of dog ownership and if she ever makes a peep we get a barrage of notes through the door. I hasten to add that she is a good, quiet dog but all dogs make noise occasionally especially when moving in to a new house. We have had to crate train her and buy a barking collar, she now never makes a sound (poor girl) but we are terrified to leave her as there is another dog that makes a racket in the vicinity. At the moment she comes everywhere with me but this will be way less feasible as the weather heats up and we may have to move again at the end of the contract. So I guess  the moral is to make sure that your landlord hasn't put the owners association out beofre you even move in!......good luck and try  an older property perhaps?

We were warned our options would be extremely limited and this is neither because we hadn't put in the effort nor had commons sense just what we found out when we asked around (letting agents who we had a good relationship with and landlords we met).  Whilst I'm sure there are landlords that will accommodate dogs, as someone put before the majority of owners have already made their decision and certainly the areas we were looking at most people who owned dogs there also owned their property.

we had no problem we vewed 3/4 properties every day over 5 days and only2 owners rejected they were pet friendly despite telling the agent they were, probably a breakdown of communication.
Try the facebook page I cantpost the link sorry but its called
Pet friendly accomodation in Malta...long let

We found a property on the third day and signed for it to secure in on the 5th day, I found it useful taking a picture on my I pad with me so that if they asked any questions we just spoke happily about our pet and showed them pictures.

Plan ahead before travelling with your pet, jabs and flights road trip allneed to be planned out in time before your travels

We have successfully placed a deposit for a dog friendly apartment in Marsaskala and we are due to move in on our arrival on the 24th February. Fingers crossed that all goes to plan with flights and transportation of us and our dog.
Thank you everyone for all your help and advice. I will let you know how things turn out with the apartment.

Helen :-)

Thats fabulous Helen, glad to hear you are all sorted and wishing you a pleasant journey :-)

Thank you :-)
I'm now starting to panic BIG time about everything else and questioning my sanity lol but with faith, hope and a healthy dose of luck things will be fine :-)

Hello
We live in Madliena and are just about to move to Millieha... we have a German Shepherd and our Landlord is fine with dogs.....please feel free to contact me..... Jill Lee

there have been around 10 pet friendly apartments posted in this facebook page in the last week

https://www.facebook.com/groups/429066140518625/

Hello Jill Lee, 
Just came across your post about your house in Madliena.
We plan to move from Sliema to that area, but so far we did not find anything to our like.
We have a (small) dog, so I  am interested in the property you are leaving.....
Could you give me some details?
Thanks,
Carla

Hello Carla,
It's a 3 bedroom penthouse... modern...large area outside at the front and 2 outside areas at the back... garage furnished... I can put you in touch with the Landlord if you like... ? Jill

Hello Jill,
Thank you for your quick respons!
In fact we are looking for a house with a garden... We live in penthouse at the moment. 
But thanks again for your answer!!
Carla

No problem... very best of luck......we have a fantastic Vet here just let me know if you need his number !  Jill

Hi,I have rented a flat with a dog recently and have gone through Dhalia  Estate Agent St Pauls Bay, ask for Darran he is very helpful, it may not be the area you want at first but at least you will have somewhere to live when you arrive here, good luck with your move

There are places but hard to find

Hello everybody.
my name is Jim and i recently moved to Malta. I am currently staying at Hostels and Airbnbers but i need to find my own place as i am planning to stay indefinate.
The problem is that from October on my dog will have to be with me and its a Labradore.
I would like to find a place and having to move again when he arrives. But every agent i have called tells me that no one likes dogs yet it seems that everybody in this post has quite a different opinion. I must be doing something wrong!
Can anyone suggest a property in Bkara, St. Venera, Iklin, Naxxar, Balzan,Swatar for up to 500euros a month?
Thank you very much!

as long as you are clear and upfront and are prepared to offer a further deposit for cleaning and damage I have found most LLs are willing to accept it.

Thank you very much for the reply, the thing is that i cant get to the Landlords as it looks like i am filtered out by the Agents.. Either there is no availability or "it is difficult with a dog"...

We have successfully rented with a cat, but were told by all agents that it would be much harder with a cat than with a dog! (Due to scratching furniture, I think.)

The best way around it, we found, was to meet the landlord in person first, before mentioning the cat, and if things seemed to be going well between us they have always allowed the cat - rewriting the contract to state that the cat is allowed.

thank you. i think i will do the same since all agents are so negative about the dog and dont seem to really want to help.. maybe i will play it that way.. Seems like complete honesty from the  beginning is not very helpful... :-/