Moving with several pets (Chicago, Waukegan: low income, apartment complexes, rent)

[silverdreams]

Hello all. Currently I live and work in the suburbs (Vernon Hills and Libertyville), but my job may be moving downtown (close to Union Station) in less than a year. If I am made an offer to stay with the company, I will be moving closer to the job shortly after that. My challenge will be to find a decent place to live (that isn't terribly expensive, since if they make me an offer I would be above the poverty line but still low-income) where I can keep my pets. I currently have two cats, one bird, and two caged reptiles, and I want to add one medium-sized dog (between 30 and 50 lbs) in the near future. I currently rent a house with my father (who has one cat and one bird) from my aunt and uncle, who are also animal lovers, so they were willing to accommodate us. They have expressed concern about my ability to find a new place that will accommodate everything, and have been advising me to "get rid of" and "rehome" some of my pets, and they are not supportive of my plan to replace my recently deceased dog. Right now I am single and in a fragile state of mind due to recent traumas, and my pets are my priority. (I have sacrificed in other areas of my budget so that I can afford them.) I am not willing to give up any of them, and the new dog would be serving as an Emotional Support Animal (hopefully with a prescription from my doctor). There is a small possibility that I would move with my father, as he is currently unemployed and a company downtown has expressed interest in him.

I do not mind a bit of a commute on the train. I'd be willing to put up with an hour at most, so something in the suburbs would be OK. Like I said, it would need to be fairly inexpensive. I'm only looking for a studio or one bedroom, although I may need to expand my search if my father moves with me. Please let me know what my options are. I am hoping someone can recommend apartment buildings in "safe" neighborhoods (I am a single female). My uncle thinks I may need to buy rather than rent, so I am willing to do that as long as I can afford it.

Thanks in advance.

[chet everett]

I agree with your uncle -- you are extremely unlikely to find any landlord that would be OK with all your pets. Start shopping for an affordable home with access to a train station.

Towns with less than stellar schools are more affordable. Sounds like you don't have kids so that works well for your. Maybe West Chicago or Waukegan to start...

[marothisu]

I disagree with Chet somewhat. While I think you'll have a harder time finding a landlord who will accept that from a larger high rise type of building, the independent landlords or small ones, or people who rent out their private homes or even some low rise condos will not be as much as a problem. That is your best bet for this - the smaller companies or private individuals/couples who rent their private residences out. For the record, at a lot of places, 40 pounds is the limit for dogs, but it's not like that everywhere. That's just the standard for decently sized buildings.

The cat thing is no problem - most everyone accepts cats (usually up to 2 at the larger buildings). Not sure about reptiles, but I know some places allow birds/fish tanks and stuff like that. Anyway, try and look for the pet friendly places - smaller buildings/independent/private residences too

[rparz]

True, but this is more than 'several pets.' It's a frigging zoo!

Most reasonable people would expect a dog and maybe a cat. Throw in a gerbil for the kids and you've got it it covered.

Caged reptiles is a nice way to say 'dangerous snakes.' You have to admit that this is quite excessive, and I'd be worried about animals getting loose, harboring of crazy bugs and unsanitary conditions. (who really keeps bird cages and snake cages clean enough to eat off of?)

With that many pets, you really need your own home. A dog, you should really get place with a yard.

[silverdreams]

Thanks, guys. You've given me some things to think about.

rparz:

In the house I grew up in, we ended up with multiple guinea pigs, reptiles, fish, four cats, and three dogs. I definitely consider that a "frigging zoo." I'm down to a much more reasonable number now. But you're right, it's still more than average. I do not intend to replace any of my current pets when they die, except for the dog.

For the record, the "caged reptiles" are in fact snakes, yes. But it's a corn snake and a ball python, both small, nonvenomous, and commonly kept as pets. (Google them if you don't believe me.) The problem with them is that people tend to assume that they are dangerous just because they're snakes. So I don't even tell people I have them anymore because of that. I don't think I would have gotten them if I'd known people would react so harshly. I might consider rehoming them if I can find good homes for them.

The caged pets are all very secure, and I've never had any of them escape. The cages are probably cleaner than the average kitchen sink. Salmonella is a risk with any reptile, but washing your hands after handling takes care of that.

Lots of people without yards have dogs. A yard is convenient for letting your dog outside to do its business unsupervised, but it almost never provides enough exercise (unless maybe you have a very small dog, like a chihuahua). You still need to walk your dog for that.

[rparz]

I'm just saying, when landlords would prefer no pets at all, you go above and beyond what most would consider typical.
Good luck with your search.

[myrc60]

Since you are low income you may have trouble paying the pet security deposits so many landlords charge. Some charge per pet several hundred dollars.

[rparz]

Stay where you're at and just ride the Metra since it'll drop you off right near your office.
Some companies even have it setup to buy your monthly train ticket pre-tax which is kind of nice.

[chet everett]

Snakes are one of those things that landlords almost always find out the hard way that when something "goes wrong" it goes really bad -- larger apartment complexes very often have specific prohibitions against snakes because once upon a time when one snake did get loose it managed to sneak through some tiny whole (which is afterall what snakes are good at) and ended up in the bathroom of some other tenant who literally went into a fugue state and had to be revived by paramedics...

Maybe a smaller building run by the rare fellow snake lover will be an option but somehow I got to agree that even if you tracked down Lester Fisher himself Honoring Dr. Fisher | Lincoln Park Zoo | Free and open to all, 365 days a year! you might get some flack with the range of pets you have -- the cats are OK around the other critters while you are at work? Have you lived by yourself with the whole bunch of 'em?

[myrc60]

Lots of people commute from those two towns into downtown. If you don't have to move why would you?