Average Pet Deposit in the UK?

So I'm brining my cat with me when I move later this year, hubby and I are having to wait until Aug/Sept to file our spousal visa for a number of reasons, cost of moving the cat one of them. Hubby thinks it's going to be hard to find a place that accepts pets - a quick google search of houses in the town we will be living in slightly confirmed that to a degree.

If we find a land lord that's wishy washy we plan on offering a pet deposit and offering to have the carpets professionally cleaned when we move out in the hopes that will sway them in saying yes to having pets. So my question is what's the average pet deposit you should expect to pay? In the US I've never seen anything over $300 myself for a pet (even multiple pets) or like $20 a month per pet on top of rent.

I've lived in 3 flats in London (and am moving to another one this weekend) with a dog and cat, and have never paid extra in deposit (though I have offered). I've had to reassure landlords/agencies that yes, my pets really are well-behaved and (obviously) I'll pay for any damage they've caused. Generally, though, I've found that either they're pro-pet/pet-neutral or they refuse to consider it at all, regardless of how much of a deposit you offer.

I've never seen rents listed as a monthly fee for pets (though I saw it often in the US).

Cats should be easier as I've had a lot of places say my cat would be fine but not my dog. And I always assume that I'll have a place professionally cleaned when I move out, but stating that explicitly can't hurt.

If you don't mind me asking what was the amount you offered to pay for a deposit? My husband is budgeting 850 pound and to me that's over budgeting but here I never paid over $300 for two cats. Hubby thinks because we are looking for a house to rent it will be higher/harder.

My experience is the same as equestrianerd's.  Landlords are either ok with pets or they're not.  The ones that are ok with them don't need an extra deposit, and the ones that aren't ok with them don't care how much money you're willing to pony up.  That's been the same whether it was a house or an apartment.

We have rented 2 flats in London with our 2 cats.  The first place had a landlord who was hesitant to allow the cats, so we offered -- and she accepted -- an extra 2 weeks of rent as a pet deposit.  Our current flat had no issue with the cats, so we didn't bother to even offer. 

If you don't mind me asking what was the amount you offered to pay for a deposit? My husband is budgeting 850 pound and to me that's over budgeting but here I never paid over $300 for two cats. Hubby thinks because we are looking for a house to rent it will be higher/harder.

Standard deposit I've seen is either 4 or 6 weeks' rent. I've offered 2 weeks on top of that.

We're on our second rental since we moved to the UK in 2010.  In our first house, we  paid a deposit equal to one and a half month's rent. (no separate pet deposit required) We did agree in the lease to have the carpets professionally cleaned before we moved out.  
In the house that we are in now, we also agreed to have the carpets cleaned at move-out, but did have to pay an extra £500 deposit for our dogs.  We do have two large dogs, so I can definitely understand the landlord's initial reluctance to rent to us.  
I will add that we found our first house through one of the local, independently owned estate agents and the next one through one of the smaller companies.

This has been a helpful thread. We aren't moving until January of 2013, but we'll be bringing one handsome orange cat with us. We need to be in Oxford or nearby, in an unfurnished flat or house. Just to get a feel of what we'll be able to rent, we've been looking at some of the listings. Almost all specifically say "no pets."  Is this something that is typically negotiated with the landlord, or were you able to find places that actually said "pets ok"?  No need for us to worry yet, I realize. But, seeing as the only place I've seen that says "pets ok" is a 100 sq ft(!) bedsit, I'm a little concerned!

Are there good rental agencies/websites that any of you recommend? Thanks!

Almost all specifically say "no pets."  Is this something that is typically negotiated with the landlord, or were you able to find places that actually said "pets ok"?  No need for us to worry yet, I realize. But, seeing as the only place I've seen that says "pets ok" is a 100 sq ft(!) bedsit, I'm a little concerned!

I haven't had success with any listings that say no pets, but I have seen ones where it doesn't list anything (which usually implies no pets, but not always), and some that say pets are OK.

The best site for pets-ok I've found is spareroom.co.uk, where you can search specifically for that setting. It's geared towards sharing flats, but you can search for entire properties, too (they just won't be as plentiful as just rooms).

We had a normal deposit of £1200 and for the dog(s), they asked us to pay an additional half of a deposit (or two weeks).... So all in all £1800. And the owners of the house had a dog living here before us. So I think it just all depends on the owner.

Thank you for this helpful thread! We are moving to London in 4 weeks. We will be in corporate housing for a few weeks while we find a place and we will have our chocolate labrador sent to us once we secure our permanent housing. I am curious what sites people are using to search for housing. I have also been searching for housing to ensure that we can meet our needs within our budget, but none of the listings I see have ever mentioned anything about accepting or not accepting pets. It makes me nervous that we won't be able to find a place that will take our large dog. I am happy to give whatever amount of deposit is necessary. I just need to make sure they will take her. (Just as a reference, we are planning on renting a 4 bedroom place with a garden in Hampstead.) I have mostly been searching on rightmove.co.uk and on zoopla.co.uk, but, again, have not seen any references to pets at all. Are there better sites to use, other than the flat sharing site, to find out about pet acceptance? Thank you!

I too am having a hard time finding places that allow pets.  Most are no pets or don't say.  Few say pets considered.  Worried because I have two cats and a small dog. 

I haven't personally tried it, but there are letting agents on this site that should be pet-friendly.

We rented two apartments, both found on rightmove.com, and both listed with brokers, one in Brighton, and one in London, and we have two cats - No extra pet fees were charged, and extra deposits were required.

Thank you for this helpful thread! We are moving to London in 4 weeks. We will be in corporate housing for a few weeks while we find a place and we will have our chocolate labrador sent to us once we secure our permanent housing. I am curious what sites people are using to search for housing.

Hi LondonBound,
We are in a similar situation (move 10/22/12 with dog) and I was hoping you could update what you found out regarding dog-friendly corporate apartments and search options for finding permanent housing in London with a dog.

From looking around, I can't find any corporate or serviced apartments that allow dogs. If you found one, please let me know.

As for finding a long term flat that accepts dogs, should I pay a local agent to find a flat for me, or take my chances on Rightmove, etc.?

Thanks!