8th
May 2016
By the day more and more landlords are coming round to the idea of taking new tenants with pets, according to a survey held during the National Pet Month.
It claims that 68% of landlords are now happy to accept tenants with cats or dogs, after either meeting the companions first or are able to see a history of the pet’s behaviour in other properties.
Pets, especially cats and dogs, have always had a tarnished reputation when staying in rented ‘houses’. This is due to the media coverage of the minor percentage that has caused mess, damage and odours. However the survey states that dogs are the third most common pets that landlords are willing to accept into their properties.
84% of landlords allowing pets with their tenants accept fish, 71% cats and 70% dogs. 8 out of 10 landlords do ask for an additional deposit to cover any likelihood of damage to property, fixtures and fittings.
Jonathan Daines, chief executive of an online property letting company that carried out the survey, said: “We found that some landlords were certainly softening towards the idea of pets, purely because it opens a wider pool of possible tenants who are willing to pay extra for the privilege of having their animal with them, in the right home and with the access to outdoor space when needed.
“Our findings are encouraging for all those tenants with pets still looking for their perfect home and we hope the trend to offer more pet friendly rental accommodation will continue and that more landlords will come forward and open their doors.”
The Dogs Trust has established its ‘Lets with Pets’ project which helps inform landlords about letting to tenants with pets but still feels that more can be achieved for animal owners wishing to rent.
Clare Kivlehan, the head of outreach said: “Renting with pets has always been a problem and we’re still seeing a considerable number of owners contacting us about the difficulties they are experiencing finding privately-rented accommodation that will allow pets.
“It’s great to see this recent research highlighting that some landlords are more welcoming to pets, however we believe there is still a lot more that can be done to help dog owners in the capital, and across the UK. There are simple steps that landlords can take to cover themselves when renting to people with pets and so a pet shouldn’t be a barrier anymore.
“Our Lets with Pets project aims to educate landlords and prospective renters by offering practical advice and working with landlords and letting agencies to encourage them to introduce fair pet-friendly policies in their properties.”
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