Pet Requests: What Landlords Must Do Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025

The statutory right to request permission to keep a pet

Before the Renters' Rights Act 2025, a landlord could include a blanket "no pets" clause in a tenancy agreement and refuse all pet requests without further obligation. From 1 May 2026, that position changed. Tenants in England with an assured tenancy now have a statutory right to make a written request to keep a pet. Landlords are required to consider that request and respond.

The right applies to assured tenancies covered by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Landlords cannot circumvent the process by including a clause in the tenancy agreement that purports to prevent tenants from ever requesting a pet — such a clause would conflict with the statutory right.

The response period

The ordinary response period is 28 days from the date the written request is received. Where the landlord reasonably requests further information from the tenant in order to consider the request, a later deadline applies: the landlord must then respond within 7 days of receiving that further information.

GOV.UK guidance indicates that where the landlord has requested further information, the applicable deadline is either the remainder of the original 28-day period or an additional 7 days from receipt of the information, whichever is later. Landlords should not use a request for further information to delay the process without genuine reason.

A landlord who does not respond within the applicable period is treated as consent having been given in law. This is not an administrative oversight that can be corrected — once the period passes without a response, consent is treated as having been given.

The process step by step

Refusing a pet request

Landlords may refuse a pet request, but the refusal should be on reasonable grounds. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 does not provide an exhaustive list of what constitutes reasonable grounds for refusal. The official GOV.UK guidance states that tenants can challenge decisions they consider unfair.

In practice, grounds that may be reasonable in context include:

• The property is unsuitable for the type of pet requested — for example, a large dog in a small flat with no outdoor access
• The tenancy agreement or the terms of a head lease or freehold restriction make keeping the pet impractical or prohibited at a level beyond the landlord's control
• The pet poses a demonstrable risk to the property or other occupants in the specific circumstances

These are illustrative, not definitive. Whether any particular ground is considered reasonable will depend on the specific facts. Landlords should document their reasons for refusal clearly and contemporaneously.

Conditions on consent

Where consent is given, the official guidance indicates that landlords may be able to require the tenant to take out appropriate pet damage insurance as a condition of keeping the pet. The practical application depends on available insurance products, tenancy terms, and how any condition is documented in the tenancy agreement or a separate written consent.

Landlords who wish to impose conditions on consent should take legal advice on how to structure those conditions appropriately. Poorly drafted conditions may be unenforceable or may themselves be open to challenge.

What to record

For each pet request, landlords should maintain a record that includes:

• The date the written request was received
• The nature of the request (type of pet, number of pets)
• Any further information requested and the date it was received
• The written response given, with the date it was sent
• The grounds for any refusal
• Any conditions attached to consent

This record should be retained for the duration of the tenancy and beyond. If a tenant challenges a decision, or if a dispute arises about whether consent was given or refused within the statutory period, a contemporaneous record is the landlord's primary evidence.