The law on pets in rental properties in England is changing but at the moment only 7% of private landlords currently advertise pet-friendly properties.
With around 44% of households in the UK having pets, that’s a lot of potential tenants landlords are missing out on.
Why do landlords shy away from allowing pets in their properties?
One of the more obvious reasons is damage. Landlords worry that a cat or dog will damage their property by scratching the furniture, flooring or spoiling even the best stain resistance carpets. If they don’t have anything that is dog-friendly such as flooring then there will be expensive issues. Perhaps they’re also worried the animals will bring fleas in or annoy the neighbours by a tenant’s cat using next door’s garden as a toilet or a dog barking all night or bringing its doggy friends over for doggy raves each weekend (doggy raves are a thing, aren’t they?)
Whatever the landlord’s reasons for not allowing pets in their property, there are plenty of good reasons why they should allow pets.
If you’re a landlord, whether that’s one with letting agents in east London or one who relies on good old word-of-mouth to get your tenants, here are a few reasons why you should allow pets in your rental property.
Security
Although we don’t recommend you rely on a big barking dog to deter burglars instead of installing proper locks, a dog can act as some security against anyone breaking into your property. You may not care if your tenant’s stuff gets stolen but your insurance premiums will go up and you’ll soon care then.
More choice of tenant
If only 7% of landlords currently advertise their properties as pet-friendly, that leaves a market share of 93% for other landlords to mop up if they decide to also allow their tenants to bring their furry friends.
You’ll have a far greater choice of tenant, and a far greater choice of a tenant means a far greater chance of getting a good tenant.
Better tenants
People with pets are better people. Fact. Okay, this may not be a scientifically proven fact but people who care about animals are often caring, compassionate people and aren’t they the type of people you want in your property?
Also, your pet-loving tenants will be so pleased and grateful you allow pets, there’s a good chance they’ll take extra care in looking after your property and making sure no damage is done.
Tenants with pets also stay longer. This is because it’s difficult for them to find somewhere else that allows pets but, seeing as tenants with pets make the best tenants, you’ll want them to stay for a long time.
Fewer animals in rescue centres
If a tenant has to leave their pet-friendly home for whatever reason, with so many landlords refusing to allow pets, this can, unfortunately, leave the tenant with no option but to hand their beloved pet over to a rescue centre.
With pets being a part of the family, this is deeply distressing for the animal and the owner. Most rescue centres have a ‘no-kill’ policy but you wouldn’t want to risk being to blame for innocent animals being put to sleep unnecessarily would you?
As you can see, allowing pets in your rental property is a good thing, so have a think about getting rid of that ‘no animals’ clause in your tenancy agreement so you can enjoy the benefits of happy and grateful pet-loving tenants.
