Searches for pet-friendly rental properties have plummeted by more than half since new laws gave tenants more rights – but agents warn many renters wrongly believe permission to keep a pet is now guaranteed.
Rightmove data shared with the BBC shows searches for properties that allow pets fell by 54% in May and 52% in June compared with the same months a year earlier. The decline accelerated in the months leading up to the introduction of the Renters' Rights Act in England, which came into force in May.
“Rightmove pet-friendly rental searches drop over 50% after England's Renters' Rights Act; agents say tenants misunderstand new rights.”
Under the new rules, landlords in England cannot unreasonably refuse a request to keep a pet. However, they can still decline on valid grounds – for example, if another tenant has an allergy, the property is too small for a large or multiple pets, the pet is illegal, or the landlord is a leaseholder whose freeholder does not allow pets.
“Landlords must consider requests fairly and cannot unreasonably refuse them, but they can still decline where there is a valid reason,” said Megan Eighteen, former president of lettings agents trade body ARLA Propertymark. She said there was “potential for misunderstanding” among tenants about the scope of the new rights.
Marc von Grundherr, director of agency Benham and Reeves, said some tenants have only disclosed a pet after signing a tenancy agreement, while others have been discovered during property inspections. “The reality is that tenants now understand the balance of power has shifted. Landlords can no longer rely on a blanket 'no pets' policy to deter applications and should instead expect conversations around pet ownership to arise much later in the letting process,” he said.
Despite the drop in proactive searches, pets remain the most common keyword in Rightmove searches – ahead of gardens, garages and furnishings – though the lead is narrowing.
Before the law changed, Eve Williamson, a 41-year-old former hairdresser from London, had to give up her American Bulldog, Khan, or face eviction – even though she had previously kept a dog in the same property. “Life can get tough, but pets bring unconditional love,” she said. “They're family.” Khan has since been rehomed, and Williamson said she was delighted with the change in the law.
Katie Smith, 29, from Swindon, now keeps two cats – Pumpkin and Pippin – in her rental home under the new rules. But the question remains: with fewer tenants filtering for pet-friendly properties, how many will discover the hard way that the new law does not guarantee a place for their pet?