Dealing with Requests for Pets: What Landlords Need to Know

The days of blanket bans on tenants keeping pets in a rental are over. So how should landlords handle pet requests in the Renters’ Rights Act era?

From the late Queen’s corgis to Larry the Cat at Number 10 Downing Street, animals have a special place in the nation’s heart.

So it’s no surprise that one of the most headline-grabbing aspects of the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA) was the change to rules around tenants keeping pets.

It’s too early to say what impact the new regulations will have, although a dramatic change hasn’t been observed as yet.

Nevertheless, landlords need to understand the new legislation and have a plan to handle tenant requests to keep pets.

What’s changed?

Tenants now have a legal right to ask to keep a pet. Landlords must weigh up each request on an individual basis and cannot have a blanket no-pets policy.

There is also a strict timeframe in which landlords must respond to requests.

Landlords must provide a written decision within 28 days. If the landlord requests more information, they either have an extra seven days to respond to the tenant or must meet the 28-day window deadline, whichever comes later.

Considerations for landlords

Ask questions

Once you’ve approved a pet request, you can’t change your mind later down the line.

So ask lots of questions and avoid drawing hasty conclusions. Find out as much as you can about the pet’s age, size, breed, temperament and exercise requirements. Also, ask if the pet will be routinely left home alone.

If you make further inquiries and the tenant fails to respond, you don’t have to consider the request further.

Timing is everything

If you don’t meet the timeframe outlined in the RRA, the request will be approved by default. Therefore, keep a careful record of correspondence and don’t let deadlines slip.

Provide a reasoned response

You need to demonstrate that you have given the request careful consideration.

Grounds for refusal can include: the property is unsuitable for such a pet, another tenant in the property has an allergy, the pet is an illegal breed or the property is leasehold and the freeholder has banned pets.

If the tenant believes you’ve been unreasonable, they can appeal.

More pets

If you approve a request, remind the tenant that they will still need to seek permission if they want to acquire any other pets in the future.

Other considerations

If a tenant plans to keep a pet in your property, take extra care when compiling the inventory.

Don’t just take images at standing height (damage is most likely to occur at ground level). Dogs can be partial to chewing on door frames and digging in the garden. Cats often enjoy scratching the base of sofas and armchairs.

Also, make sure your landlord insurance covers pet damage.

If you’d like help staying up to date with RRA regulations, get in touch with us today