Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, you have the right to request to keep a pet in your rented home, and your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. They must reply in writing within 28 days — and if they don't respond in time, your request is treated as granted. They can only say no with a genuine, reasonable reason.
For years, "no pets" was simply a line in the tenancy agreement — non-negotiable, rarely explained, and almost never challenged. Millions of renters quietly gave up a dog or rehomed a cat because the contract said so. Landlords could refuse on a whim, and there was little a tenant could do about it.
That has changed. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives tenants in England a real right to ask to keep a pet, and it puts a clock on the landlord's answer. A blanket "no pets" clause is no longer the end of the conversation — it's the start of one.
Once you make a written pet request, your landlord has 28 days to reply in writing. Miss it, and the request is treated as having been granted.
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 introduced an implied right for tenants to keep a pet with the landlord's consent — and, crucially, that consent cannot be unreasonably withheld. In practice, that means four things:
A refusal is only valid if it is reasonable and given in writing, with the grounds explained. If it isn't, you can challenge it.
The strength of your position comes down to one thing: a clear, dated, written request. Do it properly and the 28-day clock starts the moment it lands. Here's how.
A landlord can still say no — but only for a genuine reason, and they have to explain it. Here's the difference between a refusal that's likely to stand and one you can challenge.
The Act closed a few of the old workarounds, too:
They can't require pet insurance. Earlier drafts of the Bill would have let landlords demand pet damage insurance as a condition of consent. That provision was dropped from the final Act before it received Royal Assent — so a landlord cannot make pet insurance a requirement. You can, of course, still choose to take out cover yourself.
They can't charge a separate "pet deposit" or pet rent. Your deposit is still capped at the usual limit (generally five weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000). A landlord cannot add an extra pet deposit on top, or charge fees the Tenant Fees Act 2019 doesn't permit. You remain responsible for repairing any damage your pet actually causes, which the deposit already covers.
They can't rely on a blanket ban. A "no pets under any circumstances" clause in a new tenancy no longer overrides your right to have a request properly considered.
If the deadline passes with no written response, the law treats your request as granted. Keep the dated request and a note of the deadline so you can point to it.
If they refuse, read the reason carefully. Is it one of the reasonable grounds above, and is it in writing? If it's a blanket refusal, a personal preference, or no reason at all, it is open to challenge. Reply in writing asking them to reconsider and to set out their specific reasonable grounds. Keep the correspondence.
If it can't be resolved directly, you can raise it through the landlord's complaints process, the new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman once you have exhausted the landlord's own complaints procedure, or seek advice from Citizens Advice or Shelter. Throughout, the record you built at the start is what makes any of these routes work.
BeTenant App
BeTenant's Pet Request tool helps you send a properly worded request, timestamps it, counts down the landlord's 28-day deadline, and files their response in your evidence timeline — so if it's ever disputed, you have the record.
Get BeTenant Free →The pet rules are one piece of a much larger shift. Alongside the right to request a pet, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 abolished Section 21 "no-fault" evictions, moved to periodic tenancies, limited rent increases to once a year, and strengthened protections around repairs and discrimination. Taken together, they rebalance a relationship that has long favoured the landlord.
But rights only work if renters use them. A pet request that's never made in writing, or a refusal that's never challenged, changes nothing. Make the request properly, keep the record, and hold the 28-day deadline — that's how the law actually turns into a pet on the sofa.
Not without a good reason. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse a written request to keep a pet. They must consider each request, respond in writing within 28 days, and give the reasonable grounds for any refusal. Blanket "no pets" policies and personal preference are not valid reasons.
28 days from your written request. If your landlord reasonably asks for more information, they must decide within 7 days of receiving it, or within the remaining part of the 28-day period. If they do not respond in time, the request is treated as having been granted.
Reasonable grounds include a superior landlord or freeholder prohibiting pets where the landlord cannot get consent, the property being genuinely unsuitable for that pet (for example a large dog in a small flat with no outdoor space), or a statutory restriction on the animal itself. Not liking pets, an out-of-date tenancy clause, or "we've never allowed it" are not reasonable grounds.
The power for landlords to require pet insurance was dropped from the final Renters' Rights Act 2025, so they cannot make it a condition. Your deposit is still capped at the normal limit (usually five weeks' rent), and a landlord cannot take an extra "pet deposit" on top or charge fees that the Tenant Fees Act 2019 does not permit.
Keep your dated written request. If 28 days pass with no response, the request is treated as granted. If they refuse, check whether the reason is genuinely reasonable and given in writing; if it is not, you can challenge the decision. Keep a full record of the request, the response, and any correspondence in case you need to escalate.
Yes. BeTenant is a free tenant protection app built for private renters in England. It lets you send a properly worded pet request, automatically timestamps it, and counts down your landlord's 28-day response deadline — filing their reply in your evidence timeline. The app includes 15+ tools covering the situations renters face most: a Rent Increase Checker, a Notice Validity Checker, a repair and disrepair tracker, and a letter generator that drafts formally worded letters to your landlord or letting agent. Free to use. Available at betenant.com.
Not legal advice. BeTenant provides information and tools — not legal advice. For complex matters, seek advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice.