New Pet Rules for Renters 2026: Your Right to Keep Pets

From 1 May 2026, every tenant in England has a statutory right to request permission to keep a pet in their rented home. This is one of the most popular provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and replaces the previous system where landlords could impose blanket "no pets" bans without justification.

The new rules work as follows:

• You submit a written request to your landlord asking for permission to keep a specific pet
• Your landlord has 28 days to respond in writing
• They must either grant consent or refuse with a specific, reasonable reason
• If they do not respond within 28 days, consent is deemed to have been granted
• If they refuse unreasonably, you can challenge the decision

This applies to all private tenancies in England, including existing tenancies. If you have been wanting to get a pet but your landlord has refused, you can submit a fresh request under the new rules from 1 May 2026.

A landlord can refuse a pet request, but only for specific, reasonable reasons. The Act does not list every possible reason, but the government guidance indicates the following are likely to be considered reasonable:

• The superior lease (e.g. a flat within a block) prohibits pets and the landlord cannot override this
• The property is genuinely unsuitable for the specific animal (e.g. a large dog in a tiny studio with no outdoor space)
• The tenant already has multiple pets and adding another would cause overcrowding
• The specific animal poses a health or safety risk (e.g. a dangerous breed covered by the Dangerous Dogs Act)

The following are not considered reasonable grounds:

• A general "no pets" policy applied to all properties
• Concerns about damage without evidence (this is what the deposit is for)
• Personal dislike of animals
• Worry about noise (this is a tenancy management issue, not grounds for a blanket ban)
• The property having carpets or new furnishings

An earlier draft of the legislation included a provision allowing landlords to require tenants to take out pet damage insurance. This was specifically removed from the final Act.

The government decided that requiring pet insurance would create a financial barrier that undermined the right to keep pets, particularly for tenants on lower incomes. Instead, the existing deposit framework is considered sufficient to cover any pet damage.

Your landlord can:

• Deduct from your deposit at the end of the tenancy for actual damage caused by your pet (beyond fair wear and tear)
• Include a clause in the tenancy agreement making you responsible for repairing any pet damage

Your landlord cannot:

• Require you to take out pet insurance as a condition of consent
• Charge an additional pet deposit or pet fee (this would breach the Tenant Fees Act 2019)
• Increase your rent specifically because you have a pet

Follow these steps to make a formal pet request:

1. Put it in writing: Send an email or letter to your landlord. Keep a copy.

2. Be specific: Name the type and breed of animal, and how many. "I would like to keep one medium-sized dog, a Labrador Retriever" is better than "I want a pet."

3. Address concerns proactively: Mention that you will be responsible for any damage, that the pet is house-trained (if applicable), and any steps you will take to minimise impact.

4. Reference the law: State that you are making a request under the pet provisions of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 and that you expect a response within 28 days.

5. Keep records: Save the sent email or get proof of posting for a letter.

If your landlord does not respond within 28 days, consent is automatically granted. If they refuse, they must provide specific reasons in writing. If you believe the refusal is unreasonable, you can escalate to the PRS Ombudsman (once operational) or to your local council's enforcement team.

Use our report issue tool to generate a formal request letter if you need help drafting one.

If your tenancy agreement currently contains a "no pets" clause, the new rules override it from 1 May 2026. A contractual ban on pets cannot prevent you from exercising your statutory right to request a pet.

However, the clause does not automatically become void. You still need to follow the request process described above. The difference is that your landlord can no longer simply point to the clause and refuse. They must engage with your request and provide specific, reasonable grounds if they want to say no.

For tenants who already have a pet in breach of a "no pets" clause, the sensible approach is to submit a formal request under the new rules from 1 May 2026. This regularises your position and protects you from any argument that you breached the tenancy terms.

Landlords who try to evict tenants solely for having a pet after the new rules take effect will struggle to succeed. The courts will expect them to have followed the new consent process.