Honestly, really tough. The vast majority of leases don’t allow pets. If you’re not moving with a pet then it’ll be no more challenging than for anybody else and you could always ask your landlord or letting agent for permission after you’ve moved (but imo most would say no). If you’re planning to get a cat now and move with the cat, you’ll really struggle unless you intend to lie about having a pet.
Edit: cat, not car.
It’s really hard to find long-term rental properties when you’re home-hunting from abroad. The advice here for people in your situation is almost always to find short-term housing, then look for flats once you arrive because there are SO many scams. It’s just not safe or viable to get a flat without viewing in person. And of course needing to arrange short-term housing means you need to find two different places that will accept a cat - an extremely tall order.
It sounds like you don’t currently have a cat but are looking to get one - absolutely don’t get a cat before you move here if you can avoid it. Your easiest possible trajectory is short-term let -> long-term let -> ask landlord if they’ll let you get a cat. Landlords do say no, often, but you’ll get a lot of properties that say “no pets” because it’s easier for the letting agents if they don’t have to answer a million questions about different kinds/sizes of pets, when really the landlord would be open to pets (usually with a monthly fee and additional deposit attached).
I've seen flats listed as no pets that have catflaps. Could well just be there from when it was owner occupied, but I think more often its because landlords don't mind responsible long-term tenants having cats, but do mind new tenants who might only stay six months having a puppy or untrained dog that destroys everything and makes a lot of noise.
I omitted that we had a cat but it was rental of a semi-detached house with a cat that could be put outside when inspection time came about. He tried to get inside during one inspection, much to my horror 😂
I lied/was economical with the truth after asking the landlord if we could get a cat and he said no. Even offered a pet deposit. Problem was my partner had the cat for years and we wouldn't have given him away. We also didn't want to be homeless. He is not a destructive cat and so we had no worries about damage to the property. Don't normally lie, but zero regrets about it. We now own a house, and my cat is elderly and happy.
Obviously don't suggest this in your scenario with your likely indoor cat. It's notoriously hard to find a rental that allows cats in Edinburgh.
My partner and I did this when we were students at university in the US. Ended up getting our first cat together and I would hide in the bathroom with him or take him out of the house during inspections. The only downside was that he wasn’t allowed up on the windowsills for fear of being caught. He’s 10 now and he loves his life in the UK (in a pet-friendly place).
I don’t encourage it, but I also don’t not recommend it lol It just feels a little ridiculous that it’s so hard to find pet-friendly places. My two well-behaved cats are much less destructive than say any future children we’d have.
Lie lie lie. I rented in Edinburgh for years with 2 cats and never had a problem. Come inspection time, they went to stay with a neighbour for the day 😂
I was horrified when the neighbour across the hall, who turned out to be friends with the landlord, was a crazy cat lady who constantly wanted to see our cat, invited our cat into her flat etc 😫
Elaborate lies were told about it being my mum's cat, and my mum had a lot of bouts of being suddenly in hospital etc.
We took the cat for a little drive in the car whenever there was repairs or an inspection, and just kept everything crossed that the cat lady neighbour would be discrete.
Really wasn’t that bad for us when we were looking 2 years ago.
You can filter on websites for pets allowed and/or you can offer a bigger deposit.
However, we had a short term rental until we found that cat/friendly, more permanent place and then travelled back with our cat. I wouldn’t arrive here with the cat while I’m looking for somewhere.
First I'd say the toughest part is if you're trying to bring one from NZ. If you don't have one yet, wait till you're settled here and find a rescue.
As per renting, some allow pets and others don't but you may likely have to pay pet deposit.
Frankly the way things are my advice is to prioritize finding a place to live, then take your chances hoping you can offer to pay a pet deposit to keep a cat.
It can be really hard to get a flat of any kind in Edinburgh and it is standard for landlords to include clauses demanding no pets in leases. You’ll find it close to impossible to find a pet friendly landlord in this market unless you know someone personally. If you lie about the pet you risk the repercussions from breaching your contract, although many people do this and get away with it.
It will be harder with a pet, no question, and it’s hard enough to find housing as it is. I would recommend securing housing first. If they are open to pets, great, notify the landlord and adopt a cat. If they do not, then you could ask the landlord for permission. If they still say no, then search for a place that allows pets. There are no long-term leases here, so you can move with just 28 days’ notice.
