The Housing Secretary has announced plans to revise the Government’s model tenancy agreement to allow for “well behaved pets” in properties.

The Government says that the plan, announced at the weekend, will ensure that more landlords are catering for responsible pet owners wherever possible.

Commenting on the plan, Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP said:

“Pets bring a huge amount of joy and comfort to people’s lives, helping their owner’s through difficult times and improving their mental and physical wellbeing. So, it’s a shame that thousands of animal-loving tenants and their children can’t experience this because they rent their homes instead of owning property.

“So, I’m overhauling our model tenancy agreement to encourage more landlords to consider opening their doors to responsible pet owners. And we will be listening to tenants and landlords to see what more we can do to tackle this issue in a way that is fair to both”.

The government’s model tenancy contracts for renters can be used as the basis of lease agreements made with tenants.

It is important to note that this initial action does not make it a legally binding requirement for landlords to accept pets, and that landlords still hold the right to refuse tenants with pets.

The Government’s other plans for the private rented sector
The Queen’s Speech, which took place last month, contained some other key announcements relating to the private rented sector, including:

• A commitment to scrapping Section 21
• Plans to improve the current Section 8 process
• The introduction of lifetime deposits for tenants
• Plans to continue to develop and implement measures to wider access to and expand the scope of the database of rogue landlords and property agents giving greater powers to drive improvements in standards, and empowering tenants to make an informed choice about who they rent from.

When the plans were first announced the RLA warned ministers they must make sure landlords have confidence in the repossession system post Section 21, or there could be a mass sell-off by landlords, making it harder for tenants to find a place to live.

Written by Victoria Barker

Blog Post from Residential Landlords Association

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