Targeting letting agents and landlords, the purpose of the research is to provide accurate data on the type of damage caused in rental accommodation by adults, children, and pets, as well as the cost to landlords and the method of recovery.
Tenant Fees Act
The results will be presented to Eddie Hughes, the Minister for Rough Sleeping & Housing, at the Department for Levelling Up Housing & Communities (DLUHC) in late Spring 2022, to further enhance the Heads for Tails' report and proposals to amend the Tenant Fees Act 2019 as well as making renting with pets easier for both parties, thus avoiding the devastating impact of ‘no pets’ clauses.
Capped pet deposit
The ongoing campaign, also backed by 35+ organisations and 40+ MPs/Peers, is calling for a landlord to be allowed to either request a financially capped pet deposit or stipulate that pet damage insurance must be held by any tenant wanting to keep a pet or pets.
Renting with pets
Allowing pets can help landlords attract a wider pool of prospective tenants and may lead to longer, more stable tenancies. While concerns around property damage, noise, allergies and ongoing responsibilities are understandable, this guidance outlines practical steps to help manage those risks and ensure compliance.
Many renters are pet owners, but due to the Tenants Fees Act which caps security deposits, letting agents and their landlords are no longer able to fully mitigate the additional risks associated when letting their property to tenants with pets.
We hope that the responses collected from this survey will strengthen our calls for changes to current rules and that the UK Government will explore options that incentivise landlords to rent to more people with pets.
We know that fear and cost of pet damage is one of the main barriers to landlords accepting pets, and this survey will give a better understanding of the reality of those fears, and how they compare to other causes and costs of damage. These questions haven't been asked before, and the answers will give us a unique insight into landlords' experiences.
