A leading pet campaigner has slammed the government for withdrawing landlords’ ability to require pet damage insurance under the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The amendment has been denounced as “ill-thought out” and “a betrayal of tenants and pets” by campaign group AdvoCATS, which says it’s completely blind-sided the private rental sector. The group’s Heads for Tails! campaign – launched in September 2021 - was supported by more than 80 MPs, peers and corporate organisations.
“Heads for Tails! won an unprecedented level of support from across the political spectrum, the private rental sector and the animal welfare world because it’s a common-sense solution for tenants and landlords alike” says founder Jen Berezai. (main image)
“Two-thirds of landlords favour insurance as a means of increasing the number of pet-friendly rentals, and it’s far more cost-effective for tenants than the average £300 per pet, per year ‘pet rent’ that some landlords currently charge.”
The U-turn means landlords will need to foot the bill for damage caused by pets in a move labelled “shoddy and outrageous” by the NRLA which predicts that tenants who will lose out as landlords become more risk averse.
“This is more than a U-turn, it’s a complete betrayal of tenants, landlords and most of all, pets. We implore them to have an urgent re-think.”
Landlords will still be expected to accept tenants with pets, unless there is a good reason not to. However, property lawyer at Spector Constant & Williams, David Smith agrees it is almost inevitable that landlords will now look to find ways to avoid giving permission for pets.
“Pet policies affect over three-quarters of tenants” adds Berezai. “Whether they already have pets and are concerned about the difficulty of finding somewhere that allows pets if they have to move, or they aspire to become pet owners, it’s a huge issue.
“This is more than a U-turn, it’s a complete betrayal of tenants, landlords and most of all, pets. We implore them to have an urgent re-think.”
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