davis_square | Moving with Small Pets (Reply)

I'm currently looking for a one bedroom apartment in the Somerville/Medford area, and my price range is on the very low end ($1400 or under) so I am aware my options are limited. One problem I'm running into is that most of the apartments in my price range are listed through brokers as "no pets allowed", and I have two guinea pigs. I've never run into problems negotiating this with landlords in other cities, regardless of what the lease originally said. I've offered to get pet-specific references from my past landlords and pay a pet deposit, but the broker I've been corresponding with has just flat out not acknowledged my proposals and has limited me to the one (very undesirable) pet friendly apartment available. I'm not sure how to address this going forward, as I've only ever rented directly from the owner.

Do any of you have experience or advice for renting while having small pets? What strategies have worked or not worked? How should I approach brokers? Should I try to downplay it until I'm closer to signing the lease?* Am I really, truly limited to apartments that say "pet friendly"? It seems hard to believe that every single landlord would categorize caged pets in exactly the same manner as a dog or cat, but maybe I've just gotten used to the much less competitive housing market in Vermont.

*Please don't suggest lying and signing a lease without telling the landlord! Among many other reasons, it opens up the possibility of being forced to surrender my pets if found out, and it's unlikely I'd be able to find them a better home. Giving up pets for non-emergency reasons is kind of a hot topic for me, so let's avoid it.