The head of a major industry service supplier insists the Renters Reform Bill provision making it easier for tenants to keep pets is “good news”.

Sam Reynolds, the chief executive of Zero Deposit – a deposit alternative service – says: “A pet is a huge commitment and it’s one that should be carefully considered regardless of your living status. For many tenants, the cost of renting is already substantial and so they really need to be confident that they can afford the additional outgoings of pet food, insurance and the often inevitable vet bills. 

“The good news is that while pet-friendly rentals may be hard to come by, there are changes being made to make renting with a pet more widely accessible. 

“It’s important to remember that while a rental property is your home, it’s also someone else’s investment and so you should be rightfully prepared to cover the cost of any damages caused. Many landlords may understandably be apprehensive about pets within their rental property, but in many cases, a clear and upfront line of communication is the best plan of action for tenants when considering introducing a pet to their home.”

Reynolds’ comments come on the back of research conducted for his company showing that just nine per cent of all rental properties currently available across England are listed as pet-friendly – that’s just over 8,000 out of some 94,000 rental properties. 

The South West has 15 per cent, with the South East on 11 per cent and East of England on 10 per cent.

But it’s London that boasts the highest total number of pet-friendly rentals. Of the 8,343 pet-friendly properties currently available to tenants across the nation, 3,439 are found within the capital, accounting for 41 per cent of all pet-friendly rentals across England. 

The current asking rent for a pet-friendly rental property is £1,719 per month. That’s £281, or 20 per cent more per month than a non pet-friendly rental property.

At the moment the government’s model tenancy agreement states that a tenant must seek the prior written consent of the landlord should they wish to keep pets or other animals at the property. 

Changes were made to the model contract in 2021 to alter the default position of landlords to consent for pets to encourage the removal of a blanket ban. A landlord can then object to the request in writing within 28 days for ‘good reason’ but must not unreasonably withhold or delay their written request from a tenant without considering the request on its own merits.

Under the controversial Renters Reform Bill, expected to be law next year, it will be an implied term of an assured tenancy that a tenant may keep a pet with the landlord’s consent unless the landlord reasonably refuses.

Pet owners will, however, be required to have pet insurance to cover the cost of any damages incurred as a result of having a pet in their rental property.