Data circulating the property industry provides a clear message – landlords don’t like tenants keeping a pet.
With only 7% of UK rentals advertising themselves as pet-friendly, we think there are a lot of missed opportunities from landlords sticking with the no pets allowed policy.
In this article, we’ll explore what the UK law is on tenants keeping a pet, what the benefits of being pet-friendly are for landlords and share our advice on how to safely allow your tenants to keep a pet.
Ultimately, it’s the landlord’s decision as to whether a tenant can keep a pet in their property.
However, the UK government encourages more landlords to allow pet-friendly renting through the Model Tenancy Agreement. This is the government’s recommendation for what a good shorthold tenancy agreement should look like.
This contains two crucial elements about pets in rentals, including:
While there can be risks associated with a tenant having a pet (like them damaging the property or causing a nuisance to neighbours), there are benefits, too.
By allowing tenants to keep a pet and advertising your property as pet-friendly, you can:
Depending on the animal, you may want to check that it’s up to date on its vaccinations. A pet owner that stays on top of vaccinations is a good sign that they are a responsible owner. Plus, it can reassure you that the animal is healthy and protected from diseases.
If your tenant is requesting to keep a hamster, cat or reptile, checking training records isn’t important. But if your tenant wants to keep a dog in your property, make sure you ask about their training. Ask questions like who trained them and how much training they’ve had.
If you’re concerned about how well-behaved your tenants’ pet is, arrange a meet and greet to see what the pet is like in person. Or ask for a video call with the pet.
This is a great opportunity to see just how well trained they are (which is particularly important if it’s a dog) and assess how comfortable you are letting the animal stay.
Before agreeing, consider setting boundaries around the tenant keeping a pet. For example, you are allowing them to have this pet only and any new pets need prior approval.
Whatever you decide to agree about letting your tenants keep a pet, make sure it’s documented in the terms of your lease.
Include information about what boundaries you set and what responsibilities the tenant has when it comes to cleaning up after the pet.
Allowing your tenants to keep a pet is ultimately your decision as a landlord. Numerous benefits are available to landlords if they allow pets, but you still need to ensure you’re always protecting yourself and your property.
For more advice on letting your property, our friendly team of agents at Properly are happy to help. If you need advice about renting your property, get in touch today on 0207 459 4400.
London Youth work to improve the lives of young people in London, challenging them to become the best they can, and last year helped over 27,000 young people through their sports development, youth action and involvement, arts and outdoor education programmes and employment prospects. We feel strongly that all young people should have an opportunity to develop themselves, and so are delighted to be able to support London Youth in their work, providing young people with access to opportunities they might not otherwise have had, to learn new skills, to make a positive change in their communities and to shape the city they live in.
Glass Door helps homeless men and women in London through their large network of emergency shelters and support services. These winter shelters provide a warm welcome, food, safety and shelter for up to 170 people every night. Properly feels passionately about the issue of homelessness. That is why we are delighted that together with our clients we can assist Glass Door in their fantastic work to help some of the most marginalised people in society.
Families become homeless for reasons we can all identify with. We are concerned about people who are struggling to keep things together in our fast-paced world – and we care about those who have no support. We chose the Doorstep Homeless Family Project because they are passionate and effective yet they are a small team with limited funding. They provide homeless families, living in temporary accommodation in London, with access to services to secure the emotional and practical support they require to enjoy a better quality of life.
We need nature and nature needs us. We support The London Wildlife Trust because we share its concern for the environment. We want to ensure that we keep nature in mind as we work in the property market – and crucially, with people’s homes. We also want our employees to engage with nature and benefit from the wellbeing this brings. London Wildlife Trust cares for over 37 of London’s spaces, and their vision is: “a London alive with nature, where everyone can experience and enjoy wildlife”.
Mariel helped me sell my apartment in West London. She was always there when I needed her. Her advice was invaluable and made everything a whole lot easier. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
Mariel and Michael made the process of agreeing a housing let incredibly seamless, stress-free and quick. Their timely communication and fantastic ‘customer service’ was second to none. Would highly recommend
Both Michael and Mariel were extremely helpful with our questions going forward whether it be regarding referencing or the property itself. Definitely not the usual estate agent experience (in a good way) and I would recommend Properly to anyone.
We had such an easy and stress free move. Michael helped us with all our questions and was quick to find out any answers to our questions. Would highly recommend.
Mariel and Michael have been absolutely great, by far my best ever experience with an estate agent. Properly is honest, upfront and friendly, responding really quickly to any and all queries and with a lovely personal touch.
I was very impressed with the service I received. Communication throughout was very good. I have dealt with many agents, but the clear, concise and personable approach I received made Properly stand out. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
I was so pleased to be introduced to Properly. Mariel and Michael provide an excellent service that took the stress and hassle out of finding a tenant. They were a pleasure to deal with, efficient and fast. A marked difference from the hidden costs and poor communication often encountered from other high street estate agents. I would thoroughly recommend and happily use again!
I cannot recommend this estate agent enough. Michael and Mariel have been very good to us throughout the process and have made sure everything has been as smooth as possible. They have gone above and beyond to ensure everything was dealt with and in a timely manner too. A great experience throughout!