Jun

BREAKING: Government to give tenants ‘legal right’ to have a pet in their home

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The Government is planning to give tenants the legal right to keep a pet as Ministers swing behind efforts to re-purpose the housing market towards ‘the consumer’.

These proposals will be within the long-awaited draft Renters Reform Act that, it is reported, Gove is to publish tomorrow.

This will include measures that will prevent landlords and letting agents enforcing a blanket ban on pets, which will have ramifications for both property adverts and software systems.

The Mail says property owners will need to have a ‘good reason’ to refuse permission for a tenant to have an animal in their home, and tenants will be given access to a mediation process should they feel a landlord’s refusal is not justified.

The Government will also change the law so landlords can require that renters to get insurance so any damage to their property is covered.

Pet friendly

Of the 4.4million households currently living within the private rented sector in England, just 7 per cent of landlords advertise their properties as being pet-friendly.

A Government spokesperson told The Mail: ‘Not only will our new deal for renters extend the decent homes standard to the private rented sector… we’ll also give tenants a legal right to have a pet if they wish. Would-be pet owners are being unfairly deprived of the company and companionship of an animal by their landlords – so we’ll change the law to end this unfairness.’

There will be protections for landlords within the Act, and tenants will still have a legal duty to repair or cover the cost of any damage to properties.

The news will be a huge vindication of Jen Berezai’s long-standing campaign through her AdvoCATS organisation to bring about the measures leaked today and expected tomorrow.

She says: “AdvoCATS welcomes the news that the DLUHC is including new rules on pet ownership in the private rented sector in the forthcoming renters reform white paper, and is pleased to see that one of the key proposals from our Heads for Tails! campaign, to stipulate pet damage insurance is held, has been adopted.”

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