The pet clause oversight that left a landlord powerless

The tenancy started smoothly, with no mention of pets. But months later, the landlord discovered two large dogs living in the property. The tenancy agreement made no reference to pets at all — neither granting permission nor prohibiting them. When complaints arose about noise and damage, the landlord found they had no contractual grounds to insist the animals be removed. Repair costs mounted, neighbours were unhappy, and the landlord’s options were limited.

Tenancy agreements should include clear terms about pets. Since 2021, the government’s model tenancy agreement has been updated to make landlords consider pet requests reasonably, but that does not mean landlords must accept them. Without a clause, disputes become harder to manage. In this case, the lack of wording meant the tenant could argue they had not breached any terms. What could have been a straightforward contractual issue became a drawn-out dispute.

The lesson is simple: clarity upfront saves problems later. Landlords should decide their policy on pets, write it clearly into tenancy agreements, and, if granting permission, ensure any conditions (such as pet deposits or cleaning obligations) are recorded in writing. A missing clause leaves landlords vulnerable to both damage and neighbour disputes.

What do you think?

Do you allow pets in your rentals? How do you balance tenant demand for pet-friendly homes with the risk of damage?

Source: Gov.uk model tenancy agreement

Previous articles in this series

Landlord Lessons: The AST date mistake

Landlord Lessons: The missing inventory

Landlord Lessons: The verbal agreement trap

Landlord Lessons: The gas safety lapse

Landlord Lessons: The unprotected deposit

Landlord Lessons: The unlicensed HMO

Landlord Lessons: The electrical safety lapse

Landlord Lessons: The Right to Rent slip

Landlord Lessons: The ignored repair

Landlord Lessons: The insurance blindspot

Landlord Lessons: The rent-to-rent risk

Landlord Lessons: The Section 21 error

Landlord Lessons: The Section 8 misstep

Landlord Lessons: The selective licensing oversight

Landlord Lessons: The EPC blindspot

Landlord Lessons: The rent increase mistake

Landlord Lessons: The service charge shock

Landlord Lessons: The tax record slip

Landlord Lessons: The guarantor gap

Landlord Lessons: The referencing shortcut