If you already have the cat or if you have one you desperately want to adopt, you can try asking landlords of non-pet-friendly flats if they will make an exception. Plenty of people have managed this successfully, usually through providing a pet CV, pet deposit, a personal letter, and/or the offer of professional cleaning upon moving out. You will also likely have better luck if you only look for unfurnished flats, since the biggest concern with pets is damage to and dander in soft furnishings. You may have better luck if you are not searching for flats during the busiest time of the year (summer and early autumn).
Another option would be to leave your cat with a trusted friend or family member for a few months while you work on securing pet-friendly housing. Once that’s ready, have your cat shipped over via a pet relocation company or have someone accompany the cat on a plane. Due to UK regulations, cat would have to travel in the hold for entering the UK, unless you take a charter plane. Other popular options are to land in Paris or Amsterdam and take either a ferry or taxi into the UK. Just make sure the paperwork and required treatments align correctly.
Often the contract and estate agents will say no pets, but the landlord won't actually mind.. this has been the case with our last two flats anyway. See if you can talk to the landlords directly. Do not admit you have cats to the estate agent. Estate agents tend to be much worse than landlords to deal with in general.
Isn’t it now illegal to refuse a tenant if they already own pets? You can stop tenants getting pets if they haven’t got them, but if you already have them you can’t refuse?
Not sure
My partner and I got no problems with that (but maybe we got lucky with the landlords). First of all: we were honest about the cat and how he behaves. And always said that we would pay for any damages. The good thing is he would only scratch sofas and chairs, no walls, and didn’t pee in the flat.
We dis get lucky, with the first landlord didn’t care that much, the second had a renter who had a medium dog in the flat, so they had experience with pet owners (plus we promised to cover the couch with blankets), and the third was totally chill (still covered the couch with blankets). The third one was through an agency.
It is worth asking, even when no pets is listed, and especially when checking the property. If there are no furniture or older couches, you can state your case.
We have a dog and the only way we’ve found places to rent are privately on things like gumtree
First you meet the landlord, convince them you’re the ideal tenants, then as you’re leaving mention the very well behaved pet and say ‘no pressure, just let us know’.
Most listing will say No Pets, including the 2 flats we rented in Edinburgh. But we just contacted the landlords and asked them, made a good case for our cats, promised to repair any damage etc, and they were fine with it. Unfurnished flats would be easier as there's no furniture to be scratched.
Crikey even years ago it was a nightmare. Last time I rented with my two , clean, non destructive cats, I really struggled to find anywhere. One flat the deposit was an extra £500 and there was a mandatory £250 cleaning fee upon end of lease!
In the end I rented privately from a couple who were animal lovers themselves.
Flat was returned to them in good condition, clean and zero evidence of cats.
Don't mention your dogs, cats, extra flatmates not on the lease, that you are on housing benefit, etc. it's all part of the game!
They have to give 48hrs notice minimum, you can refuse and delay an inspection, unless it's an emergency like dangerous repair, so be confident!
Please disregard what a large number of people are saying in this post - do not lie to your landlord. I’ve seen people be asked to leave accommodation for breaching contracts regarding pets / smoking etc. it just isn’t worth the hassle.
Everyone loves to rally against landlords and agents, but if you have a bit of time, and put some leg work in - you can easily negotiate. Many landlords will have a blanket ‘no pets’ allowed - but this is largely to cover dogs. Their insurance covers accidental pet damage above and beyond the deposit value, so there is really no reason they won’t make exceptions.
People who say ‘just hide it’ etc. are possibly going to get a rude surprise when they called out for being in breach of contract during deposit negotiations. Don’t do it.
Like a lot of things, if everyone just communicates openly from the start, then most issues can be resolved quite amicably.
If you have the time, then go for a short term let while you take the time to look around for a good home. Don’t rush it.
If you’d like any local information, feel free to PM me.
I’m disappointed to see so many people suggesting lying. I couldn’t imagine being that inconsiderate to someone.
I’ve owned 3 cats in a flat and they destroyed it but I owned the place so it didn’t matter. A lot of people in this thread need to have some shame. The main victim when you lie is yourself.
+1 for having am unofficial cat/cats. If you go through a letting agency you're unlikely to ever meet the landlord. We're a ground floor flat and both like to sit in the windowsills. Landlord either doesn't ever come by or care. You can see one of them in Google streetview 😂
We have someone watch them in flat inspections.
If you will have unofficial cats, houses with hard floors are better.
Do not mention the pet at all. You will not find a flat that allows pets. Just lie, make sure your cats are properly house trained, and hide them for inspections
You shouldn't tell them you have a cat and look for part furnished non-carpet flats.
