Renters Reform Bill Published

Landlords to fully consider pet requests Following the release of the ‘A Fairer Private Rented Sector’ White Paper in June 2022, the Renters (Reform) Bill, published on 17 May 2023, has adopted the UK Government's commitment to the right for tenants to request permission to keep a pet, and amending the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to permit pet insurance.

Under the new tenancy system, it will be an implied term of every assured tenancy that a tenant will be able to keep a pet in the property if they ask for consent in writing and receive the landlord’s consent. Landlords will be required to fully consider all requests on a case-by-case basis. A landlord must give or refuse consent in writing on or before the 42 nd day after the date of the request, although there are some exceptions detailed in the Bill. Guidance on what will be considered a reasonable refusal for a pet request will be