Generation Rent has expressed it concerns over proposals that landlords will be allowed to charge for extra insurance against damage caused by tenants’ pets.

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As detailed in the recently published Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper  with one of its proposal’s that tenants will be given the right to ask their landlords to be able live with their pet, which the landlord could not unreasonably refuse.

Tenants will also be allowed to challenge a refusal probably through the White Paper’s proposed  Rental Ombudsman.

The White Paper does suggest that any landlord will be able to insist upon the tenant taking out their own insurance policy as protection against pet damage costs incurred through the tenancy period.

However, Generation Rent as usual is complaining about this suggested measure and says: “We believe pet insurance, which we understand costs between £10 and £20 a month, is unnecessary when the tenancy deposit is there to cover damage to the property, and landlords are already unlikely to require the maximum five weeks’ deposit. It is somewhat concerning that they [government] want to reopen the Tenant Fees Act, which has been largely successful at preventing tenants from getting ripped off. It is also unclear how pet insurance claims would interact with claims on the deposit at the end of the tenancy.”

Overall the activist group has showered praise on the government’s rent reform proposals and the pets’ clause being highly supported from the majority of groups which are not against the insurance concept.

Dawn Howard, chief executive of the National Office of Animal Health, says: “NOAH launched its campaign ‘Renting with Pets’ in 2020, as our members passionately believe that all pets deserve a loving home, and all responsible pet owners should be able to access good-quality housing that does not exclude them from pet ownership.

“Unfortunately, keeping a pet in rental properties has been traditionally very challenging, and in many cases, not possible at all.

“We are therefore delighted to welcome this government’s commitment to recognising the value of pet ownership through the Renters’ Reform White Paper, which seeks to break down barriers to pet ownership for responsible pet owners in rental properties in a way that continues to support landlords and property owners.