A leading lettings agency has advised landlords keen to allow tenants to bring pets with them to add pet clauses into rental contracts.
National firm John D Wood has also urged tenants to request that they take out pet damage insurance and to inspect properties ‘regularly but fairly’.
The agency’s advice comes ahead of change to how landlords must deal with requests from tenants with pets within the Renters’ Rights Bill going through parliament and due to become law in the Autumn.
Its Area Director Kesha Foss-Smith (pictured) says the changes to the looming regulations on ‘pets in lets’ means landlords ‘must adapt’.
The Bill as it stands requires landlords ‘do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home, with the tenant able to challenge unfair decisions’.
Foss-Smith adds: “Simple changes can make a big difference, and open up properties to a wider pool of responsible, long-term tenants”.
She also urges tenants to make the process of compliance with the new regulations easier for both sides by creating a pet CV, offering a higher deposit or separate rent for their pet and to keep communications open about the pet ‘so that landlords are able to see that their property is being well care for’.
The company has also said that as the rental landscape evolves, landlords who embrace pet-friendly policies will be better positioned to meet tenant demand, reduce vacancy rates and secure longer-term tenancies, “all while supporting the growing number of renters who view pets as part of the family”.
As LandlordZONE reported recently, the Government U-turned on enabling landlords to mandate pet insurance prior to a tenancy starting, a decision that has been criticised by one leading pet campaigning group.
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