17th
Mar 2021
There has been considerable controversy surrounding the government’s proposals to increase the numbers of pets in rented homes, but there is a surprising twist that has come to light.
Two measures have recently catapulted the pets into first place on the rental agenda.
The Dogs and Domestic Animals Accommodation Protection Bill, which is waiting for its second reading in Parliament, proposes that landlords will have to accept tenants with pets into their rental properties.
The government announced earlier in the year that it had changed its model standard tenancy agreement to make it more 'pet-friendly', making it far easier for tenants to keep 'well-behaved' pets in their rented ‘homes’.
It is not compulsory for agents or landlords to use the government’s model standard tenancy agreement.
However housing minister Chris Pincher has recently given out details in parliament on how landlords can refuse to take tenants with pets in their properties, even if they are amongst the very few using the government’s tenancy agreement.
Answering a written question in the Commons, Pincher says: “A good reason for a landlord to decline a pet ownership request would be where a pet is demonstrably poorly behaved or unsuited for the premises in question, for example, a large dog in a small flat, or where other tenants have allergies to animals.”
He added: “The revised [model tenancy] agreement provides that a private landlord who chooses to use the agreement should accept a request from a tenant to keep pets where they are satisfied the tenant is a responsible pet owner and the pet is of a kind that is suitable in relation to the nature of the premises at which it will be kept.
“It aims to remove restrictions on responsible tenants with pets, encouraging landlords who use the agreement to offer greater flexibility in their approach to pet ownership.”
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