Pets and Renting

housing, tenant
Mar 02 | 2021

Pets and Renting

Just 7% of private landlords advertise their properties as pet-friendly.

If you are renting your property, it is always important to read about changes in legislation, such as the 'Dogs and Domestic Animals (Accommodation and Protection) Bill 'Jasmines law'. The Act states that a Landlord is legally bound to accept pets in a property.  The Act, although not yet in force, will soon make it discriminatory for a Landlord to advertise their properties as not accepting any pets. However, if a Tenant writes to a Landlord asking why they are not permitted to bring their pet into the property, a Landlord has 28 days to provide his/her reasons.   In order for the Landlord not to be found discriminatory, he/she must prove that they have reasonable grounds for not permitting the pet. This obviously is a two edged sword, firstly 40% of the public have a pet (so the Landlord is missing out on a large population of the rental market) and some Pets are not well cared for, and therefore could cause damage. In January 2021, the Ministry of Housing announced changes to the model tenancy agreement, thereby making it easier for tenants to have pets. Our thoughts are: with 40% of the British public owning a pet, if it is well behaved, then we are on board with the changes in legislation.  It is however very important that the Landlord ensures that all relevant checks are made prior to a tenant occupying the property, that if they are using an Agent, it is an Agent they can trust to make regular inspections, and, they consider having a guarantor, but ensure the agreement is water tight. If you need a tenancy agreement, a guarantor agreement, or have any property issues, then our friendly team are waiting for your call. Please call us on 0330 123 1131 or visit our Landlord Services page for further information. Catherine Hartland-Watkins - Partner
Tags :

User Menu