Minister says no to making pet clauses mandatory within rental contracts
Welsh minister says during debate that it is better to allow landlords and tenants to come to their own agreements and amend contracts as needed, rather than making it the legal default.
The Welsh government has said it will not force landlords and letting agents to accept tenants with pets by making it the ‘legal default’ within occupation contracts, as tenancy agreements are known in Wales.
Finance minister Rebecca Evans made the comments during a short debate within the Senedd about pets and the private rented sector.
During the debate she was urged by a fellow Labour member of the Senedd Carolyn Thomas as well as those on the Conservative and Plaid Cymru benches, to help tenants with pets access suitable homes more easily.
Thomas said: “The mental health repercussions for both pet and owner caused by this forced separation can be devastating,” said Thomas.
Totally unnecessary
“It’s also totally unnecessary; evidence gathered by the Local Government and Housing Committee found that pet owners in fact make excellent tenants, as they are more likely to stay in a rental accommodation for an extended period, and the vast majority of the landlords find no pet-related damage to their property whatsoever.
“Making pets the legal default in tenancy agreements would allow more renters to keep or adopt animals and enjoy the many benefits pets provide.”
But while the minister said she realised pet owners faced difficulties finding suitable properties to rent, she didn’t support the idea of mandatory contractual terms.
Additional terms
Instead Evans pointed out that Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, landlords and contract holders can agree additional terms covering the keeping of pets.
Also, the Welsh Government has issued guidance setting out that any pet clause should allow a contract holder to ask for permission to keep a pet and the landlord is not allowed to unreasonably refuse the request, and recently backed an RSPCA ‘best practice’ guide that Evans said was designed to break down the “stigma and fear that some landlords have in allowing pets”.
“While landlords may have valid reasons for not allowing pets, there are often compromises that can be reached, such as having a clause in the contract that requires the tenant to pay for a professional cleaner at the end of a tenancy, or a slightly higher tenancy deposit to cover any potential damage,” she added.
At last some common sense has returned