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14/7/25 8:13 pm
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The government has squandered a chance to help both animal-loving tenants and landlords with its rental reforms, according to pet campaigners.
Pet charity AdvoCATS believes the new Renters’ Rights Act will be significantly less effective in increasing the number of pet friendly landlords than it could have been. Under the new legislation, tenants will have the legal right to request a pet which a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse, however, MPs voted not to go ahead with proposals for pet damage insurance or a refundable pet deposit.
Founder Jen Berezai gives the example of one PRS professional who had convinced more than 2,000 landlords to alter their stance on pets on the understanding that they’d be able to ask for pet damage insurance. “A minimum of 2,000 pets taken out of rescue,” says Berezai. “Scale that up across the country, it would have been the answer to every rescue’s prayers.”
She believes pet damage insurance offered a practical, affordable and budget friendly solution to tenants wanting to rent with pets, which was also popular with landlords wary of potential damage costs. “We were bitterly disappointed that such a common-sense way of persuading more landlords to be pet friendly was taken off the Bill,” she adds.
“The government have said they are ‘confident the existing deposit arrangement will be enough to cover pet damage’, yet in the same breath, claim they removed the insurance provision due to lack of products available and an industry not ready for ‘enquiries at scale’. Well, which one is it? Because we know the products are out there, and we know the industry is ready, yet during a meeting with MHCLG last month, my offer to provide contacts for more information was not taken up.”
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