Today Mims Davies MP attended a pet friendly housing event in Parliament, hosted by the Dogs Trust and Cats Protection, to celebrate the measures announced in the Renters Reform Bill which will give private tenants the right to request a pet in their home.
The landlord must consider the tenant's request and cannot unreasonably refuse. To help make it easier for landlords to accept pet requests, the Government is proposing amending the Tenant Fees Act 2019 so that landlords may ask that tenants take out pet insurance. This would ensure that any damage to the property is covered.
Already, a model tenancy agreement has been published that can be used for lease agreements to remove restrictions on responsible tenants with well-behaved pets. Under the model agreement, consent for pets is the default position, and landlords will have to object in writing within 28 days of a written pet request from a tenant and provide a good reason.
Commenting, Mims Davies MP said:
As a dog owner myself, I know how important our pets are to us and it is therefore welcome that landlords will have to consider tenant's requests to have pets in their homes under new measures we are bringing forward in the Renters Reform Bill.
