This text was initially posted in April 2016. In February 2018, the Labour get together wished to strengthen the rights of tenants to maintain a pet of their properties as a part of a bundle of proposed animal welfare measures. In 2024, the proposed Renters (Reform) Invoice which aimed to make it simpler for tenants to maintain pets of their rental properties, was dropped earlier than it was handed. This was changed by the Renters’ Rights Invoice – which desires to provide tenants the precise to request permission from the owner to maintain a pet.
As you possibly can see, the historical past behind tenants being legally allowed to maintain a pet has been difficult. With laws regularly altering on whether or not landlords can embrace a ‘no pets’ clause in a lettings contract, we strongly advise you to hunt skilled recommendation.
So, placing laws to 1 aspect, right here we talk about …
Ought to I let my tenants have a pet?
It’s an excellent query – and like many good questions, the reply is prone to come within the frustratingly inconclusive remark that all of it relies upon. In different phrases, there are execs and cons to letting any of your tenants having a pet.
Execs
Since you’re in enterprise as a landlord, one of many compelling causes for permitting tenants to have a pet reside with them is only financial.
UK Pet Meals reveals that 17.2 million households (60%) home one of many UK’s 36 million (non-aquatic) pets. Since there are round 4.6 million folks residing in non-public rented lodging in England alone, that could be a good variety of tenants which you may not wish to rule out from the get-go with a blanket ban on pets.
What’s necessary to say to is the truth that lots of these pets could also be creatures as totally innocuous as goldfish and budgerigars – animals which might be clearly unlikely to trigger a lot injury to your let property or trigger any nuisance for the neighbours. When speaking about landlords and their insurance policies with respect to pets, subsequently, it’s mostly a query of permitting a pet canine or cat.
The connection between landlord is actually a enterprise relationship – there is no such thing as a onus or expectation on you to grow to be associates along with your tenants. However it’s in your individual pursuits to be an inexpensive landlord.
In case your reasonableness could also be proven by permitting a tenant to maintain a pet, you might win helpful good will that encourages the tenant to care for your property and aid you to retain a accountable and thoughtful tenant.
Cons
In all probability the best objection a landlord is prone to have about pets within the let property is the quantity of injury they could trigger – whether or not that is speedy or longer-term issues reminiscent of infestation by fleas or by making the lodging unsuitable for subsequent letting to a tenant with an allergy to sure animals.
Many landlord insurance coverage insurance policies – even lots of these organized by us right here at Cover4LetProperty – usually exclude injury brought on by pets (reflecting the exclusion generally included in common house insurance coverage for proprietor occupiers too).
The tenancy settlement itself may supply some safety by requiring that any tenant first asks you whether or not she or he could preserve a pet, and you might then determine whether or not or not it’s cheap to agree.
As well as, you may ask any such tenant for a further deposit to cowl the potential of injury brought on by the pet or the necessity for particular extermination of fleas or different infestation.
When you require and settle for any such further deposit, nevertheless, it’s essential to be sure that you adjust to the rules on tenancy deposit safety schemes. If the tenancy is an assured shorthold tenancy (the commonest kind) it’s essential to place the deposit for secure conserving with an authorised third get together.
Though the requirement is in place primarily as a defence of tenants’ rights, if there’s any dispute on the finish of the tenancy between you and your tenant concerning the deduction of any sum from the deposit held, the third get together could assist to resolve that dispute.
When could it’s acceptable for a landlord to say no a tenant’s request to maintain a pet?
There are specific circumstances the place it’s cheap for a landlord to say no to pets, reminiscent of:
- the property is just too compact to accommodate a big pet comfortably;
- one other tenant within the constructing has a pet allergy, which may trigger well being considerations;
- for leasehold properties, a ‘no pets’ rule set by the freeholder could apply, prohibiting all residents—whether or not house owners or renters—from having pets on the premises.
Lastly, you could be anxious {that a} pet stored by your tenant could create a nuisance in your neighbours and pressure your in any other case cordial relationships with them because of this.
As soon as once more, the precise phrases of the tenancy settlement could as soon as once more assist. The settlement is prone to require, for example, that your tenant acts in an inexpensive and accountable method. In the event that they preserve a pet – a canine which barks all night time lengthy, for instance – you (to not point out the neighbours) could also be fairly entitled to contemplate the failure to manage the animal to be unreasonable behaviour.
