Campaigners launch second attempt to get ‘pets in lets’ legislation passed

MP Andrew Rosindell and his supporters say an insurance-based approach is now the most likely proposal to get all-round support inside and outside parliament.

dog pets

The debate over whether letting agents and landlords should allow pets in lets by default has been reignited.

MP Andrew Rosindell, whose original Dogs and Domestic Animals (Accommodation and Protection) Bill was killed off by the pandemic and the curtailing of private member bill activity in parliament, is now preparing a second legislative assault.

Pet advocacy organisations AdvoCats is working with Rosindell and his team to prepared a second private members bill.

While the MPs original bill set out to compel landlords to take tenants with pets, the new one proposes that pet rental insurance premiums should be ‘permitted payments’ alongside deposits, rent and holding deposits to allow landlords and letting agents to charge for pet insurance.

AdvoCats founder Jennifer Berezai says the plan is to persuade MPs to include their proposals within the government’s Renter’s Reform Bill due to be introduced into parliament later this year.

Insurance approach

Berezai also claims that there are a number of ‘high profile’ organisations within the PR who support the initiative, and that research among landlords points to three quarters in favour of an insurance-based approach to ‘pets in lets’.

The campaign is due to start on 15th June when Lord Black of Brentwood, an ally of Rosindell’s will lead oral questions in the House of Lords on ‘encouraging more private landlords to allow responsible tenants to keep pets in their rented properties’.

Black is a patron of International Cat Care recently and is leading a campaign to make micro-chipping of cats compulsory.

 


One Comment

  1. Gees, how simple was it when we could just charge higher deposit and those that did no damage got all money back. So so simple.
    No better insurance than the tenants own money.
    Now look what Shelter and Generation rent and the Govt have done. Made it MUCH MUCH worse for tenants yet again.
    My text below I’ve done before.

    From another Landlord:
    Landlords: pets are okay if you pay for extra insurance to cover any damage.
    Gov: in that case we will make it illegal to charge extra insurance.
    LLs: well then we will have to slightly increase deposits for those with pets.
    Gov: in that case we will cap deposits at 5 weeks rent.
    LLs: okay well we can’t really allow pets anymore then.
    Gov: in that case we will force you to take tenants with pets.
    LLs: well then we have no choice but to increase rent across the board even for tenants without pets.
    Gov: oh.
    Tenants: why is rent so high??

    And why does this site require a verification code to comment? Is it MI5? Secret Govt?

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