How Does the Renters' Rights Act Change Renting with a Pet in England?

SHORT ANSWER

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, private tenants in England can ask their landlord in writing for permission to keep a pet, and the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. The landlord has 28 days to give a written answer, with short extensions only if they need more information about the pet or consent from a superior landlord such as a freeholder. The final version of the Act does not let landlords require pet damage insurance; instead, pet damage is covered by the standard tenancy deposit, which is capped at five weeks' rent for most tenancies. The pet rules began on 1 May 2026 and apply to England only, not to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

When Did the Renters' Rights Act Pet Rules Take Effect in England?

The Renters' Rights Act received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, according to the government's Guide to the Renters' Rights Act. The government then published an implementation roadmap splitting the reforms into three phases.

Phase 1, which the roadmap dated to 1 May 2026, included the requirement for landlords in the private rented sector to consider tenant requests to rent with a pet. The official legislation.gov.uk record for Section 11 of the Act, titled "Right to request permission to keep a pet," shows it in force from 1 May 2026 through commencement regulations (S.I. 2026/421).

The same phase also turned most existing assured shorthold tenancies into assured periodic tenancies, often called rolling tenancies, and banned landlords from asking for more than one month's rent in advance. Both changes matter for anyone renting with a pet, which we cover below.

Does the Renters' Rights Act Apply in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?

No. The government's guidance on the Act is marked "Applies to England," and the pet request right works by adding new sections to England's Housing Act 1988 tenancy rules for assured tenancies. As the government's guide puts it when discussing rent in advance, "Housing is a devolved matter."

This is where people often get confused, because Section 144 of the Act says the Act legally extends to England and Wales, with one chapter extending to Scotland only. That chapter covers rental discrimination. The government's guide notes it worked with the Welsh and Scottish Governments to extend the rental discrimination protections to those nations, but the pet request process described in this article is part of England's private renting reforms.

In Wales, renting is governed by the Renting Homes (Wales) Act, which the Welsh Government explains on its Renting Homes Wales page. Scotland and Northern Ireland also run their own rental systems. If you're moving somewhere in the UK outside England, check that nation's own housing guidance before you sign a lease. The differences go beyond housing, too. We've covered how pet import rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in a separate guide.

How Do You Ask a Landlord in England for Permission to Keep a Pet?

The Act requires the request to be in writing and to include a description of the pet. The government's tenant guidance on pets says your description could include what type of animal it is, how big it is, and how much room it will need.

A few points from the law and guidance are worth knowing before you write that request:

• The Act defines a pet as an animal kept mainly for personal interest, companionship or ornamental purposes.
• A tenant "keeps" a pet if they permit it to live at the property, whether or not they own the animal.
• If you keep or get a pet without permission, you may be breaking the terms of your tenancy agreement.
• If your landlord agrees, they cannot later change their mind or change your tenancy agreement to remove the pet. If you want another pet, you need to ask again.

From Reddit: what a real request looks like. In a r/rentingUK thread titled "Landlord refusing dog," one renter shared the opening of their written request: "Please treat this as a formal written request under the Renters' Rights Act to keep our pet at the property: a 7-year-old cockapoo" (r/rentingUK). It's a good model. It names the law, states the request plainly, and starts describing the specific animal right away.

How Long Does a Landlord Have to Respond to a Pet Request in England?

The standard deadline is 28 days from the date of your request. The landlord must give or refuse consent in writing within that window. Section 11 of the Act allows a few specific extensions:

• The landlord asks for more information. If they reasonably request more details within the 28 days and you provide them, they have until the later of the original 28-day deadline or 7 days after you reply. If you don't provide the information, the landlord does not have to make a decision.
• A superior landlord's consent is needed. If the lease above your landlord requires a freeholder or head landlord to approve pets, and your landlord asks them within the 28 days, your landlord can wait until 7 days after hearing back.
• You both agree to more time. Landlord and tenant can agree in writing on a later date.

The government gives a simple example: you ask in writing to keep a dog, your landlord replies within 28 days asking about the dog's size and whether it's house trained, and you answer that it's a small, trained dog. The landlord then has the rest of the 28 days or 7 more days, whichever is later, to give a final decision.

When Can a Landlord Reasonably Refuse a Pet, and When Can't They?

The Act doesn't list every acceptable reason, because the government said in its guide that it "would not be possible to legislate for every situation." Landlords must consider each request case by case. The government's tenant guidance does give clear examples on both sides.

It may be reasonable for a landlord to refuse if:

• someone you live with has an allergy
• the property is too small for a large pet or several pets
• a freeholder owns the property and does not allow pets
• the pet is illegal to own

It would usually be unreasonable for a landlord to refuse because they:

• don't like pets
• have had issues with past tenants who had pets
• have general concerns about potential future damage
• had previous tenants whose pets damaged the property
• think a pet might affect future rentals
• know the tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog

The freeholder point is the one that trips up many flat renters. The Act states that refusal is reasonable where keeping the pet would put the landlord in breach of an agreement with a superior landlord, or where the superior landlord's consent is required and the landlord has taken reasonable steps to get it but it was not given.

From Reddit: the freeholder waiting game. A renter in r/HousingUK described being stuck in exactly this position: "I have about 3 days until the 28 day deadline for renters rights bill and I don't know what to do after that point" (r/HousingUK). If your building has a freeholder, ask early whether the head lease allows pets, because a superior landlord's refusal is one of the reasons the Act treats as reasonable.

What Can You Do If Your Pet Request Is Refused or Ignored?

The government's guidance says to complain to your landlord or letting agent if they don't respond within 28 days or if you think their reason for refusing is unreasonable. If the issue isn't resolved, the Act gives the court power to order "specific performance" when a landlord breaches the implied term, which in practice means a court can order the landlord to do what the law requires.

The government's guide also says tenants will be able to escalate complaints to a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman. That service hasn't started yet. The implementation roadmap says landlords are expected to be required to join it in 2028, so for now the main routes are a complaint to the landlord or agent and, if needed, the courts. If your landlord uses a letting agent, all letting agents in England must belong to a redress scheme such as The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme.

Can a Landlord in England Require Pet Damage Insurance or a Pet Deposit?

No. When the legislation was still a bill, it included provisions that would have let landlords require insurance covering pet damage. The government removed those provisions before the Act passed, as the House of Commons Library notes in its briefing on the Lords amendments. The final text of Section 11 contains no insurance requirement.

Here's how pet damage is handled under the current rules, according to the government's tenant guidance:

• Your landlord can keep money from your deposit to cover repair costs caused by pet damage.
• They may also be able to claim through your own pet insurance, if you have it.
• They cannot claim for the same damage twice, for example by claiming on insurance and also deducting from your deposit.

Deposits are capped by law. According to the government's guidance on rent in advance and deposits, the maximum tenancy deposit is five weeks' rent if annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks' rent if it's £50,000 or more. A holding deposit can be up to one week's rent, and the tenancy deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme. If the deposit doesn't cover the damage, the government's guide says a landlord could take the tenant to court to recover the rest.

What the Renters' Rights Act Means If You're Moving to England with a Pet from the US

For families relocating from the United States, the pet rules aren't the only change. Two other Phase 1 reforms reshape how international movers secure housing.

First, fixed-term tenancies are gone for most private rentals. Tenancies are now rolling, and the government's tenant overview explains that you can end one by giving two months' written notice. That flexibility helps if you're renting short term while you look for a long-term home.

Second, landlords can no longer ask for large sums of rent up front. A landlord can't take rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, and between signing and moving in they can usually ask for no more than one month's rent. Before these rules, newcomers without UK credit history sometimes offered six or twelve months' rent in advance to win a property. That option is now off the table, although landlords can still ask for a guarantor.

"Most of the families we move to England arrive with a dog or cat that has already been through months of vet visits and paperwork just to get on the plane," said Georgiana Strait, Marketing Manager at Starwood Pet Travel. "The Renters' Rights Act gives them a fair hearing once they land, but the clock still matters. Put your pet request in writing as soon as you're offered a property, describe your pet clearly, check whether there's a freeholder involved, and keep a copy of everything. Twenty-eight days goes quickly when you're also juggling a flight date and a quarantine-free arrival plan."

For more tips on the search itself, from property types to pet clauses in your tenancy agreement, read our guide to finding pet-friendly housing in the UK.

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