Moving countries with a dog: Flat hunting

Hello again pals, I've been away for just under three weeks looking for my new home in England.

It's just over that last hill, on the way down to Bath.

Finding a rental flat as a student with a dog is, predictably, not easy. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation, but I have to say at times it did feel as though it was completely impossible to find anywhere that would have both me and Freija. Here's how I eventually found the flat, and what it required on my part:

• Earlier in the year I joined a local dog group on FB, where I asked how I should go about looking for a rental flat which will allow pets. I got some very helpful replies, recommending agents in the area that had been accommodating to dog owners in the past. Although in the end none of the agencies recommended turned out to have a suitable flat, it's a good idea to ask locals beforehand, they might have some really useful inside knowledge, so to speak. 
• In March I booked my trip to England for the end of May, since websites like Lets with Pets suggest it's best to look well in advance to when you need to move if you're looking for somewhere that will allow a dog. Upon arriving in Bath, a lot of estate agents said I was searching too early. There's no real way around this, as properties that will allow the student-pet combination are few and far between - either you start looking early and find somewhere suitable on the off-chance, or you leave it till just before you need to move and there's a worrying possibility you'll find there's absolutely nothing on the market at that time.
• In the run up to the trip, I spent a lot of time browsing websites like Rightmove and Zoopla. Occasionally a listing would pop up that suited my needs, and I'd fire off an email immediately. About 98% of the replies I got were along the lines of "Thank you for your interest, but unfortunately pets/students are not permitted in this property". This is very disheartening, but if you're prepared, you can power through the negativity. Eventually I did get a promising reply, and put the wheels in motion immediately - I phoned, emailed and kept in contact with that agent up till the viewing we'd arranged. 

This was the first glimpse I had of my new home

• Before the viewing, I wrote up a list of things to ask about the flat, the contract, and all the little ins-and-outs that might occur. There are lots of tips on what to ask online, most of which I copied onto my list, but the ones specific to me as a mature student with a dog were these:

• First and foremost; are pets allowed, and if so, are there restrictions in size, age, breed or anything else?
• Are there quiet hours in the building?
• What is the policy on visitors?
• Who do I need to get in contact with if anything goes wrong, the landlord or the agent?
• Do I need a guarantor, and if I do what is required from them? (In most cases it has to be a UK resident, who earns 30x the amount of your rent per year)
• Do I need to pay a pet safety deposit?
• Can I pay the rent each month, or does it need to be paid in full for the agreed term in advance? (This was the case in my part, since as a student I don't have any income yet. My landlady required the full six months rent in advance, and is willing to negotiate on monthly payments after that provided I have a suitable guarantor)
• Will any furniture, lamps or appliances remain in the flat? Can I make an offer to buy certain items (lamps, tv, curtains etc.)?
• At the viewing, it's important to give a good and honest impression of yourself, your pet, and your circumstances. I got on very well with the agent, which helped a lot - the landlady hadn't initially wanted to let the property to students at all, but after having a good long chat with the agent, she was convinced I was a suitable tenant. I made sure to emphasize that I wanted a long-term rental for me and my small, trained, adult dog, basically focusing on what would make us a great choice, and it seemed to work - I was up against two professional couples, for heavens sake!
• As soon as the viewing was over and done with, I emailed the agent with an offer. The next day she phoned me to say we could start the application process as soon as I'd paid the holding fee (something you need to be prepared to pay with most UK agencies!), which involved filling out a fairly simple form with my details, providing identification for myself and my guarantor, and handing over my references. I had sought those out beforehand, including a character reference from a friend, and a reference for Freija from our trainer. I was also asked to provide an email address for my former employer, but a tutor would suffice too. I also needed to hand over copies of my student grant and loan letters, university acceptance letter, my dog's passport details, and a utility bill from my guarantor. It's best to have all this prepared even before viewing a potential flat, and it speeds the process along considerably.
•  Later I was sent another form to fill in, this time from Letsure, a company that deals with the referencing of potential tenants for landlords. Another form was sent to my granddad, who's acting as guarantor, and I know he had to scan and send in his pension details. Right now I'm waiting for them to finish their part of the job. UPDATE: As it turns out, granddad's pension wasn't enough for him to act as guarantor, so a family friend very kindly offered to do the job - always have a backup plan with all aspects of the rental process because things can go wrong!
• Fees that needed to be paid before the rent include: holding fee (a kind of initial deposit - this counts towards the actual rental deposit later), application/referencing fee, and guarantor fee. These tot up to around £500.
• The last thing that remains to be sorted is paying the deposit and rent in full. These will need to be paid around a week prior to the start of the tenancy in my case, as I'm transferring the money from my Finnish bank account and it can take several business days to arrive. 

A snap of Bath during all the running around various estate agents offices.

So that's the whole ordeal summed up. It's been exhausting to say the least, and I've not even started on the actual moving countries part! I shall be following up with the next steps of the move later on. :)