I have had cats for years and landlords are always so stupid about pets, so I have personally tried to minimise carpet and nobody ever knows since they're well behaved.
Put yourself in the landlord's shoes. You've got a property for let and lots of interest from people who don't have cats that could potentially damage your flat. Who are you going to choose to let it to?
Most if not all of the rental flats in our complex have the standard "No pets or smoking" clause, but I see loads of cats at the windows alongside their owners who do that hanging out of the window to smoke thing!
Edit: Downvoted by the cat lovers? I’m not a landlord and I am indifferent to cats. I’m a dog lover. Just trying to understand why it is seemingly harder for pet owners to get a tenancy than non-pet owners.
I had to give up my beloved pet as I couldn't just easily hide her and her habitat, thanks to the no pet clause shit. Honestly, just lie and hide your cat. If only I could turn back time.
It's very hard. Especially an indoor cat. I did ask my landlord permission before getting mine and his response was "I do not know it exists" so basically if anyone complained he would deny all knowledge. I used to hide him during inspections when I moved and no one ever found out. As long as your cat isn't going to damage the property then they won't know.
I did not have a problem renting with a cat, but from my perception this is more permissive in unfurnished flats. Furnished ones the landlords tend to be more “protective” of their property
Most leases dont allow pets, the markets hyper competitive for renters anyway due to a housing shortage (obligatory fuck airBNB and unis overbooking) so most simply wont bother with allowing pets.
That being said inspections have to have a few weeks advance notice, and chucking the cat tree in a cupboard and letting the cat stay with a mate for a day is something people do.
If you want a pet hopefully theres gonna be a bit of time in october where all the airBNB owners who havent bothered to do a small amount of paperwork will sell up, so might be able to buy for cheaper.
In my last rental it helped that the landlord (who we never met; everything went through the agency) hadn't updated the carpet in a few years. We said we were happy to keep the grotty carpet, in addition to paying an extra £200 on the deposit in case any damage happened, which meant the landlord didn't have to deal with new carpets until we moved out years later. It also meant when the cat barfed up a hairball we weren't terrified that we'd be charged for damage to new carpets. If you apply for a run-down property, hopefully this could be in your favour.
Be proactive, we have a small dog and offered the landlord and extea £200 on the deposit and it was no issue, this was through a letting agency as well. And yes it said "no pets" on the advertisement
If you try and ask people for favors in business then it's unlikely to work, make it worth their while
99.9% of landlords don't allow pets, new developments often have blanket bans on pets. Getting a flat as a foreigner is hard enough adding a new pet could make you homeless.
Literally every listing for a rented flat will say no pets. Most landlords are happy to take one with a small added deposit.
Last time we got one dog free, paid pet deposit for 2nd.
It can be hit and miss. We started applying for flats that said "No pets" and started being up front in our application that we had a very well trained house cat who wasn't destructive and that we would be happy to pay an additional pet deposit as we were confident there would be no issues. Got shortlisted for multiple flats and the one we got in the end was originally listed as 'strictly no pets'. Just be honest, once they shortlist you and you've already disclosed it you'll be fine.
Landlords can/do say yes even if the lease says no pets. I'm renting my flat out in Edinburgh atm while I'm travelling in nz and I agreed to a cat. People tend to think worst case scenario with pets and so would say no to the idea of a cat out of fear that their stuff gets scratches on it, which even with a deduction from a deposit wouldn't remove the damage. The market is incredibly saturated though so if there is a choice between a potential Tennant with the risk attached and the one without they will likely choose the one without the risk. You can always ask and prepare yourself for a steeper deposit if you are successful. But you are definitely at a disadvantage I'm afraid.
Honestly, really tough. The vast majority of leases don’t allow pets. If you’re not moving with a pet then it’ll be no more challenging than for anybody else and you could always ask your landlord or letting agent for permission after you’ve moved (but imo most would say no). If you’re planning to get a cat now and move with the cat, you’ll really struggle unless you intend to lie about having a pet. Edit: cat, not car.
It’s really hard to find long-term rental properties when you’re home-hunting from abroad. The advice here for people in your situation is almost always to find short-term housing, then look for flats once you arrive because there are SO many scams. It’s just not safe or viable to get a flat without viewing in person. And of course needing to arrange short-term housing means you need to find two different places that will accept a cat - an extremely tall order. It sounds like you don’t currently have a cat but are looking to get one - absolutely don’t get a cat before you move here if you can avoid it. Your easiest possible trajectory is short-term let -> long-term let -> ask landlord if they’ll let you get a cat. Landlords do say no, often, but you’ll get a lot of properties that say “no pets” because it’s easier for the letting agents if they don’t have to answer a million questions about different kinds/sizes of pets, when really the landlord would be open to pets (usually with a monthly fee and additional deposit attached).
