0:03 AM, 22nd December 2023, About 11 months ago 14
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Finding a pet-friendly rental property during the festive season is proving to be a tough challenge for renters.
According to research by Zero Deposit, only 9% of rental properties in England are listed as pet-friendly – that’s just over 8,000 out of 94,000 rental properties.
However, the Renters’ (Reform) Bill will soon force landlords to have a “good reason” not to let tenants keep a pet.
According to research by Zero Deposit, the South West is home to the highest proportion of pet-friendly rentals, but even still, just 15% of current rental properties available to tenants are listed as such.
The South East (11%) and East of England (10%) also boast some of the highest proportions of pet-friendly stock, although this only equates to around one in 10 rental properties.
However, it’s London that boasts the highest total number of pet-friendly rentals. Of the 8,343 pet-friendly properties currently available to tenants across the nation, 3,439 are found within the capital, accounting for 41% of all pet-friendly rentals across England.
The research reveals the current asking rent for a pet-friendly rental property is £1,719 per month.
Under the new reforms, landlords will be required to fully consider all requests on a case-by-case basis.
A landlord must give or refuse consent in writing on or before the 42nd day after the date of the request, although there are some exceptions detailed in the Bill.
As part of the Renters’ (Reform) Bill, the government will amend the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to include pet insurance as a permitted payment.
This means landlords can require pet insurance from their tenants to cover any damage to their property.
Sam Reynolds, chief executive officer of Zero Deposit, says many landlords are nervous when renting out to pets.
He said: “A pet is a huge commitment, and it should be carefully considered regardless of your living status.
“For many tenants, the cost of renting is already substantial and so they need to be confident that they can afford the additional outgoings of pet food, insurance and the often inevitable vet bills.”
He added: “The good news is that while pet-friendly rentals may be hard to come by, changes are being made to make renting with a pet more widely accessible.
“Of course, it’s important to remember that while a rental property is your home, it’s also someone else’s investment and so you should be rightfully prepared to cover the cost of any damages caused.
“Many landlords may understandably be apprehensive about pets within their rental property, but in many cases, a clear and upfront line of communication is the best plan of action for tenants when considering introducing a pet to their home.”
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Lisa008
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Sign Up17:16 PM, 26th December 2023, About 11 months ago
I think landlords who like / own / have pets should always allow their properties to be pet-friendly. Leave all those with allergies out of it.
Old Mrs Landlord
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Sign Up19:47 PM, 26th December 2023, About 11 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Lisa008 at 26/12/2023 - 17:16
Provided the property is suitable for the pet/s proposed and being aware that it could cost you money.
Stella
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Sign Up9:16 AM, 29th December 2023, About 11 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Southern Boyuk at 22/12/2023 - 10:26
You hit the nail on the head.
From experience there is no way of knowing who will be a responsible owner or able to pay for the upkeep of the pet.
The worst example of this which I have experienced was with professional tenants who had an english bulldog, this dog had passed away about nine months prior to them vacating the property.
They left behind a garden full of mess and the bins and flower pots were full to the brim with dog mess but worst of all was the smell from the floorboards which were saturated with urine.
Freda Blogs
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Sign Up11:24 AM, 29th December 2023, About 11 months ago
In the days before the Tenant Fees Act, Landlords could take a pet deposit, and for those who elected to allow pets, this arrangement worked fine, and did not constrain the supply of properties. Landlords had choice.
The TFA was yet another own goal for the government who, in their zealous attempts to “protect“ tenants from nasty landlords, have reduced the supply of available properties to those who want or need to rent. Effectively forcing landlords to take pets as proposed in the pending RRB will simply exacerbate the supply problem as more of us will sell.
Government seems to be mind numbingly stupid if they can’t understand that landlords want to protect their investments and will not just follow government diktats when they have alternative choices. Government wants votes, pure and simple, yet they are hurting the very tenant voters that they are aiming for.