Ban on pet deposits means all pet owners lose and all pet owners pay!

My tenant wanted a dog and in an ideal situation without government interference I would have taken a larger deposit. The pet damage insurance I’ve been looking at will not cover all types of pet damage so I have raised the rent to effectively self insure myself. There is no point in Generation Rant shouting that this is not fair. This is just reality.

Try and get cat urine out of your floor boards – it will sink for years!!

replace the arcs or door casings £200-600?
replace flooring 300 – 800?
deep clean for next £££

Why are the idiots running the asylum?

Just finished clearing out one of our houses – the tenants a couple (men) – about a year ago took a dog in as a temporary measure while their friend was in hospital – we said ok but only until they get better and they return home – fast forward a year and we found out they had now had 3 dogs without permission, we gave them notice and thankfully they left – but the dogs have ruined the carpets, blinds, decoration and woodwork which has been chewed everywhere – just had the estimate to repair 5k – they were only in the house 3 1/2 years and we had fully redecorated and put new carpets & Lino in the house before they started the tenancy – £1000 deposit so now we have to fork out the repair bill and chase them via the courts for the difference – never again will we take pets !!

Reply to the comment left by flyingapanner at 13/03/2025 – 18:03
Send the bill to Pennycook and Rayner

Reply to the comment left by John MacAlevey at 13/03/2025 – 10:59
I think it is even worse than that. I suspect Shelter is working as USAID was for the liberal leftists. Pretending to be an NGO when in fact they are an arm of the “you will own nothing and be happy” racket.

Most of my experiences with tenants pets have been bad. Chewed skirtings and deification on carpets. Dog smell through the flat, etc etc. And did the tenants pay? Of course not.

The UK has lost a significant amount of private rights, being property and speech etc etc. .gov thinks they own your property and you just rent it from them. Thus they dictate to us what we can and can’t do with our private property and meddle in our business. If you are acting as a corporate landlord, then I get it that you are a product of the state by definition, but if you are a private person they should only be able to intervene if you are causing harm. Rant rant rant…

Strikes me that using one of the zero deposit schemes, essentially an insurance policy for the benefit of the landlord which would solve this dilemma provided they cover for pet damage and the introduction of a pet during a tenancy.
The landlord still has to go through the motions of claiming and independent assessment of the claim but the damages should be covered.
If I were a company offering this scheme I would be actively doing my sums.

I have several HMOs. One day a tenant asked if she could have a rabbit. Fine I said as long as it stays outside and does not come in the house. All was good until winter when the hutch had been moved into the shared lounge. I asked her to move it back out but there it remained – apparently outside was too cold for it. Few months later the hutch was gone from the lounge but also was not in the garden! Great I thought, rabbit has gone. I am sure you have now guessed where it went – yes, to her room. She now has a rabbit (plus one by the way) in her room. She says the rabbits help her wellbeing, a few months prior she had fallen from her push bike and hit her head and was stressed. Now I do not have access to her room, when I attempt to talk to her about the situation she accuses me of harassment. That kind of talk gets me really worried. One day she opens her room door and I can quickly count 7 rabbits on the floor and bed but I could only see half the room. And its a big room! The council eventually house her and the stink in that room was like a farm yard. Droppings everywhere (even under the carpet), urine up the wall – disgusting. This person clearly has mental issues (I have other stories like this) and obviously needs help. As a landlord you are left to clear up the debris from peoples lives (literally). Did I mention the tenant whose super massive fish tank exploded all over the floor …

Will landlords be allowed to insist on pet insurance if tenants want to have pets or introduce them later? Is there a limit on how many pets a tenant can have or how many per rented property. I can imagine a 4 bed flat having 4 pets. Also, can a clause in my building lease prevent me from having renters with pets?

Reply to the comment left by Conscientious Landlord at 15/03/2025 – 09:32
This was the response from ChatGPT, to my query, based on the proposed RRB Bill.

Under the proposed Renters (Reform) Bill in England, landlords will be required to consider tenants’ requests to keep pets and cannot unreasonably refuse consent. To address concerns about potential property damage caused by pets, the bill allows landlords to require tenants to obtain insurance that covers pet-related damages.

The bill does not specify a limit on the number of pets a tenant can have. However, landlords retain the right to refuse pet requests on reasonable grounds, which could include concerns about the number of pets relative to the property’s size or suitability. Each request must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Regarding building leases, if your lease agreement explicitly prohibits pets, this restriction would take precedence, and you would be obligated to enforce it with your tenants. The Renters (Reform) Bill acknowledges that it is reasonable for landlords to refuse pet requests when superior leases prohibit pets.

In summary, while the Renters (Reform) Bill aims to facilitate pet ownership among tenants, landlords can require pet damage insurance and may reasonably refuse pet requests based on property suitability or existing lease agreements that prohibit pets.

Reply to the comment left by Stuart Rothwell at 13/03/2025 – 10:32

And then an MP stood up in Parliament 2 years ago & said I think Landlords should be able to charge Pet deposits.