Destination Services update: Renting with pets in the UK

Are you planning to relocate to the UK with your furry friend? The article below is intended to give guidance on the legalities behind renting with pets and look at the background of how certain legislations have evolved and what we expect in the future on this topic.

The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association reported in March 2021 that 3.2 million households in the UK have acquired a new pet, which means that about 17 million homes have at least one pet [1] in the UK.

With such a high rise in numbers, the UK government have looked at a way to make renting with pets easier.

Tenant Fees Ban 2019 – Reflection on pet ownership

First, let’s circle back to June 2019 when the UK Tenant Fees Ban bill came into force. This was a good day for tenants in a lot of ways because finally the extortionate fees payable to landlords and agents were prohibited, and along with it came the capping of security deposits.

This means that for properties where the annual rental is less than £50,000 the landlord cannot accept anything more than 5 weeks’ security deposit.

Whilst this decision was great for most people, this was posing a potential issue for pet owners. Previously it was widely accepted to secure ‘pet friendly’ properties with a higher security deposit, typically 8 weeks’ rent. Since this was no longer an option with the deposits being capped at 5 weeks, the landlords would no longer have the added cushioning for any potential pet related damage. This would result in the rejection of those applicants with pets, making it harder for them to find suitable homes.

The effect of this change was the opposite of what the government was looking to achieve – since it was now illegal to incentivise landlords with a higher deposit amount, pet owners had to find a new way of being accepted for properties in an already stretched and challenging rental market.

The only solution, at this moment, to offer higher than asking price rental. The guidance letting agents initially gave was £50 per pet per month, although as the market keeps straining and the supply and demand keeps shifting away from each other, this figure can go sky high.

As such, the Tenant Fees Ban for renters with pets achieved quite the opposite of what it intended to do, as landlords potentially made profit on the fact alone that people wished to bring their furry friends home.

A solution was needed

At the end of January 2021, the government has published a new version of the Model Tenancy Agreement, intending to make it easier for “tenants with well behaved pets” to rent.

This agreement has removed the blanket ban on pets, which means that a landlord would no longer be able to advertise a property as non-pet friendly.

Tenants would have to make a formal request to their landlords or potential landlords to keep their pets at the property and the landlord would then have 28 days to reject such request. The rejection in this case would need to be a valid reason, such as allergies, insufficient space such as in a studio apartment for a large dog, or the head lease prohibiting pets etc.

It is important to note that the new Model Tenancy Agreement is not yet mandatory to use, it is only a recommendation.

So, what’s next?

The Dogs and Domestic Animals (Accommodation and Protection) Bill is currently in its second stage of reading in the House of Commons – this is a bill that also proposes the right to keep domestic animals in accommodation if a certificate has been issued by a veterinary surgeon covering the health and training of the pet. There has not been anything certain issued in regards to this, however Santa Fe Relocation will keep up to date with any changes that will follow on this subject.

If you are planning to find a home with your pet in the UK, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, please don’t hesitate to contact your local Destination Services team.

[1] Source, BBC News