The letting agent’s guide to pet requests

From 1 May 2026, tenants will be able to request to keep a pet, and landlords won’t be allowed to say no without a fair reason. So what counts as a fair reason?

The government has released new guidance on what to do when a tenant asks to keep a pet. The guidance includes some circumstances where it may be reasonable to refuse, including:

• If another tenant has a pet allergy

• If the pet is illegal to own

• If the property is too small for the proposed pet(s)

• If the landlord is a leaseholder, and the freeholder bans pets

Concerns about future damage, issues with past pet-owning tenants, and effects on future rentals will generally not be considered reasonable grounds for refusal. If the landlord says no, the tenant can make a complaint or apply to challenge the decision in court.

Property solicitor David Smith advises that the right approach is to leave personal opinion out of it and see if the specific pet is suitable for the specific property. “This is a more legally consistent approach and one that is far more likely to come up with an answer that can be justified in court or before a landlord redress scheme,” he says.

How does the process work?

Tenants will have to request to keep a pet in writing, and include a description of the pet or pets. Landlords must respond within 28 days, but may ask followup questions. If they ask for more information, they need to decide within 7 days of receiving it, or within the original 28-day limit, whichever gives them longer.

All decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and once a landlord says yes to a pet they can’t take permission back.  

What if a tenant still gets a pet after the landlord says no?

This may be considered a breach of the lease, which is grounds for eviction under Section 8 Ground 12. Landlords may also have grounds for eviction if the pet is causing deterioration to the property (Ground 13) or the furniture (Ground 15), or if it is causing enough nuisance or annoyance to count as antisocial behaviour (Ground 14).

The government has given separate guidance on what to do when tenants (or their pets) commit antisocial behaviour.

However, it’s important to note that all these are discretionary grounds. Even if the conditions for eviction are met, the court can still decide that eviction wouldn’t be reasonable. If the landlord can show that they followed the pet permission process properly, they may find it easier to regain possession.