Should tenants have the right to live with their pets?

Tory MP, Andrew Rosindale, has harboured support across parties to launch a Bill to ban agents and and landlords from rejecting prospective tenants who have pets.

If successful then next year, the Dogs and Domestic Animals (Accommodation and Protection) Bill aims to give tenant the right to live with their pets, as long as they can prove that they are “responsible and caring”.

Rosindell claims that ““For most people, being separated from their dog is no different from being separated from their brother or sister".

“Sadly, pet owners who move into rented accommodation face the reality that their family could be torn apart, because most landlords in Britain have unnecessary bans or restrictions on pets ownership.”

Tenants will have to provide a certificate from a vet to vouch for the health and character of the pet (and the human), in order to go ahead with having their pets in private rentals.

This may be great news for all animal lovers everywhere, but where does this leave the landlords? Pets can often cause substantial damage, smells and increased wear and tear on a property, even the best behaved doggo’s can end up malting everywhere. So, will landlords be entitled to charge more rent or entitled to charge tenants more in cleaning services?

Let us know your thoughts if you think is a great step forward for mankind and our best friends.

Here at Sarah Clark Property Consultants we can help you manage your properties, so we can keep you updated on these changing regulations and take the stress out of being a landlord.