Tenant Pet Requests 2026: How Landlords Must Respond Under the Renters' Rights Act

Section 15A of the Housing Act 1988, inserted by the Renters' Rights Act 2025, gives tenants on English Periodic Assured Tenancies the right to request permission to keep a pet. The request must be in writing. The landlord has 42 days to respond in writing. No response is treated as consent.

What the tenant must do to make a valid request

• The request must be in writing, email, letter or text message qualifies
• The request must identify the pet: species, breed, and name
• No prescribed form is required, an informal email is sufficient

What the landlord must do within 42 days

1. Log the date received. The 42-day clock starts from receipt.
2. Assess the specific request against the specific property. Consider headlease restrictions, property suitability, and any documented pet damage history.
3. Respond in writing before the deadline. Either consent (with or without conditions) or refuse (with specific, reasonable grounds).
4. If consenting: You may attach reasonable conditions, including requiring the tenant to obtain pet damage insurance.
5. If refusing: State the specific grounds. General preference is not sufficient.

What counts as a reasonable refusal

• The headlease or superior lease prohibits pets and consent cannot be obtained from the freeholder
• The property is physically unsuitable for the animal (e.g. a large dog in a first-floor studio with no outdoor space)
• Documented evidence of pet damage caused by the same tenant at the same property
• Strict allergy or health requirements for the property

What does NOT count as reasonable grounds

• A general preference for no animals in the property
• Concerns about re-letting difficulty or rental value
• Generalized anxiety about pet damage without property-specific evidence
• Refusing a low-risk, suitable animal without any stated justification

Requiring pet damage insurance

The Act explicitly permits landlords to require the tenant to obtain commercially available pet damage insurance as a condition of consent. This is the primary practical protection for landlords. The requirement must be reasonable, specifying a product that does not exist or unaffordable terms would not be.

What happens at end of tenancy

A Pet Addendum to the tenancy agreement, recording the consented animal, the date of consent, and any conditions, is essential for evidencing what was agreed. Without it, a landlord's ability to make end-of-tenancy deposit deductions for pet damage is significantly weakened.