One of the country’s leading lettings experts has written that whether landlords will accept pets in rental properties will not be decided by the law or campaign groups, but by market forces.

David Alexander, managing director of DJ Alexander, writes in The Scotsman that while most tenancies explicitly forbid pets, the issue is not about whether landlords like dogs, cats or other animals – it’s about the practicality of damage and wear and tear.

Alexander writes that bodies such as the National Office for Animal Health and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have both started campaigns for pets to be allowed in private rental properties. 

A compelling argument, he suggests, is that tenants may stay longer if they have, say, a dog. 

“In principle I welcome this trend; what I would not like to see, however, is a situation emerge whereby landlords are compelled, by law, to accept tenants with pets in yet another parody of ‘human rights’ legislation” states Alexander. 

He continues: “Given the current over-supply of rental stock and ongoing concerns about the ability of many existing tenants to maintain rental payments once the furlough scheme ends, many more landlords will now have no objection, in principle, to welcoming new pet-owning tenants with a stable financial and personal background.”

But he insists that it is this – the manifestation of market forces as landlords want longer term tenants – that will eventually prevail, rather than being forced by law. 

You can see his full article here.