Pet Request (Renters’ Rights Act)
Quick answer
The tenant’s statutory right, under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, to request permission to keep a pet in a rented home in England. The landlord must respond in writing and cannot unreasonably refuse, and blanket “no pets” clauses in the tenancy are void. The landlord has 28 days to reply (extendable by a further 7 days if they reasonably need more information) and can make consent conditional on reasonable terms.
At a glance
- Law
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025
- Response window
- 28 days (+7 if more info needed)
- Refusal
- Only if reasonable; blanket bans void
- Conditions
- Reasonable terms allowed
Full guide
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Open full guideWhy Pet Request (Renters’ Rights Act) matters for landlords
The clock is the risk: miss the 28-day window (or the extended 35 days) without a written, reasoned reply and you have effectively refused nothing, weakening any later objection. “Reasonable” refusal is fact-specific — a superior landlord’s head-lease ban or genuine unsuitability can qualify, but “I just don’t want pets” will not. Because both the request and the response are time-stamped obligations, keeping a dated record of every pet request and your reply is the only way to prove you answered in time if it is ever disputed.
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Related terms
Renters Rights Act 2025
UK legislation that received Royal Assent in 2025 and came fully into force on 1 May 2026. Abolished Section 21 no-fault evictions, converted all ASTs to periodic tenancies, extended the Decent Homes Standard to the PRS, introduced a private rented sector database and gave tenants the right to request pets.
PAT Testing (Portable Appliance Testing)
Electrical safety testing of portable appliances (kettles, lamps, toasters) supplied with the tenancy. Not legally required for private rentals in England, but recommended good practice and sometimes required by insurers and HMO licences.
PCM (Per Calendar Month)
PCM stands for "per calendar month" — the standard way UK rent is advertised (e.g. "£1,200 pcm"). It is the rent due each month regardless of how many days that month has. To convert a weekly rent (pw) to pcm, multiply by 52 and divide by 12; dividing weekly rent by 4 understates the true monthly figure. The legal tenancy deposit cap and Section 13 rent-increase rules are all calculated from the monthly (or annualised) rent, so getting pcm right matters beyond the advert.
Periodic Tenancy
A tenancy that continues from period to period (usually monthly) with no fixed end date. From 1 May 2026 all assured tenancies in England are periodic by default under the Renters Rights Act 2025. Tenants can end the tenancy with two months' notice.
Possession Order
The court order made at the end of a possession claim, requiring the tenant to give up the property to the landlord on a specified date. Two main types under Section 8: outright (give up by a fixed date, typically 14–42 days) or suspended (postponed if the tenant complies with terms, e.g. clearing arrears). If the tenant does not leave by the date in the order the landlord must apply for a Warrant of Possession to enforce eviction by a county court bailiff or High Court Enforcement Officer.
Possession Warrant (Warrant of Possession)
The court instruction authorising a county court bailiff to physically evict the tenant after a Possession Order has expired without the tenant leaving. Applied for on form N325, currently runs at a £130 court fee plus the bailiff’s scheduling waiting list (often 6–12 weeks in busy regions). Higher-value claims (over £600) can be transferred to the High Court for enforcement by a High Court Enforcement Officer (Writ of Possession), which is significantly faster but more expensive.