Thinking Comparatively: Renting with Pets
A little puppy with eyes that will melt your heart, a ball of fluff to be your companion, what’s not to love? Ok, we’ll ignore the barking, occasional messiness, and tantrums… But they can undoubtedly help with mental health, loneliness, social isolation.
A clause (or should that be claws?) in the Renters Reform Bill will allow tenants in England the right to request permission to keep a pet, and that request cannot be unreasonably refused without a valid reason. The rights of tenants to keep pets in rental properties varies across the nations, and each administration has been purr-using their options to support tenants’ rights.
In England, under the current Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords are not obligated to allow pets and the model tenancy agreement does provide scope for landlords to withhold consent for pets. Currently deposits are capped, however landlords can charge extra rent for having a pet. This will change with the legislation currently going through Westminster.
In Wales, under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, landlords can add an additional deposit to cover having a pet that will be returned at the (tail) end of the agreement provided no damage has occurred.
The Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 introduced changes to deposits, which means that landlords cannot ask or accept any deposit over a month’s rent. This puts an end of the practice where additional deposits were requested to cover the potential costs and damages from a pet. It might not be the meowment to be a pet-owning would-be tenant in Northern Ireland.
Currently, under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 in Ireland, it's typically left to the landlord’s discretion to allow or refuse pets. Unlike UK jurisdictions, there is no firm legal framework regarding pets in rental properties, although this is subject to debate.
In Scotland, landlords do have the right to refuse pets, but can add in additional caveats in the tenancy agreement such as increasing the deposit amount, capped to maximum of two months deposit even with pets, having insurance against pet damage or specific pet-related fees, but landlords are still expected to be reasonable in their demands.
It is worth stating that laws covering assistance animals are protected under the Equality Act 2010 in Great Britain, and therefore, are not classified as pets.
The overarching message in all nations from Battersea Dogs Home, is to write to the landlord.