Pet requests

Tenant Pet Requests: The 28-Day Rule Every Landlord Must Follow

October 2026 · 8 min read · England private rented sector

Of all the changes the Renters' Rights Act brought in on 1 May 2026, the pet rules are the ones most likely to catch a landlord out by accident. Not because they're complicated, but because they run on a clock — and if you let the clock run out, the decision gets made for you.

Here's how the process works, what counts as a lawful "no", and the two things landlords most commonly get wrong about it.

The new right, in plain English

Tenants in England now have a statutory right to request permission to keep a pet. Note the word: it's a right to ask, not an automatic right to a pet. But your side of the exchange is tightly regulated. When a written request lands, you must respond in writing within 28 days, and your response has to be one of three things:

1. Approve the request (you can attach reasonable conditions);
2. Refuse it, with written reasons — and the reasons must be reasonable, not a restatement of personal preference; or
3. Ask for more information — which pauses the clock and gives you a further 7 days from receiving the information to make your decision.

Your consent must not be unreasonably refused. A blanket "no pets" clause in a tenancy agreement — the kind most landlords used for years — is now unenforceable. Each request has to be considered on its own facts: this animal, this property, this tenancy.

Why the deadline is the dangerous part

Miss the 28-day window and the request is treated as granted — deemed consent. You can't un-grant it afterwards. The tenant is entitled to keep the pet, and if you try to act as though the request never happened, you're the one in breach. A landlord who read somewhere that the window was 42 days (a figure that floated around in early drafts of the legislation and still appears in some guides) and replies on day 35 has already lost the right to refuse.

What counts as a valid refusal

The law doesn't give an exhaustive list, which is exactly why refusals need to be specific and evidenced. Reasons that are generally considered reasonable include:

• A superior landlord's restriction. If your head lease or the building's lease forbids pets, you contractually can't grant consent. Keep a copy of the clause.
• Genuine unsuitability of the property. A large dog in a small third-floor flat with no outside space; multiple animals in a home that's too small for them; genuine animal-welfare concerns.
• Documented health grounds affecting another occupier, such as a diagnosed allergy of a fellow tenant in a shared house.
• Insurance or planning restrictions that specifically exclude the animal in question.

What doesn't count: "I just don't want pets", a general dislike of animals, or a policy you apply to every request without thinking. If the tenant challenges your refusal — in court, and in future through the PRS Landlord Ombudsman — the question will be whether this refusal, for this pet, in this property, was reasonable. Write your reasons as though you'll have to defend them, because you might.

Two things landlords get wrong: deposits and insurance

This is where even careful landlords trip up, partly because a lot of published guides still repeat the old position.

You cannot charge a "pet deposit". An extra deposit on top of the tenancy deposit would breach the Tenant Fees Act 2019 deposit cap. Pet-related damage at the end of the tenancy comes out of the normal protected deposit, within the cap — which is another reason to do a thorough inventory.

You cannot require the tenant to take out pet insurance. A proposal to make pet damage insurance mandatory was in earlier drafts of the legislation and was removed before the Act passed. Insurance can be requested as a reasonable condition of consent, but it cannot be made a mandatory condition. If your approval letter says "consent granted provided you insure the animal", that condition is on shaky ground. Say instead that the tenant remains liable for any damage beyond fair wear and tear.

The decision record: your evidence file

For every request, keep one file containing: the tenant's written request (dated), any request for further information and the reply, your written decision with reasons, and proof of when and how you sent it. If a refusal is ever challenged, this file is your entire defence — that you responded in time, considered the specifics, and gave real reasons. Without it, you're relying on memory against a dated paper trail, and paper trails win.

Not legal advice. This guide is general information for private landlords in England, written in October 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship. Housing law changes — check GOV.UK's guide to the Renters' Rights Act and your local council before acting, and take professional advice on your own circumstances.