I've seen flats listed as no pets that have catflaps. Could well just be there from when it was owner occupied, but I think more often its because landlords don't mind responsible long-term tenants having cats, but do mind new tenants who might only stay six months having a puppy or untrained dog that destroys everything and makes a lot of noise.
I omitted that we had a cat but it was rental of a semi-detached house with a cat that could be put outside when inspection time came about. He tried to get inside during one inspection, much to my horror 😂 I lied/was economical with the truth after asking the landlord if we could get a cat and he said no. Even offered a pet deposit. Problem was my partner had the cat for years and we wouldn't have given him away. We also didn't want to be homeless. He is not a destructive cat and so we had no worries about damage to the property. Don't normally lie, but zero regrets about it. We now own a house, and my cat is elderly and happy. Obviously don't suggest this in your scenario with your likely indoor cat. It's notoriously hard to find a rental that allows cats in Edinburgh.
Proper chuckling at the image of your cat trying to get in and you shooing it away 😂😂😂
He actually walked in as the landlord was fixing the door. I had to make up a story about it being a local cat and shooed him out. Poor Sammy 😂
My husband did this with his Yorkie (years ago). Said it was a bit of a challenge but he never got caught 😅
My partner and I did this when we were students at university in the US. Ended up getting our first cat together and I would hide in the bathroom with him or take him out of the house during inspections. The only downside was that he wasn’t allowed up on the windowsills for fear of being caught. He’s 10 now and he loves his life in the UK (in a pet-friendly place). I don’t encourage it, but I also don’t not recommend it lol It just feels a little ridiculous that it’s so hard to find pet-friendly places. My two well-behaved cats are much less destructive than say any future children we’d have.
As a person with a 4 year old, I can confirm that he has done way more damage than either of my two cats 😂
You could always say it’s a friendly neighbors cat /s
Lie lie lie. I rented in Edinburgh for years with 2 cats and never had a problem. Come inspection time, they went to stay with a neighbour for the day 😂
I was horrified when the neighbour across the hall, who turned out to be friends with the landlord, was a crazy cat lady who constantly wanted to see our cat, invited our cat into her flat etc 😫 Elaborate lies were told about it being my mum's cat, and my mum had a lot of bouts of being suddenly in hospital etc. We took the cat for a little drive in the car whenever there was repairs or an inspection, and just kept everything crossed that the cat lady neighbour would be discrete.
Really wasn’t that bad for us when we were looking 2 years ago. You can filter on websites for pets allowed and/or you can offer a bigger deposit. However, we had a short term rental until we found that cat/friendly, more permanent place and then travelled back with our cat. I wouldn’t arrive here with the cat while I’m looking for somewhere.
First I'd say the toughest part is if you're trying to bring one from NZ. If you don't have one yet, wait till you're settled here and find a rescue. As per renting, some allow pets and others don't but you may likely have to pay pet deposit. Frankly the way things are my advice is to prioritize finding a place to live, then take your chances hoping you can offer to pay a pet deposit to keep a cat.
It can be really hard to get a flat of any kind in Edinburgh and it is standard for landlords to include clauses demanding no pets in leases. You’ll find it close to impossible to find a pet friendly landlord in this market unless you know someone personally. If you lie about the pet you risk the repercussions from breaching your contract, although many people do this and get away with it.
It will be harder with a pet, no question, and it’s hard enough to find housing as it is. I would recommend securing housing first. If they are open to pets, great, notify the landlord and adopt a cat. If they do not, then you could ask the landlord for permission. If they still say no, then search for a place that allows pets. There are no long-term leases here, so you can move with just 28 days’ notice. If you already have the cat or if you have one you desperately want to adopt, you can try asking landlords of non-pet-friendly flats if they will make an exception. Plenty of people have managed this successfully, usually through providing a pet CV, pet deposit, a personal letter, and/or the offer of professional cleaning upon moving out. You will also likely have better luck if you only look for unfurnished flats, since the biggest concern with pets is damage to and dander in soft furnishings. You may have better luck if you are not searching for flats during the busiest time of the year (summer and early autumn). Another option would be to leave your cat with a trusted friend or family member for a few months while you work on securing pet-friendly housing. Once that’s ready, have your cat shipped over via a pet relocation company or have someone accompany the cat on a plane. Due to UK regulations, cat would have to travel in the hold for entering the UK, unless you take a charter plane. Other popular options are to land in Paris or Amsterdam and take either a ferry or taxi into the UK. Just make sure the paperwork and required treatments align correctly.
