At Hutton & Hutton, we love animals of all shapes and sizes. We encourage visits to the office from furry friends and we have an Instagram dedicated to the dogs of New Farm. That’s why we love helping tenants find properties that are suitable for their pets. We always recommend tenants include a pet resume on their application.
Australians have the highest rate of pet ownership in the world. Did you know that 62% of households across Queensland have a pet? Because of these statistics, the Queensland state government is currently in the process of changing the laws around renting with pets. The changes look at making it easier for tenants with pets to find houses and harder for landlords to refuse unless the circumstances are special.
In the meantime, however, only 1 in 10 rental properties allow pets. The competition will be fierce out there, so you’ll want to make sure your furry friend has the best possible chance of being approved.
A pet resume shows that you’ve thought through the concept of renting with a pet. It also gives your property manager and landlord an idea of your pet’s personality. Here are our tips for creating a fantastic pet resume!
(Credit: Sarandy Westfall on Unsplash) Let’s give your pet the best chance of finding a home!
Start your pet resume with an adorable photo of your pet
It’s hard to say no to a cute little animal when you’ve got a gorgeous photo of them right in front of you! It can often be hard to take a photo of an animal (my God, just sit still won’t you?!), but with enough patience, you’ll grab that perfect shot.
Hutton & Hutton run the Instagram page Dogs of New Farm, so we have plenty of experience taking the perfect pet portrait. We recommend using treats to make them sit still and to look where you need them to. Otherwise, our advice is to just keep trying and trying until you get the perfect photo.
(Credit: Baptist Standaert on Unsplash) Getting the perfect photo definitely takes patience
Let us know a bit about your pet
We want to know everything about your little pal! Make sure to include essential details like your animal’s name, species, breed, age, temperament, size, and desex status. It’s also important to give us an idea about their health as well. Have they had all their shots? Are their worming, flea, and tick treatment up-to-date? What are the details of their vet?
(Credit: Christopher on Unsplash) We want to know all about your pet, however big or small they are
Tell us about your pets previous rental history
If your pet has lived in a rental before, we want to know about it! If confirms to us that your pet is a great candidate for our rental property. It would also help bolster your pet’s resume to include references from the real estate agency and from your previous landlord.
(Credit: Yerlin Matu on Unsplash) Chuck in a reference from your old property manager! It’ll help your application more than you think
Chuck in an anecdote or two
We want to walk away from reading your pet’s resume feeling as though we know them. So tell us a story or two! We want to hear about the time your dog swallowed your expensive necklace by accident and you had to wait 6-8 hours to get it back (no fun for you!). If your cat makes the funniest noises in its sleep, we’d love to know about it.
Any testament to your animal’s behaviour is fantastic. We understand that, like people, no two animals are the same. Some are shy, some are sassy, and some are… special. Tell us all about their personalities. It couldn’t hurt to also include a testimonial or two from other people. If your parents love looking after your birds because they’re always so quiet and tidy, have them write a little something about it!
(Credit: Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash) Tell us a story about your pet. What makes them special?
We want to know about you too!
Now we’ve heard a bit about your pet, let us know about how you look after them! One hallmark of a great tenant is responsibility and we know pet owners are amongst the most responsible people out there.
So tell us how you’re responsible. We want to know all the measures you go to to ensure your pet is well-looked after and healthy. This includes vet visits, training, how you keep them healthy, the attention you give them, and how well you know your pet’s individual needs.
(Credit: Tamara Bellis on Unsplash) Tell us how you meet the needs of your pet
Our template
Below, we’ve included our template of a lease-winning pet resume. Feel free to copy it for your next rental application!
