A4.16 Renting with Pets

Is it allowed to keep pets in rented accommodation in the UK? What can you do if the landlord increases the rent because of a pet?

In the UK, some students, due to studying for three years or even longer—like a friend of Ten-Litre Cat who started from a foundation year, then moved on to undergraduate, followed by a master’s, and is now pursuing a PhD—could no longer resist the temptation of having a little cat and decided to get one. Only after getting the cat did they realise a problem: Is it actually allowed to keep a cat in a rented property in the UK?

 

So, this friend dug out the tenancy agreement and started reading it carefully. Suddenly, they noticed a clause stating that keeping pets requires the landlord’s consent! It was clearly written in black and white. After asking around among fellow pet-owning students, none of them were aware of this requirement. That’s when the friend thought of Ten-Litre Cat, the know-all when it comes to matters in the UK. Immediately, the friend reached out for help. As the undisputed ambassador for studying in the UK, Ten-Litre Cat absolutely had to know the answer!

 

In no time, Ten-Litre Cat puffed out their chest and assured the friend, "I’ll help you if you set me up on a date!" The friend, quick on the uptake, immediately sent an adorable video of the little cat being cute. And just like that, Ten-Litre Cat forgot all about the request for a date, all thanks to the irresistible charm of the kitten—a classic case of losing sight of the bigger picture for something small, haha!

 

Just kidding, let’s get back to the point.

Here’s the situation: the friend signed a one-year tenancy agreement in January, and it’s now September. The little cat has already moved in this month. After reviewing the contract, the friend realised it explicitly states that keeping pets requires the landlord’s permission. So, the friend contacted the landlord, who agreed to allow the cat but insisted on increasing the rent—from over £1,200 per month to £1,500, effective from September. If the friend refused, the landlord demanded the cat be removed. That’s a £300 increase, and since it’s backdated to September, it means five months of higher rent—an extra £1,500 in total. Wow, that’s quite the easy money, isn’t it!

 

If the friend’s little cat were to grow into a chubby cat with extreme destructive tendencies—say, wrecking the rented property or damaging the landlord’s furniture, or making the place particularly dirty or smelly—then it would be reasonable for the friend to compensate the landlord at a fair price. However, arbitrarily raising the rent simply for keeping a pet is unreasonable.

 

According to regulations introduced by the UK government on January 28, 2021, regarding tenants keeping pets: landlords cannot impose a blanket ban on tenants keeping pets. This means that allowing pets is the default position. In other words, when a landlord rents out a property to a tenant, it inherently includes the possibility of keeping pets.

There is only one circumstance under which a landlord can refuse a tenant’s request to keep a pet: the landlord must have a valid reason and must formally object in writing within 28 days of the tenant keeping the pet, providing sufficient justification for the refusal.

 

In that case, it is quite clear that although the friend's landlord agreed to the request to keep a cat, they demanded a rent increase. This situation clearly does not meet the requirement for the landlord to provide a valid, written justification for refusing a pet. Therefore, the rent increase is unreasonable, and the landlord has no grounds to evict either the friend or the pet.

 

Upon hearing this explanation from Ten-Litre Cat, the friend was very excited and immediately emailed the landlord. The very next day, the landlord agreed that the friend could keep the pet without a rent increase, provided that the property and its contents remained undamaged and that hygiene standards were maintained.

After the issue was resolved, the friend was extremely pleased and repeatedly praised Ten-Litre Cat, promising to treat them to a meal upon returning to China and to bring the little cat along to thank Ten-Litre Cat in person. Thus, in September 2021, Ten-Litre Cat successfully helped another adorable little cat – Ten-Litre Cat is simply brilliant.