There is a huge market for pet-friendly rentals. We are, after all, a nation of pet lovers. In fact, it was estimated in 2016 that 11 million households in the UK own pets – around 40% in total. 8.5 million (24%) of households own dogs. And yet with more people renting homes than ever in Britain, it is still uncommon for landlords to allow pet owners to live in their property.
A 2011 Dogs Trust survey found that owners of furry friends take up to seven times longer to rent a home compared to non-pet owners, while one in three pet owners could not find a single suitable property which would accept their pet.
Before we get to our 6 compelling reasons to consider pet-friendly rentals, we just wanted to take a moment to share some of the work we’ve been doing to help:
As a letting agency supporting pet-friendly rentals, Chancellors are proud to champion our ongoing partnership with the Dogs Trust Lets with Pets scheme. The Lets with Pets scheme was set up in 2009 in order to assist pet owners with finding rented housing, thereby reducing the amount of re-homed animals. This was prompted by an increase in the number of dogs being brought into Dogs Trust centres for re-homing when their owners had been forced to give them up.
Renting your property to tenants with pets maximises its rental potential:
1. With so few properties available to pet owners, your property will be in high demand. Pet-friendly rentals are highly sought-after and don’t generally stay on the market for long.
2. Tenants are likely to stay longer in your property with few options for pet-friendly accommodation elsewhere.
3. Responsible pet owners often make responsible tenants. The lack of pet-friendly rentals means tenants are less likely to want to jeopardise their tenancy.
4. Arrange a meeting with the tenant and their pet first so that you can see how well-behaved they are – any responsible tenant should be more than happy to oblige to this.
5. You can get extra reassurance about each pet-owning tenant by obtaining a reference from their previous landlord.
6. Alleviate any worries over damage by asking for an extra pet damage deposit upfront; this is quite common and prevents any issues at a later date.