Support is growing for the Dogs Trust charity’s campaign to promote the inclusion of pets in rental housing, with nearly 19,000 people now backing the initiative.

Last September, the government introduced the Renters Rights Bill, which aims to give responsible pet owners in England’s private rental sector the right to request permission to keep a pet. Under the proposed legislation, landlords would be required to provide reasonable justification if denying such requests.

However, social housing tenants are not covered by this bill.

In a letter addressed to Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, the Dogs Trust is calling for the extension of pet ownership rights to tenants in social housing. The letter has garnered the support of 18,800 counter signatories.

Owen Sharp, chief executive of Dogs Trust, says: “Across the country, pet owners seeking social housing and those already in social housing who would like to get a pet face innumerable barriers, and even have to make the heartbreaking decision to give up their beloved family member to get a safe place to live. For some pet owners, their dogs represent the only family they have.

“While some social housing providers are already making fantastic strides in becoming pet-friendly, finding pet-friendly social housing remains a lottery.

“This must change. We need a baseline for all social housing providers, enshrined in legislation that allows all tenants to request a pet without that request being unreasonably refused by their landlord or social housing provider. We are pleased that an amendment on this has already been tabled in the House of Lords, and we hope that this will receive wide-ranging support.”

The charity acknowledges that, although the new rights proposed under the Renters’ Rights Bill would represent progress for private tenants, they fall short of resolving the broader issue of insufficient pet-friendly rental properties.

Dogs Trust is calling on the government to collaborate with both private landlords and social housing providers to promote greater acceptance of pet ownership in rented homes. The charity emphasises the need to build confidence in renting to pet owners, ensuring they are not unfairly disadvantaged in their search for appropriate housing.

According to the charity, although 46% of private landlords state they permit pets, only 30% of tenants report that their tenancy agreements explicitly allow dogs. In many instances where pets are prohibited, landlords rely on standard recommendations or standardised templates, failing to take individual circumstances into account.