Tenant Pet Requests: New Rules for Landlords Under the Renters' Rights Act

Can a landlord still refuse a tenant's pet?

Only with a good reason. Since 1 May 2026, every private assured tenancy in England includes an implied term that the tenant may ask to keep a pet and the landlord must not unreasonably refuse. You must give or refuse consent in writing within 28 days of the request, with limited extensions (Housing Act 1988, s.16A, inserted by s.11 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025).

The implied term applies whatever your written agreement says. Here is the operative wording:

It covers every assured tenancy except social housing. It does not cover people who are not yet tenants. Shelter notes that the request process "does not apply before someone becomes a tenant", so you don't have to answer an applicant's pet question within a set time or in a set format (Shelter Legal).

How the request and deadline work

• The request must be in writing and include a description of the pet (s.16B(3)). No form is prescribed.
• The deadline is the 28th day after the date of the request.
• Asking for more information: if you reasonably ask about the pet within the 28 days, you can delay until the 7th day after the tenant provides the information (s.16A(2)). GOV.UK puts it as whichever is later: the rest of the original 28 days or the extra 7 days (GOV.UK). If the tenant never provides the information, you don't have to decide.
• Superior landlord consent: if your lease requires the freeholder's consent and you ask for it within the 28 days, you can delay until the 7th day after you receive their answer (s.16A(3)).
• Agreement: you and the tenant can agree a later date. If more than one extension applies, the latest date wins.

Worked example: working out your deadline

Keep the tenant's request, your questions and the dates of each reply. Those dates are your evidence that you answered in time.

What counts as a reasonable refusal

The Act gives one guaranteed reason. It is reasonable to refuse if keeping the pet would put you in breach of your agreement with a superior landlord, or if that agreement requires the superior landlord's consent and you took reasonable steps to get it but it was not given (s.16B(4)).

Beyond that, GOV.UK guidance gives examples on each side.

Likely reasonable:

• another tenant has an allergy;
• the property is too small for a large pet or several pets;
• the pet is illegal to own, for example a dog banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991;
• the freeholder's lease prohibits it.

Likely unreasonable:

• you don't like pets;
• previous tenants' pets damaged the property;
• general worries about future damage or about re-letting;
• the tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog.

Refuse in writing and give reasons that relate to this pet and this property. A refusal that just says "no pets" invites a court claim.

Money: rent, deposits and insurance

• No extra rent or bigger deposit. Shelter's guidance says a landlord cannot charge more rent or a higher deposit because the tenant has a pet. A higher deposit would be a banned payment under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 (Shelter Legal).
• The deposit cap is unchanged: 5 weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000, and 6 weeks' where it is £50,000 or more (Tenant Fees Act 2019, Sch 1). You can deduct for damage caused by a pet at the end of the tenancy, but you cannot recover the same damage twice.
• Pet insurance cannot be required. The Bill once let landlords require pet damage insurance. The government removed that clause before the Bill's Report Stage in the House of Lords (Propertymark), and pet insurance is not a permitted payment under the Tenant Fees Act.

If a tenant gets a pet without asking

Your tenancy can still require consent, so keeping a pet without asking is usually a breach of the tenancy. The proportionate response is to ask the tenant to make a written request and to consider it on its merits. If the property is damaged, discretionary possession grounds such as Ground 12 (breach of tenancy), Ground 13 (deterioration of the property) or Ground 15 (deterioration of furniture) may be available (Housing Act 1988, Sch 2). The court must also be satisfied that possession is reasonable. See the full list of Section 8 grounds.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Renters' Rights Act 2025: What Landlords Need to Know
• Periodic Tenancies Explained for Landlords
• Tenant Deposit Protection Rules for Landlords