Block management sent letter stating that no pets are allowed?

All this is getting very confusing?

It would be helpful if Ppty18 or someone had a legal opinion from an experienced lawyer on this point.

My late mother had cats, an ever repeating regiment of cats. They did far more permanent damage to furniture and curtains than any dog. Old Tiddles, a venerable cat belonging to an old lady may be blameless but younger cats can be bad news.

Is it possible to simply demand a guarantor to every case? A portfolio manager once said that he had a guarantor every time and didn’t bother with a deposit. He reckoned that a tenant was less likely to fall foul of a relation than risk his deposit.

Reply to the comment left by Blodwyn at 30/06/2025 - 18:48
A guarantor can refuse to agree to an addendum in a tenancy agreement. A guarantor's liability is generally tied to the specific terms of the original tenancy agreement and any subsequent changes, like an addendum, require their explicit consent. If a guarantor doesn't agree to an addendum, the landlord may need to negotiate or consider alternative arrangements.

Given there is no legal way to consider an appropriate or reasonable alternatives (like pet deposit or ongoing insurance) if the guarantor says no then you can again refuse.

Reply to the comment left by Blodwyn at 30/06/2025 - 18:48
actually following on from this, if the T then moved a pet in without getting permission to do so the guarantor would still be on the hook for damage....

so perhaps when a request is made, the LL should automatically inform the guarantor and explain what the implications would be (they would be on the hook for all and any pet damage). Chances are they will refuse - so right there you have your 'reasonable' reply to not agree.

Refer any request to the letter from the block management and if necessary provide a copy

I am a landlord and I have apartments where I have a lease with the freeholder which requires that I do not have pets, and in those same apartments I have tenants with contracts with me that state they cannot have pets.
My understanding is that once the government had legislated that a landlord could not unreasonably refuse a tenant's request to keep a pet, then the blanket "no pets" clause in both these kinds of contract is therefore an "unfair term or condition" and is therefore null and void.
So if a tenant approaches me. I have to consider the request, and allow it if it's reasonable. And if the requesting tenant is in a property where I have signed a lease that has a blanket "no pets" ban then I cannot pretend to be ignorant that that too is null and void.
Any landlord that has this unfair clause in their contract will need to consider the request, and approve it, or give a reasonable grounds for refusing consent.

Reply to the comment left by John Frith at 06/07/2025 - 22:56
What will you do if the freeholder issues a 146 notice?

To clarify my earlier post, As the Leaseholder and landlord I take the view that the law on the matter is unclear on allowing pets when the Leasehold states, 'NO'.

Rather than spending time and money with Tribunals or risking acting illegally I would inform my tenant of the clause in my Lease and state that I am only too happy for them to have a pet provided they can get written permission from my Freeholder whose addrress is ...

If the tenant or the Freeholder want to spend time and money fighting on points of law that's their business. I will sit on the sidelines and await the result without spending money.

I quote:
If a property is leasehold the freeholders lease agreement may have a no-pet clause which the Leaseholder must uphold.

Your tenant to whom you sublet has no contractual relationship with your freeholder.

As leaseholder you are allowing your tenant to breach the terms of your lease on the property you are subletting and your landlord under terms of your lease can serve on you a s146 forfeiture notice.

The freeholder allows you to live there providing you comply with the terms of your lease agreement which you agreed to when you purchased the lease.

Reply to the comment left by Kizzie at 07/07/2025 - 12:40
As a Freeholder.
Fully agree.
We will not be getting into any to and fro arguments over the 'no pets' clause in the leases.
1. We purchased the property with that in place.
2. I understand that if you remove it for one lease then it has to be removed for all.
3. Changes of lease of this nature opens a larger 'can of worms' regarding ground rent etc.
We will feal with the leaseholders only.

If block management says you can't allow pets then you can't. This IS a reasonable excuse as to why you can refuse if any T asks.