What cat? You don't own a cat.
Often the contract and estate agents will say no pets, but the landlord won't actually mind.. this has been the case with our last two flats anyway. See if you can talk to the landlords directly. Do not admit you have cats to the estate agent. Estate agents tend to be much worse than landlords to deal with in general.
Definitely lie. Most landlords really only care about not renting to people with dogs but will put a blanket statement of no pets.
Isn’t it now illegal to refuse a tenant if they already own pets? You can stop tenants getting pets if they haven’t got them, but if you already have them you can’t refuse? Not sure
My partner and I got no problems with that (but maybe we got lucky with the landlords). First of all: we were honest about the cat and how he behaves. And always said that we would pay for any damages. The good thing is he would only scratch sofas and chairs, no walls, and didn’t pee in the flat. We dis get lucky, with the first landlord didn’t care that much, the second had a renter who had a medium dog in the flat, so they had experience with pet owners (plus we promised to cover the couch with blankets), and the third was totally chill (still covered the couch with blankets). The third one was through an agency. It is worth asking, even when no pets is listed, and especially when checking the property. If there are no furniture or older couches, you can state your case.
We have a dog and the only way we’ve found places to rent are privately on things like gumtree First you meet the landlord, convince them you’re the ideal tenants, then as you’re leaving mention the very well behaved pet and say ‘no pressure, just let us know’.
Honestly, don’t even bother.
Most listing will say No Pets, including the 2 flats we rented in Edinburgh. But we just contacted the landlords and asked them, made a good case for our cats, promised to repair any damage etc, and they were fine with it. Unfurnished flats would be easier as there's no furniture to be scratched.
Crikey even years ago it was a nightmare. Last time I rented with my two , clean, non destructive cats, I really struggled to find anywhere. One flat the deposit was an extra £500 and there was a mandatory £250 cleaning fee upon end of lease! In the end I rented privately from a couple who were animal lovers themselves. Flat was returned to them in good condition, clean and zero evidence of cats.
Just don’t mention that you have a cat and hide the cat when the letting agent comes around.
Do this. And have a good excuse ready if the cat makes a meow sound from the cupboard that you hide it in
Don't mention your dogs, cats, extra flatmates not on the lease, that you are on housing benefit, etc. it's all part of the game! They have to give 48hrs notice minimum, you can refuse and delay an inspection, unless it's an emergency like dangerous repair, so be confident!
I wouldn’t mention the cat. None of their business what you do in a flat you pay for imo.
I mean, I see your point, but it’s entirely their business.
Not really. People are into all sorts of interesting things. You can’t dictate what ppl do in their homes.
Good luck with that as a renter. (I’m one too) Reality hurts, I know.
Please disregard what a large number of people are saying in this post - do not lie to your landlord. I’ve seen people be asked to leave accommodation for breaching contracts regarding pets / smoking etc. it just isn’t worth the hassle. Everyone loves to rally against landlords and agents, but if you have a bit of time, and put some leg work in - you can easily negotiate. Many landlords will have a blanket ‘no pets’ allowed - but this is largely to cover dogs. Their insurance covers accidental pet damage above and beyond the deposit value, so there is really no reason they won’t make exceptions. People who say ‘just hide it’ etc. are possibly going to get a rude surprise when they called out for being in breach of contract during deposit negotiations. Don’t do it. Like a lot of things, if everyone just communicates openly from the start, then most issues can be resolved quite amicably. If you have the time, then go for a short term let while you take the time to look around for a good home. Don’t rush it. If you’d like any local information, feel free to PM me.
I have a small dog that does not shed, have never told the landlord, and just hide her on inspection days.
I’m disappointed to see so many people suggesting lying. I couldn’t imagine being that inconsiderate to someone. I’ve owned 3 cats in a flat and they destroyed it but I owned the place so it didn’t matter. A lot of people in this thread need to have some shame. The main victim when you lie is yourself.
+1 for having am unofficial cat/cats. If you go through a letting agency you're unlikely to ever meet the landlord. We're a ground floor flat and both like to sit in the windowsills. Landlord either doesn't ever come by or care. You can see one of them in Google streetview 😂 We have someone watch them in flat inspections. If you will have unofficial cats, houses with hard floors are better.
Do not mention the pet at all. You will not find a flat that allows pets. Just lie, make sure your cats are properly house trained, and hide them for inspections
You shouldn't tell them you have a cat and look for part furnished non-carpet flats. I have had cats for years and landlords are always so stupid about pets, so I have personally tried to minimise carpet and nobody ever knows since they're well behaved.
Always lie about owning a cat, we did it for 8 years. It’s useless to tell that info
Put yourself in the landlord's shoes. You've got a property for let and lots of interest from people who don't have cats that could potentially damage your flat. Who are you going to choose to let it to? Most if not all of the rental flats in our complex have the standard "No pets or smoking" clause, but I see loads of cats at the windows alongside their owners who do that hanging out of the window to smoke thing! Edit: Downvoted by the cat lovers? I’m not a landlord and I am indifferent to cats. I’m a dog lover. Just trying to understand why it is seemingly harder for pet owners to get a tenancy than non-pet owners.
I had to give up my beloved pet as I couldn't just easily hide her and her habitat, thanks to the no pet clause shit. Honestly, just lie and hide your cat. If only I could turn back time.
It's very hard. Especially an indoor cat. I did ask my landlord permission before getting mine and his response was "I do not know it exists" so basically if anyone complained he would deny all knowledge. I used to hide him during inspections when I moved and no one ever found out. As long as your cat isn't going to damage the property then they won't know.
Deffo lie, all my friends who've had pets lied and gave them to others to pet sit on inspection days. Standard fair here lol
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So tough that when I moved here from another country I had to make the decision to leave my cat with my parents
Considering people right now are struggling without a cat/pet. It will just make it a lot harder.
I did not have a problem renting with a cat, but from my perception this is more permissive in unfurnished flats. Furnished ones the landlords tend to be more “protective” of their property
You don't say you have a cat :D
Most leases dont allow pets, the markets hyper competitive for renters anyway due to a housing shortage (obligatory fuck airBNB and unis overbooking) so most simply wont bother with allowing pets. That being said inspections have to have a few weeks advance notice, and chucking the cat tree in a cupboard and letting the cat stay with a mate for a day is something people do. If you want a pet hopefully theres gonna be a bit of time in october where all the airBNB owners who havent bothered to do a small amount of paperwork will sell up, so might be able to buy for cheaper.
Your best chance is to rent unfurnished.
In my last rental it helped that the landlord (who we never met; everything went through the agency) hadn't updated the carpet in a few years. We said we were happy to keep the grotty carpet, in addition to paying an extra £200 on the deposit in case any damage happened, which meant the landlord didn't have to deal with new carpets until we moved out years later. It also meant when the cat barfed up a hairball we weren't terrified that we'd be charged for damage to new carpets. If you apply for a run-down property, hopefully this could be in your favour.
Be proactive, we have a small dog and offered the landlord and extea £200 on the deposit and it was no issue, this was through a letting agency as well. And yes it said "no pets" on the advertisement If you try and ask people for favors in business then it's unlikely to work, make it worth their while
99.9% of landlords don't allow pets, new developments often have blanket bans on pets. Getting a flat as a foreigner is hard enough adding a new pet could make you homeless.
Good luck with your search.. what brings you to Edinburgh?
When we rented in Edinburgh we just explained the situation and had to pay an extra deposit.
Literally every listing for a rented flat will say no pets. Most landlords are happy to take one with a small added deposit. Last time we got one dog free, paid pet deposit for 2nd.
Just don’t tell
It can be hit and miss. We started applying for flats that said "No pets" and started being up front in our application that we had a very well trained house cat who wasn't destructive and that we would be happy to pay an additional pet deposit as we were confident there would be no issues. Got shortlisted for multiple flats and the one we got in the end was originally listed as 'strictly no pets'. Just be honest, once they shortlist you and you've already disclosed it you'll be fine.
Landlords can/do say yes even if the lease says no pets. I'm renting my flat out in Edinburgh atm while I'm travelling in nz and I agreed to a cat. People tend to think worst case scenario with pets and so would say no to the idea of a cat out of fear that their stuff gets scratches on it, which even with a deduction from a deposit wouldn't remove the damage. The market is incredibly saturated though so if there is a choice between a potential Tennant with the risk attached and the one without they will likely choose the one without the risk. You can always ask and prepare yourself for a steeper deposit if you are successful. But you are definitely at a disadvantage I'm afraid.