Forty eight leading organisations have written to Angela Rayner in a last-ditch attempt to reinstate landlords’ ability to require pet damage insurance within the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The Heads for Tails! campaign hopes the Housing Secretary will see sense and overturn peers’ vote for a separate pet deposit of three weeks’ worth of rent when Parliament returns next week.
The campaign calls for a simple change to the Tenant Fees Act which would see many more pet friendly rentals on the market by adding pet damage insurance to the Act’s List of Permitted Payments. It explains that most landlords who only have one or two properties don’t have huge reserves to fall back on and can’t easily absorb arrears or damage costs.
Peers scrapped the pet damage insurance provision, citing affordability and the readiness of the insurance industry. However, in an open letter, Heads for Tails! founder Jen Berezai (pictured) who has organised the campaign, tells Rayner that an insurance policy is per address and offers four figure cover straight away.
“Moreover, an insurance policy allows for the possibility of a no claims history, invaluable when a move is needed,” she explains.
“The insurance policy offers a low-cost, budget-friendly option for a tenant and peace of mind for a landlord. It’s the archetypal no-brainer.”
Berezai adds that the specialist landlord/tenant insurance industry is ready for the change and that its proposal would make renting with pets easier and fairer for all parties. “Your government’s subsequent amendment would still be a game-changer, but with a very different, frequently unhappy, result,” she says.
Dozens of industry groups and property firms have backed the campaign, including The Lettings Hub, Propertymark, Total Landlord Insurance and Landlord Law. It also has the support of 17 MPs including Sir Ed Davey and Tim Farron along with seven peers.
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