THE PROPERTY FILTER TAKE
Propertymark has published a guide for letting agents on tenant pet requests, covering the rules in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, landlords have 28 days to answer a written pet request and cannot refuse without a fair reason, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
You may wish to set up a written pet request process, with the 28-day reply date diarised, before the next request lands.
Tenant pet requests now run to a legal deadline in England, and Propertymark has published a guide to help letting agents handle them. According to PropertyWire's report, the guide covers the rules in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with particular focus on the Renters' Rights Act 2025. In England, landlords have 28 days to respond in writing to a pet request (GOV.UK).
What must landlords in England do when a tenant asks for a pet?
The pet rules took effect on 1 May 2026. That is the date the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 brought the Act's assured tenancy reforms into force in England. They apply to assured tenancies (the standard private tenancy in England) that are not social housing.
Section 11 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 writes an implied term into every such tenancy. A tenant may keep a pet if they ask and the landlord consents. And that consent "is not to be unreasonably refused by the landlord".
In practice this means the tenant must ask in writing and describe the pet, according to GOV.UK's guidance for landlords. You then have 28 days to respond in writing. If you ask for more information, you get the remainder of the original 28 days or an extra 7 days, whichever is later. If the tenant never supplies it, you do not have to consider the request.
Leasehold flats get extra time. Under the Act, a landlord who needs a superior landlord's consent (the freeholder or head landlord above you) can wait until 7 days after that answer arrives. That applies if they seek it within the 28 days. GOV.UK lists another tenant's allergy, a property too small for the pet, or an illegal pet as possible fair reasons to refuse. Past damage by other tenants' pets would usually not be. Our free property resources hub collects tools for landlords working through the new tenancy rules.
What does the Propertymark guide tell agents to do?
The guide sets out a practical vetting routine, PropertyWire reports. Agents should assess whether the property suits the specific pet type and size, and check lease restrictions. They should also request landlord references, veterinary references and pet CVs (a short profile of the animal) from prospective tenants.
Propertymark also recommends meetings between landlords, tenants and pets where appropriate. It stresses detailed inventories and regular inspections to protect both parties if a dispute arises.
"The regulatory position is also evolving across the UK," said Henry Griffith, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer at Propertymark, as quoted by PropertyWire. He added that agents need to understand "the rules that apply in their area".
The commercial case matters too. Propertymark cites research indicating that pet-related damage accounts for less than half of non-pet-related damage, according to PropertyWire. The same research suggests tenants with pets typically stay longer. PropertyWire's report does not name the research. Longer tenancies cut void periods (the weeks a property sits empty between lets), a theme covered in our property investment strategies hub.
Do the same pet rules apply in Scotland?
Not yet in force for tenants. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 writes a pet consent regime into private residential tenancies. Consent may not be unreasonably refused, and the landlord has 30 days to respond to a request. No reply in time counts as a refusal.
But commencement is partial. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 3) Regulations 2026 brought section 35 into force on 1 April 2026. That covers only the provisions letting Scottish Ministers consult on and make regulations. On 16 October 2026, legislation.gov.uk recorded no other commencement for section 35.
For agents managing stock in more than one nation, the clocks differ: 28 days in England today, 30 days in Scotland once commenced. You may wish to build both into a written lettings process, a topic our business and systems hub covers.
Key takeaways
In England, landlords have 28 days to answer a written pet request under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, in force since 1 May 2026.
Consent cannot be unreasonably refused; an extra 7 days applies after a tenant supplies requested information, if that is later than day 28.
Propertymark's guide recommends landlord and veterinary references, pet CVs, detailed inventories and regular inspections.
Research cited by Propertymark puts pet-related damage at less than half of non-pet-related damage.
Scotland's 30-day pet rules under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 are commenced only for regulation-making since 1 April 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a landlord in England have to respond to a pet request?
Can a landlord in England still refuse a pet?
Do the pet rules apply to social housing?
Can a landlord take pet damage out of the deposit?
Are the Scottish pet rules in force?
