๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐-๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐, ๐ฌ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ค๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ.
Should tenants be allowed to keep pets in rental properties? Itโs a thorny subject that is back in the spotlight after an MP called for landlords to be more flexible on the issue.
Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell argues that preventing tenants from being with their beloved pet companion is cruel and discriminatory.
โFor most people, being separated from your dog is really no different than being separated from your brother or your sister,โ he says.
Mr Rosindell has put forward a bill that would give tenants the right to live with their pet, providing that they can show they are responsible and caring.
๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐
While the bill is still some way off becoming law โ itโs not clear yet whether enough MPs will back it โ it does indicate a growing interest in the issue.
A study by YouGov and Mars Petcare found that two-thirds of private tenants would like to have a pet.
However, only around 7% of landlords advertise homes as suitable for pets, meaning thereโs a yawning chasm between the number of renters who yearn to have a four-legged friend of their own, and properties where this is possible.
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐
Landlords have an ultimate say over whether pets are allowed in a property, although the Consumer Rights Act 2015 prohibits blanket pet bans.
Instead, landlords can include a clause in the contract requiring tenants to request permission to keep a pet. Landlords can refuse a request but need to provide a good reason for doing so.
If you receive such a request, here are a few key issues to consider.
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1 Introducing a pet into a property can increase the risk of costly damage. Some landlords have horror stories about dogs digging up gardens, and cats clawing furniture and leaving carpets flea-ridden.
2 If the property is leasehold, some leasehold agreements do not allow pets.
3 Barking dogs can upset the neighbours and be a source of ongoing dispute.
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4 Allowing a reliable tenant to keep a pet could encourage them to stay long term, meaning you donโt have to bother finding new tenants and running more reference checks.
5 Allowing pets could make your property more marketable and therefore you can raise the rent.
6 Rodent reduction โ Cats kill rats and mice, so provide an element of pest protection.
๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
7 Not all pets are equal. The impact of having a 90kg Great Dane living in a property differs greatly from a caged hamster or a cat. Talk in detail to your tenant about the pet they would like to have, and how they intend to look after it.
8 If the tenant owns the pet already, ask to set vet records to ensure it is vaccinated and microchipped.
9 If the tenant kept a pet at their previous property, ask for a reference from the landlord in question.
10 Make specific provision in the contract for the pet in question so that your tenant canโt take advantage of your generosity and acquire a menagerie of animals.
๐๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถโ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ท๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ต๐ด, ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ. ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ฆ๐บ๐ด๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ต๐ข๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ข๐ธ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐บ.
๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ
