Pet Requests Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 introduced a statutory right for tenants under Periodic Assured Tenancies to request to keep a pet in their rented home. The right applies to all PATs in England, including those that arose by automatic conversion from ASTs on 1 May 2026. It does not apply to tenancies in Wales (different regime), Scotland (Private Residential Tenancy), or Northern Ireland (separate legislation).

The pet-request right does not mean a tenant can keep any pet they choose without asking. It means they can formally request permission and the landlord must respond within 28 days, either consenting (with or without conditions) or refusing with written reasons on reasonable grounds. A refusal on unreasonable grounds, or a failure to respond within 28 days, is a breach of the implied term that consent must not be unreasonably refused, which a tenant can pursue through the PRS Ombudsman or the courts.

How the pet-request process works

1. Tenant makes a written request specifying the type of pet (e.g. 'one domestic cat') and, ideally, breed and age. The request does not need to be in a particular form.
2. 28-day clock starts from the date the landlord receives the written request. If you are using a letting agent, ensure they notify you immediately on receipt.
3. Landlord responds in writing within 28 days: consent (with or without conditions), or refusal with written reasons on reasonable grounds. The 28 days can be extended where you reasonably ask the tenant for more information, where you need a superior landlord's decision, or by agreement with the tenant; the latest of any applicable dates applies.
4. If no response within 28 days: a missed deadline does not grant automatic consent, but failing to respond in time, or refusing without reasonable grounds, is a breach of the implied term that consent must not be unreasonably refused, which a tenant can pursue through the PRS Ombudsman or the courts.
5. If refused on unreasonable grounds: the pet term is an implied term of the tenancy that the tenant can enforce in court, where the remedy is specific performance (and any damages the tenant can prove); the tenant can also complain to the PRS Ombudsman once it is operational.

What counts as reasonable grounds for refusal

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 does not define 'reasonable grounds' exhaustively. Based on the Act's intention and existing case law on contractual pet restrictions, reasonable grounds for refusal are likely to include:

• Lease prohibition: For leasehold landlords, where the superior lease (the landlord's own lease from the freeholder) contains a prohibition on keeping pets, this is a genuine legal constraint. You cannot grant consent that you are not entitled to give. Inform the tenant in writing of the superior lease restriction and invite them to request a variation if they wish
• HMO licence conditions: Where an HMO licence issued by the local authority expressly prohibits pets or requires the landlord's consent and specifies grounds, those conditions operate as a constraint
• Property unsuitability for the specific pet: A studio flat on the fifth floor without a garden or balcony is unsuitable for a large dog with high exercise requirements. Document the specific mismatch between the property and the pet type
• Specific risk to other occupants: In a shared HMO, another tenant may have a documented severe allergy to cats or dogs, this is a reasonable ground to refuse a pet that would make the property unsafe for that tenant
• Specific risk to the property: Where the property has features that are disproportionately vulnerable to pet damage (original wooden floors, specialist interior finishes, listed building features), this may support a conditional consent or a refusal, but be specific about the risk

Grounds that are unlikely to be reasonable include: a blanket policy of no pets regardless of type; a general preference not to have animals in the property; an assumption that all pets cause damage; or refusal based on the breed of a dog that is not a prohibited breed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Each request must be assessed on its merits.

Conditions the landlord can attach to consent

Where consent is given, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 allows the landlord to impose reasonable conditions. The most important are:

• Professional cleaning on vacation: The landlord can require professional end-of-tenancy cleaning for carpets, upholstery, and soft furnishings where a pet has been kept in the property. This should be built into the tenancy agreement or the consent letter
• Regular inspections: The landlord can carry out more frequent property inspections (with 24 hours' notice) where a pet is kept, typically quarterly rather than twice-yearly, to monitor for pet-related damage
• Specific pet only: Consent can be given for a specific named pet and does not automatically apply to a replacement or additional pet, any new pet requires a fresh request

What to do if the tenant breaches the consent conditions

If the tenant obtains consent but then breaches a lawful condition (for example, keeps a different or additional pet without a new request, or fails to arrange the agreed end-of-tenancy cleaning), the tenant may be in breach of the consent conditions. These are also breaches of the tenancy agreement if the conditions were recorded in the agreement or the consent letter. You can:

• Serve written notice of the breach and require remedy within a reasonable period
• If the breach continues, issue a Section 8 notice relying on Ground 12 (breach of tenancy obligation), the breach must be substantial and unremedied
• Claim for damage caused by the pet from the deposit and, where the deposit is insufficient, bring a county court claim for the balance