Resources For Landlords
The rules around tenants keeping pets in rental properties are changing under the Renters’ Rights Act (RRA). If you are a landlord with property in Guildford, Cranleigh or the surrounding areas and are wondering how the new laws will affect you, this guide explains the key changes and how you can get prepared.
Under the current rules, landlords are allowed to refuse tenants’ requests to keep pets in their rental properties. Landlords have been able to apply blanket pet bans, including advertising their properties as “no pets allowed” and adding a “no pets” clause in the tenancy agreement.
After 1 May 2026, landlords will no longer be allowed to refuse a pet request without a fair reason, and blanket bans will be illegal. These changes are part of many new rules being introduced to provide private renters with stronger rights under the Renters’ Rights Act.
Liz Gamlen
Lettings Director
Written By
Up until the new rules come into force, tenants can request to keep a pet by sending a formal written request. The decision is at the landlord’s discretion, so they can refuse the request without providing a fair reason.
When the RRA rules take effect, tenants will be able to send a formal written request to keep a pet and the landlord must respond in writing within 28 days. The request should include a description of the pet, so that the landlord can assess whether there are any reasonable reasons why they should refuse the request.
If the landlord requires more information about the pet after receiving the request in writing, the decision deadline is extended by a further seven days.
Under the current laws, landlords can refuse a pet for any reason. They will still be able to refuse pet requests under the new rules but there must be a clearly defined, acceptable reason. However, with around 60% of UK households now having pets, refusing a pet will reduce the pool of tenants, so it is not a decision to take lightly. Pet owners often stay in a rented home for longer, which can reduce void periods, so offering a pet friendly property often works in the landlord’s favour.
Prior to the new rules for the private rented sector, landlords do not need to provide any specific reason for refusing pets in their rental properties.
Under the RRA rules, the reasonable grounds for not allowing pets will be along these lines:
Prior to the new pet rules being implemented, tenants have no recourse if landlords refuse their request.
Once the RRA pet rules are in place, tenants will be able to submit a complaint to the landlord or apply to court to attempt to have the decision overturned if they believe it to be unreasonable. When the new ombudsman is established, tenants will likely be able to make a complaint through them.
In previous plans for the RRA, there had been calls for allowing landlords to require pet damage insurance or to take a separate deposit for pet damage. However, these plans were scrapped, and the final decision was to allow landlords to deduct costs for pet damage from the regular tenancy deposit.
The tenancy deposit is considered to be sufficient to cover pet damage but if costs are higher than the deposit, it would be possible for the landlord to sue the tenant for the remaining amount.
This means there is no change to how landlords currently handle pet damage issues. Landlords will be able to either deduct pet damage costs from the deposit or claim through their insurance and will not be able to do both.
If you receive a pet request prior to the new rules, you may want to consider the following pros and cons when making your decision:
The Renters’ Rights Act includes numerous law changes that landlords will need to comply with. Landlords must prepare for the new rules around keeping pets, as well as the abolishment of Section 21 evictions and stricter rules around property condition in the near future.
If you are a private landlord in Farnham, Bramley or Godalming, we can help with meeting your compliance requirements. Get in touch with our lettings team to find out more about our services.
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