Pet-friendly rented home listings fall 39% before RRA’s implementation

Pet-friendly rented home listings across England have fallen sharply in early 2026, as landlords apparently increasingly reject advertising these homes.

Research from Inventory Base shows a 39% drop since January, ahead of May’s implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.

Now, just 5,839 homes are advertised as allowing pets, out of a total 98,964 properties currently on the market.

That leaves 5.9% of listings openly marked as pet-friendly.

At the beginning of the year, the share was 8.2% and the drop of 2.3 percentage points has occurred within a relatively short window.

Fewer pet-friendly listings

The firm’s operations director, Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, said: “From May, the rules change in a meaningful way.

“The government’s definition of ‘reasonable refusal’ is tighter than many landlords are anticipating, and the practical effect of that is more pets in more homes – regardless of how a property is currently advertised.”

She added: “What the data suggests is that some landlords are responding by quietly reducing pet-friendly listings.

“In reality, that is more likely to delay the issue than avoid it.”

Plan for new rules

Ms Hemming-Metcalfe stresses that landlords shouldn’t panic and rely on robust inventory reports, thorough check-ins and regularly documented inspections.

These will give landlords the evidence base they need to manage damage when it occurs and to defend their position if a dispute follows.

Under the legislation, tenancy agreements will include an implied clause allowing tenants to request a pet.

Landlords will be unable to refuse the request without a fair reason, even where existing contracts state otherwise.

Listings across England

Across the regions, the reduction is consistent, though uneven in scale.

The East of England records the steepest fall, down 50.9% since January, with 317 homes now listed as pet-friendly.

The East Midlands follows with a decline of 49.8% and in the South East, availability is down 46.6%.

Yorkshire and Humber listings show a 45% drop with the South West is 43.1% lower over the same period.

Further north, the North West has fallen by 39.1%, with the West Midlands at 37.9%.

London stands at 31.9%, and the North East at 31.2%.