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Jul 1, 2017

Pets vs. Smokers when it comes to real estate rentals...

Pets vs. Smokers when it comes to real estate rentals... photo


We finally managed to find a suitable rental property out in the countryside yesterday - we still have to get the contract finalized but it's basically all said and done. It's a big weight off our shoulders and having that step done is allowing other things to fall into place as well.


One thing that puzzled me about the process of hunting for a place out here though was the prevalence of places that would simply say off the bat that pets weren't allowed. No negotiations, no willingness to take an extra pet fee (that we were prepared to pay, if needed).


We have a small dog who is completely house trained, and his breed doesn't shed - but yet we were told time and time again during the course of this house hunt that pets weren't allowed because the property owners were worried about the smell.


I found it pretty ironic though that the vast majority of places we went in to inspect smelled heavily of cigarette smoke! It surprised me that there was such apprehension towards pets, but no one is out there enforcing a "no smokers" rule. At the end of the day it is the property owner's choice as to what they will and won't allow, but this found me shaking my head a lot throughout the process. A dog that is housebroken and doesn't smell at all gets the absolute no - but no heads turn when people smoke like chimneys in a house!


4 Comments

  • helloalissa

    on Jul 3

    Ugh, easy choice, I hate smoking! We didn't know our apartments allowed pets until we moved in because we don't have one, but there are a few cute little dogs here.

  • KamaT

    on Jul 4

    In my old place there used to be this cat that I guess lived in the apartment across the hall (with its owners). I guess they would let it out before going to work because it was always in the hall 'meowing' (don't know how to spell that) when I would come back myself. I really like cats so I enjoyed it being there. To be honest, when I first came to Japan I had never thought that pets might not be allowed in apartment buildings, but it seems to be pretty common. I've heard that little by little owners in Japan don't want/allow tenants to smoke in their apartments.

  • genkidesu

    on Jul 5

    @Tomuu I do hope that the tide will turn when it comes to smoking. Not much worse than walking in to a property to take a look, and it just smells so strongly of cigarettes! So glad though that we did find somewhere suitable that allowed our dog, and best of all it was our favorite of the ones we looked at!

  • KamaT

    on Jul 16

    @genkidesu Yea, apartment hunting can be a bit dispiriting at times, can't it? Still, if you stick it out something good usually turns up.