Pets in Rental Properties: The New Rules

From 1 May 2026 you cannot just write "no pets" in the AST and forget about it. Under the Renters' Rights Act you have to consider each request properly, respond on time, and justify refusals.

1. The new legal position from May 2026

Key pet provisions under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (in force from 1 May 2026):

Tenants have a statutory right to request permission to keep a pet.

You must respond in writing within 28 days of receiving a formal written request.

If you ask for more information (for example pet size, breed, training) within that 28-day window, you then have either the remainder of the 28 days or an extra 7 days, whichever is longer, to give your final answer.

You cannot unreasonably refuse; you need "reasonable grounds" for a refusal and should set them out clearly in your reply.

If you do not respond in time or give obviously weak reasons, the tenant can challenge your decision (up to the court or tribunal once further guidance is in place).

Before May 2026 there is no legal right to a pet, but Dogs Trust and others have pushed hard, and many agents already treat blanket "no pets" as bad practice, especially since the Tenant Fees Act 2019 removed the option of simply taking an extra pet deposit.

2. Reasonable grounds for refusal (and what is not)

Government and industry guidance give examples of reasonable grounds:

Reasonable to refuse where, for example:

Your head lease bans pets

If you are a leaseholder and the superior lease prohibits pets (or certain types), that is a solid ground. You should show the relevant clause.

The property is genuinely unsuitable for that pet

Large dog in a small upstairs flat with no outdoor space.

Exotic animals where temperature/ventilation demands cannot be safely met.

Health and safety / welfare risks

Dangerous breeds, banned species, or animals needing specialist containment.

Certified allergies of other residents in HMOs or blocks, where evidenced.

Insurance or mortgage terms genuinely prohibit that pet

Some landlord insurance or lender terms restrict certain breeds or animals; you would need evidence, not just "I think my insurer wouldn't like it".

What is not reasonable:

"I just don't like pets."

"Pets cause damage" as a blanket statement, without reference to the specific property, pet, or your insurance.

A standard "no pets" clause applied automatically without considering the request.

You can also grant conditional consent: for example written house rules, limits on number of pets, and expectations on noise and fouling, so long as they are reasonable and clearly linked to property protection.

3. Pet insurance, costs and practical management

Pet damage insurance

Early drafts of the Bill would have let you require tenants to take out specific pet damage insurance. Government guidance and earlier commentary reflected that: it was meant to reassure landlords that pet-related damage costs could be covered.

That provision was removed before Royal Assent: in the final Act there is no automatic statutory right to insist on pet damage insurance as a condition of consent.

In practice, what you can do is:

Encourage tenants to carry their own insurance covering pet damage.

Make sure your own landlord insurance does not exclude pet damage if you are accepting pets -- many policies have limits or exclusions here and expect disclosure.

Typical pet insurance / add-ons in the current market are around GBP 10-30/month, but that is the tenant's policy and cost, not yours.

Practical measures:

Favour small/medium dogs and cats over multiple large animals.

Hard flooring downstairs instead of cheap carpet.

Clear garden / fouling clauses and expectations.

Require professional cleaning at the end where reasonable and proportionate; you cannot demand blanket "professional cleaning" regardless of condition, but you can claim from the deposit for actual pet-related damage or extra cleaning supported by evidence.

4. Different pet types, leases and common disputes

By type:

Dogs: main issues are noise, fouling, and damage to doors, floors and gardens.

Cats: scratching and odour, potential issues with cat flaps in doors/frames.

Fish / small caged animals: generally low risk; check for water spill risk with large tanks.

Birds: noise and mess.

Reptiles / exotics: electrical load for heating, specialist enclosures, welfare and insurance concerns.

Lease restrictions

If your head lease bans pets altogether or requires freeholder consent, that is a strong and usually decisive reason to refuse. Guidance suggests you should:

Seek superior landlord consent promptly where required.

Respond to the tenant within the statutory timeframe once you have a reply, or once it is clear consent will not be given.

Common disputes now (and likely under the new regime):

Noise complaints from neighbours.

Pet odour, hair and flea infestations.

Damage to carpets, doors and gardens.

Tenants acquiring extra pets without asking again.

All of these come down to:

Having a clear pet clause and written consent letter setting out conditions.

Doing normal inspections and documenting any issues.

Using the deposit and Section 8 breach grounds where there is real damage or nuisance.

5. What forums get wrong about pets

The bad advice to kill in the PropertyKiln guide:

"You can still just write 'no pets' and ignore requests."

Under the Renters' Rights Act pet provisions, blanket bans are dead in law: tenants have a right to request, and you must respond within 28 days with a reasoned yes or no.

"If you don't reply, that counts as refusal."

Government guidance says failure to respond within 28 days can let the tenant escalate to court; sitting on the request is not a safe strategy.

"You can make pet insurance mandatory, that's in the new law."

That was in early drafts, but the final Act does not give you a statutory right to demand pet damage insurance; landlords were told explicitly this clause had been dropped.

"Pets mean guaranteed wrecked property, so never agree."

In reality, many of the strongest tenants in 2026 (stable jobs, long-term plans) have pets, and a controlled, conditional yes with the right tenant can reduce voids and increase tenancy length.

For PropertyKiln, the honest line is:

From May 2026 you have to treat pet requests like mini applications: take them in writing, assess them against the property, lease and your insurance, and answer on time with a clear yes, conditional yes, or reasoned no. If your approach to pets is still just "No DSS, no pets, no kids" cut-and-paste from a forum template, you are not only out of date, you are now out of step with the law.

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