A leading rental property inventory firm has warned that without clear safeguards for landlords around pet-related damage, the government risks creating uncertainty and conflict on both sides.
Any solution to pet-friendly tenancies must be practical, credible, and based on how damage is documented and adjudicated, according to the property inspection platform Inventory Base, which believes the latest Renters’ Rights Bill U-turn creates more questions than answers.
After the government decided tenants shouldn’t be expected to pay for pet insurance, a last-minute amendment proposed that landlords could insist on a pet deposit, capped at three weeks’ worth of rent.
Even if the amendment passes, there’s no indication that this pet deposit won’t be taken from the standard five-week security deposit, while if landlords can charge the pet deposit on top of the security deposit, it raises big questions around affordability, says Inventory Base.
Operations director Sián Hemming-Metcalfe (main image) believes most landlords aren’t anti-pet - they’re anti-risk without recourse.
“That’s why the focus now must shift toward building a framework that’s practical, enforceable, and based on how the rental sector actually works today,” she insists. “We need consistent rules, a reliable mechanism for assessing pet-related damage, and clarity on who sets those standards. This is where inventory professionals, deposit schemes, and regulators must collaborate closely.”
It has urged landlords to protect themselves against pet damage by making proactive adjustments such as by reviewing and updating tenancy agreements to reflect the new legal framework and including guidance documents outlining acceptable reasons for pet refusals.
Landlords should also schedule more frequent inspections for properties with pets, consider modest rent increases to offset potential pet-related damage and keep detailed records of tenant requests, refusals (with reasons), and all property issues related to pets, it suggests.
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