A landlord in England can still refuse a pet, but since 1 May 2026 that refusal has to be reasonable, and it has to follow a written process. Allowing pets opens the property to a group of renters who are often turned away: in the English Housing Survey 2024–25, 8% of private renters, or 363,000 households, said they had been told in the previous 12 months that they could not rent a property because they had pets. That is evidence of a reported barrier, not proof that pet-friendly lets earn higher rents, fill faster or keep tenants longer. This guide separates what the evidence supports from what it does not, and sets out how to handle a pet request under the current rules.
What the law now requires in England
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 adds a pet-request procedure to the Housing Act 1988 for assured tenancies other than social housing. The provision came into force for specified purposes on 1 May 2026. It applies to relevant assured tenancies in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own tenancy law, and the English procedure and the GOV.UK guidance described here should not be assumed to apply there.
Handling a pet request step by step
- Check the request is in writing and describes the pet. The procedure is triggered by a tenant’s written request that includes a description of the animal (type, size, and similar detail). A verbal conversation does not start the clock.
- Note the day-28 deadline. The landlord must give or refuse consent in writing by day 28 after the request, unless a statutory extension applies.
- Ask for missing information early if you need it. If you reasonably need more information within the 28-day period, the response deadline moves to seven days after the requested information arrives.
- Check whether a superior landlord must consent. If the head lease or superior agreement requires consent, and you seek it by day 28, your response can be delayed until seven days after that consent or refusal arrives.
- Agree a delay if both sides want one. The parties can agree to extend the timetable.
- Record your reasons. If you refuse, the refusal must rest on a reason the law recognises (see below), tied to the actual property and the proposed pet.
When a refusal is reasonable
The Act treats a refusal as reasonable in specific circumstances, including where keeping the pet would breach a superior agreement, or where superior consent is required, the landlord has taken reasonable steps to obtain it, and consent has not been given. GOV.UK guidance gives practical examples of reasonable grounds:
- An allergy within the household, where the pet would affect a person living there.
- A property too small for the proposed pet.
- A relevant freeholder or superior-lease restriction.
- An illegal pet, meaning an animal whose keeping is prohibited by law.
The guidance also says that some concerns would usually not justify refusal on their own. These include a general worry about future damage, a personal dislike of pets, and a previous problem caused by another tenant’s pet. Those points may still matter in a specific case, but a landlord should not rely on them alone without tying them to the property and the animal being proposed.
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What pet-friendly letting can actually offer landlords
The clearest benefit is access to a larger pool of applicants. Government policy material also notes that pets can bring joy, comfort and support to owners’ mental and physical wellbeing, which helps explain why tenants value the option. A 2022 government policy paper, A fairer private rented sector, quotes a tenant described as “Tenant, South West, 25-34”: “As a tenant, I am a consumer in the PRS. Landlords should be encouraged to use the model tenancy agreement which has a clause for respectable pet owners. This will provide tenants who are also pet owners with more choice.”
Beyond market access, the sources do not measure what a landlord gains. The table below sets out what each figure does and does not show.
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| Claim | What the evidence shows | Limits | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters are turned away over pets | 8% of private renters in England (363,000 households) said they had been told they could not rent a property because of pets in the previous 12 months. | Renters’ reported experience, England only. Not a forecast of demand for any single property. | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, English Housing Survey 2024–25 |
| Landlord reluctance to accept pets | 45% of landlords were unwilling to let to tenants with pets. | Historical English figure from 2021, reported in 2022. Not a current proportion. | English Private Landlord Survey 2021, as reported in A fairer private rented sector (2022) |
| Pets and wellbeing | Government policy states pets can bring joy, comfort and support mental and physical wellbeing. | A policy statement, not a measured landlord outcome. | A fairer private rented sector (2022) |
| Rent, void periods, tenant retention, property value, landlord profit | Not established by the sources reviewed. | No evidence either way for landlords accepting pets. | Not stated |
The government’s impact assessment for the pet policy reports an estimated net present social value. That is an aggregate estimate across society, expressed in 2019 prices with a 2025 present value. It is not a landlord-level return, and it should not be read as showing that an individual landlord will make more money.
Managing damage risk
Damage is the concern landlords raise most often, and the official landlord guidance points to ordinary routes rather than new obligations. A landlord can keep deposit money towards repair costs. A relevant insurance policy may also respond to damage, depending on its terms. A landlord must not recover twice for the same damage, so if the deposit has covered a repair, the same cost cannot also be claimed from the policy.
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Older proposals suggested that tenants could be compelled to buy pet-damage cover. Those proposals were not enacted as a rule that landlords can impose, and this guide does not treat them as current law. Insurance availability, cover and exclusions depend on the individual policy, so check the wording before relying on one.
Deciding on a specific request
Because a refusal must be tied to the property and the animal, compare the actual facts against these questions:
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- Dwelling fit: Is the home large and laid out in a way that suits the proposed pet?
- Superior lease: Does a head lease or freehold restriction prohibit the pet, or require consent that has not been given?
- Other occupants: Would the pet affect someone in the household, such as through an allergy?
- Legality: Is the animal lawful to keep?
- Damage process: Would the deposit and any relevant insurance be enough to address damage, and can you document the property’s condition at the start of the tenancy?
These are decision factors, not a scoring system. Each request still needs an assessment of its own facts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Outside England
The English Housing Survey figure, the 2025 Act provision and the GOV.UK guidance all relate to England. Landlords and tenants in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should check the rules that apply in their own nation before acting on this guide.
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Practical takeaways
- Under the England provision, a pet request must be considered in writing within 28 days, with statutory extensions where they apply.
- A refusal needs a recognised reason, such as an allergy, property size, a superior-lease restriction or an illegal pet.
- General concern about damage, dislike of pets or another tenant’s past problems will usually not be enough on its own.
- The strongest evidence supports the existence of a renter-side barrier. The sources do not establish rent, void or retention benefits for landlords.
The Bottom Line
Accepting pets is a sound way to widen the applicant pool in England, but the evidence supports market access rather than a measured financial gain. Since 1 May 2026, the right approach is to consider each written request on its facts, refuse only for a reason the law recognises, and manage damage through the deposit and any relevant insurance without double recovery.
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