Pro-pet tenancies get the thumbs up from MPs
Should Your property be Pet Friendly?
Just 7% of private landlords currently advertise pet-friendly properties. This makes it much harder for tenants to find the right home and in some cases has even meant people having to give up their pets in order to put a roof over their head. But this is all about to change. MPs have voted for a new standard tenancy agreement that means tenants with pets in England should be able to find properties to rent more easily.
Under the new Model Tenancy Agreement, recently announced by Housing Minister Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP, landlords will no longer be able to issue blanket bans on pets. Instead, consent for pets will be the default position. The Model Tenancy Agreement will now be the government’s recommended contract for landlords. With figures showing that more than half of adults in the United Kingdom own a pet and pet ownership booming during the pandemic, the changes mean more landlords will need to cater for responsible pet owners. Under the new agreement, rejections should only be made where there is good reason, such as in smaller properties or flats where owning a pet could be impractical. Landlords will have to object in writing within 28 days of a written pet request from a tenant. At Ringley we’ve been ahead of the game for some time. Our lettings platform PlanetRent automatically generates a pet-friendly agreement for landlords to use and makes sign-up quick and easy. We can also provide pet request forms via our online Gateway. See our blog on this earlier this month.
Pets as Tenants
Pets are family and we’re pleased to see MPs supporting that view too. But of course we understand landlords’ reservations. Irresponsible pet owners can allow their cats and dogs (and other less common pets!) to cause a huge amount of costly damage to fixtures and fittings - and pet hair and stains can spoil carpets at break-neck speed. So we’re glad to see the minister make quite clear that under the new rules tenants will continue to have a legal duty to repair or cover the cost of any harm caused to rented property. What will be more difficult for landlords to determine is what constitutes the “well-behaved” pets that Christopher Pincher referenced in his announcement. What’s the definition and how can landlords tell how well-behaved or otherwise their tenants’ pets may be? One person’s untrained dog could just appear cheeky and fun-loving to someone else. We are famously a nation of pet lovers but if the neighbours start complaining about pet noise, mess or trespass, landlords may have a whole different set of problems to deal with.
Planetrent Properties
Under Offer: This term applies to a property where the landlord is considering an offer but remains on the market. It implies that further offers may still be considered until the landlord formally accepts or declines the current offer.
Let Agreed: This term indicates that a landlord has provisionally agreed to enter into a rental agreement with a prospective tenant, pending additional checks and referencing. It doesn't require the prospective tenant to have paid a holding deposit.
Let: This term signifies an established binding rental agreement between the landlord and tenant.
For both lettings and sales, the guidance addresses additional terms:
New On The Market: This term is used for a property not advertised since its last sale or rental. It should only be used for a brief period.
New Instruction: It applies to a property assigned to an agent for marketing recently, even if it was previously listed with another agent without being sold or rented.
New and Exclusive: This term refers to a property that is either new on the market or a new instruction, exclusively available through a specific agent or portal.
New Method of Sale/Let: This term is used when a property is being marketed for sale or rent using an alternative approach to the original advertisement, such as transitioning to an auction or sealed bid.
Reduced: This term indicates that a property's price has recently been reduced. The reduction should be genuine and comply with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's guidelines on pricing practices.