Many renters want to have a pet in their home but find it difficult due to tenancy rules (Image: Getty)
People are divided over new landlord reforms relating to renters having pets in their homes.
A lawyer named Belle shared a video on where she claimed a new law will stop landlords issuing blanket bans on having pets. Currently, landlords are allowed to refuse their tenants from having any pets in their .
Landlords now have to consider pet requests on an individual basis, according to Belle. Some users who saw her video think it should be up to landlords whether or not tenants can have in their rented home.
Speaking in the video, Belle said: “As of 2025 the new Renters Rights Bill will stipulate that landlords can no longer issue blanket ban refusals for tenants to have their pets in the home and the key change here is that landlords are now required to consider each pet request individually.
“So currently a landlord is under no obligation to allow tenants to keep pets in their home but this is all proposed to change and the Renters Reform Bill will prevent landlords from unreasonably withholding consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home and if the landlord does refuse then the tenant will be able to challenge that decision which is in complete contrast to the current state of affairs where landlords are able to refuse pets if they say wish so.”
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The lawyer explained currently a landlord can not only refuse pets but could include a no pet clause in the tenancy agreement and the bill will also amend the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to include pet insurance as a permitted payment.
This means if a pet is permitted in the home, landlords will be able to require pet insurance “with the intention of ensuring the costs of any damage to the property is completely covered”.
Belle said the bill does propose an “element of flexibility” so whether the tenant purchases the insurance themself or the landlord does it “provided that the landlord can recoup the reasonable cost of maintaining this insurance”.
Her video has got a staggering 2.2 million views, 129,000 likes and 4351 comments. Users shared their thoughts on the new reforms in their comment section.
One person said: “As a pet owner who rents I disagree. It is their property and their wishes.” Another agreed: “It’s a private property. It should be up to the landlord to decide whether they allow it or not.”
A third user added: “That’s not fair. I wouldn’t want pets in my flat I rent out.” Several users who sided with landlords gave reasons including the damage pets can cause properties, the smell of some animals and allergies some people might have towards animals.
Other people disagreed with these arguments. One commented: “I had a landlord deny me getting a snake once, a snake. What’s a snake going to do in terms of damage to the house like what?”
A second added: “My landlord refused on the basis that she has a dog allergy… she lives in Hong Kong” and a third user said: “I don’t get why landlords ban pets, if their animal damages the property then that gets taken out the deposit like any other damage so they don’t lose money + pets are less messy and noisy than kids!”
One person said they “love” the new rules as they claimed “so many want a pet but can’t because of landlords”. Other users had concerns about the new reforms as some said landlords might choose applicants who have no pets over ones who are pet owners and others questioned what can happen if their current tenancy agreement states they are not allowed to have pets in the property.