Can a landlord refuse a tenant's request to keep a pet?

A tenant can ask, in writing, and you must answer in writing within 28 days. Every private assured tenancy in England now carries an implied term that the tenant may keep a pet if they ask and you consent, and that "such consent is not to be unreasonably refused by the landlord". You can still refuse — a head lease forbidding pets is the clearest case — but you cannot charge for the animal: no pet rent, no extra deposit, no pet insurance.

The implied term

Section 11 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 inserted sections 16A and 16B into the Housing Act 1988. Under section 16A(1), "the landlord is to give or refuse consent in writing on or before the 28th day after the date of the request".

It applies to "every assured tenancy other than a tenancy of social housing" and came into force on 1 May 2026. Since every assured shorthold tenancy became an assured periodic tenancy that day, it sits in old tenancies as much as new ones, alongside any no-pets clause you already have.

What the tenant has to do

Under section 16B(3) the request must "be in writing" and "include a description of the pet for which consent is sought". That is the whole requirement: no form, no notice period, no reasons needed. Consent is pet by pet: "If a tenant wants another pet, they will have to ask for permission again."

The 28-day clock

Twenty-eight days from the request, in writing either way. Three things extend it.

1. You reasonably ask for more information on or before day 28. GOV.UK puts the effect as "the remainder of the original 28 days or an extra 7 days ... whichever is later". If the tenant never answers, "the landlord is not required to give or refuse consent" at all.
2. You need a superior landlord's consent and seek it on or before day 28, delaying until "the 7th day after ... the landlord receives consent or refusal from the superior landlord". Write to the freeholder late and you lose the extension.
3. The tenant agrees a later date. Where more than one applies, the latest governs.

Missing the deadline does not hand the tenant automatic permission — neither section contains a deemed-consent provision. It puts you in breach of a term of the tenancy, and section 16B(5) provides that the court "may order specific performance of the obligation". Silence holds nothing, and keeps your reasons off the record.

What counts as a reasonable refusal

Section 16B(4) gives two examples and is expressly a floor, not a ceiling — the circumstances in which refusal is reasonable "include" those where the pet "would cause the landlord to be in breach of an agreement with a superior landlord", or the head lease requires that landlord's consent and you have "taken reasonable steps to obtain that consent" without success.

GOV.UK adds examples beyond the statute: reasonable where "another tenant has an allergy" or "the property is too small for a large pet or several pets"; usually unreasonable where you "have general concerns about potential damage in the future".

The genuinely unclear ground is the superior landlord. "Reasonable steps" is undefined, and nothing says how many chasers to a managing agent are enough, or how long to wait on a silent freeholder. The government's policy guide says "It will always be reasonable for a landlord to refuse a request when their superior landlord prohibits pets" — the Act is narrower, because its second limb is conditional on your having tried.

Pet insurance, pet rent and deposits

Most of what you will read online here is out of date. The Act gives you no power to require pet insurance. Section 27 amends the Tenant Fees Act 2019 — renaming tenancy types, repealing section 17 — and adds nothing to the permitted payments.

That Act therefore applies as before. Section 1(3): a landlord "must not require a relevant person to enter into a contract with a third party ... if that contract is ... a contract of insurance", with only utilities and communication services carved out. GOV.UK says the same — "It is also a prohibited payment if you require your tenant to take out a loan, pay for insurance or start a contract for a service" — though "A tenant can use a loan, insurance or contract if they choose to."

Nor is there a pet entry among the charges you may make: "You cannot charge your tenant any payment that is not on this list." No pet rent, no pet premium, no pet admin fee. The deposit cap is untouched: still "up to 5 weeks' rent" below £50,000 annual rent, six weeks' at £50,000 or more. A breach can carry a penalty of up to £5,000, or £30,000 where an offence is made out.

Insure the property yourself instead, and use the deposit: "You can keep money from the deposit to cover repair costs caused by pet damage" — but "You cannot claim for the same damage twice."

Assistance dogs are not pets

An assistance dog is trained support, not an animal kept mainly for companionship, so it is not a pet on the statutory definition. Under the Equality Act 2010 the reasonable adjustments duty applies to "a controller of let premises", and Schedule 4 treats "a term of the letting" as something that may need adjusting on request. GOV.UK agrees it would usually be unreasonable to refuse if you "know the tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog."

Practical steps

• Acknowledge in writing the day it arrives, with the date received and your deadline.
• Write to the freeholder the same week if the lease requires consent, and keep the chasers.
• Give reasons if you refuse. GOV.UK: "If you refuse a request for a pet, you should explain why."
• Record the condition of the property — a dated inventory with photographs makes a deposit deduction stick.
• Treat yes as final: "Once you agree ... you cannot change your mind or change the tenancy agreement."

If you refuse unreasonably, or say nothing

The remedy is contractual, not a council fine. GOV.UK tells tenants that they "can make a complaint to you or apply to the court to start court proceedings against you", and to complain where a landlord does not respond "within 28 days". Where an agent manages the property, the tenant can complain to the agent as well — Atlas Estates is a member of the Property Redress Scheme.

See also what the Renters' Rights Act changed for landlords and our fees.

General information, current at October 2026, and not legal advice. Whether a refusal is reasonable turns on the facts and on the terms of any superior lease — confirm the position on GOV.UK or take advice before you reply.

If you have a pet request on your desk and a lease you are unsure about, ring 0161 710 4510, call in at 12–14 Midland Street, Manchester M12 6LB, or book a valuation.