Demand for rental properties that accept pets has soared during the pandemic as some 3.2 million households have bought either a cat or dog during the various lockdowns over the past 18 months, says Rightmove.

It says tenants looking for pet-friendly homes to rent have soared by 120% over the past year, along with homes with balconies, parking, gardens and ‘bills included’.

But while many tenants may want to now live with their newly-acquired pooches and moggies, finding landlords and letting agents able to accommodate their needs remains difficult.

Richard O’Neill (pictured), MD of Romans Lettings, says: “There has certainly been an increase in demand for pet-friendly homes over the past year, which we attribute to the pandemic and a resultant shift in priorities.

“Where more people are spending more time in their homes and now have more space, it is likely that they are fulfilling past ambitions of owning a pet and now feel as though they have the environment and lifestyle to facilitate that.”

Despite several initiatives designed to change landlord attitudes to pets that were launched in parliament recently both by MPs and the housing ministry, most rented properties are not pet friendly, although the emerging build-to-rent sector is the exception to this rule – many providers encourage tenants to live with pets.

Rightmove’s Director of Property Data Tim Bannister says: “Becoming a pet owner is a long-term commitment, so what’s really interesting to consider is the impact this could have on the rental market in the future, and it’s a signal to landlords that if they were to consider allowing a well-behaved pet then it may open them up to a bigger pool of potential tenants.”