According to new research, there are a growing number of tenants in the private rented sector who are unable to own pets, or find a suitable property which will allow pets.
Intus Lettings surveyed over 2,000 renters and asked them what the most important features tenants typically look for in a rental property are. According to the data, the most common responses were having outdoor space (46%), followed by a car parking space (42%).
However a large group of responders cited that a pet-friendly property was the most important factor, highlighting a common qualm from renters who are unable to own a pet because of strict rules surrounding pets in the PRS.
A recent survey from SpareRoom supports this, revealing that 69 per cent of landlords will not allow pets in their properties, leading to a quarter of tenants keeping a pet despite it breaching the terms of their rental agreement.
Hope McKendrick, Head of Lettings at Intus Lettings said: “Our latest survey has shown that there are a growing number of UK tenants tied into the rental sector because of deposit concerns. With this in mind it’s important that tenants can feel like they’re able to make a house a home, and for many this means being able to have a pet.
With the majority of rental accommodation prohibiting pets as a condition of the tenancy agreement, many tenants are forced to illegitimately keep pets, meaning they could face eviction if caught; and in some extreme cases some renters have had to give up their pets prior to moving into rental accommodation.”
As the rental sector continues to grow we can only expect demand for pet friendly homes to rise, and it will be interesting to see how the sector advances to support this.”
