Pets & Landlords
Can a landlord refuse pets under the Renters' Rights Act 2026?
Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, every assured tenancy gives the tenant an implied right to request permission to keep a pet. The landlord must respond to a written request within 28 days. They can only refuse on reasonable grounds — for example, a superior landlord's prohibition, or a clear unsuitability of the property.
"Unreasonable refusal" is enforceable: tenants can challenge a refusal, and continued non-response after the 28-day window is treated as consent. Pet damage insurance was proposed at Bill stage but did not make it into the final Act — landlords cannot require tenants to take out pet insurance as a condition of granting consent. Pet damage is dealt with through the existing tenancy deposit (capped at five weeks' rent under the Tenant Fees Act 2019) or through the courts where damage exceeds the deposit. See Shelter England for current tenant guidance.
Allergies, leasehold restrictions and HMOs with shared communal areas are likely to qualify as reasonable grounds. Blanket "no pets" clauses no longer work. Use the possession ground selector to check related Schedule 2 grounds.
What this means in practice
A tenant in a one-bed leasehold flat in Reading RG1 writes to their landlord requesting a small dog. The landlord checks the head lease, which contains a covenant prohibiting pets without freeholder consent. They write to the freeholder; consent is refused on grounds of the noise complaints log already on file for the building. The landlord then writes to the tenant within 28 days declining the request, citing the freeholder's refusal and attaching the correspondence. This is a reasonable refusal under the Act. A landlord refusing without checking the lease, or without an objective ground, faces successful tenant challenge.
Related questions
Can a landlord charge a higher deposit for pets?
No. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 caps deposits at five weeks' rent (or six weeks where annual rent exceeds £50,000) and the Renters' Rights Act preserves that cap. Landlords cannot vary the deposit upward for pet-keeping. The pet insurance provision proposed at Bill stage was dropped — landlords cannot require tenants to maintain pet insurance either. Damage above the deposit is recoverable through the courts. The DLUHC guidance sets out compliant deposit-handling.
Does the right to request pets cover all animals?
The Act covers domestic pets generally. Practical scope clearly includes cats and dogs; small caged animals (rabbits, hamsters, fish, small reptiles) are routinely consented to without dispute. Exotic animals requiring a Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 licence are not protected — landlord refusal there is reasonable per se. Assistance dogs (guide dogs, hearing dogs, autism support dogs) are governed separately by the Equality Act 2010 and a refusal is a disability-discrimination question, not a pets question.
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