In this article
  1. First check which rules cover your home
  2. Write a request someone can assess
  3. Understand the response deadline
  4. What can count as a reasonable refusal?
  5. Separate permission from fees and damage
  6. If the answer seems unfair
  7. Give your dog's everyday plan some detail

You have found a dog you hope to adopt, or you and your existing dog need a new home. An old “no pets” sentence in a tenancy agreement can feel like the end of the conversation. For many private tenants in England, the law now gives you a way to ask for an individual decision.

The Renters' Rights Act introduced a term into qualifying assured tenancies: tenants can request a pet in writing, describing the animal, and consent must not be unreasonably refused. The change took effect for non-social-housing assured tenancies on 1 May 2026. It is a right to request permission, not automatic permission.1

First check which rules cover your home

This guide concerns England. Government guidance says most existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. Different rules apply to council or housing-association accommodation, student halls and lodgers. Do not assume the private-tenancy pet process applies merely because you pay rent.2

Section 16A expressly excludes tenancies of social housing. If you are unsure what tenancy you have, get housing advice before relying on its deadlines or remedies. The law describes an animal living at the property, whether or not the tenant owns it; temporarily caring for someone else's dog still needs thought about the tenancy.1

If you are searching for a home, discuss your dog before committing to arrangements. Ask what permission you will have in writing. The statutory term concerns qualifying tenancies; it is not a guarantee that a particular property will be offered to you. Avoid arranging an adoption around an assumption that permission must follow.2

Write a request someone can assess

The government's tenant guide says to describe the animal, including its type, size and space needs. A landlord must respond in writing and should explain a refusal. Keeping or obtaining a pet without permission may breach the tenancy terms, so send the request before bringing the dog to live there.3

Put your name and address at the top and identify the dog clearly. If you do not yet know the individual, say what kind of dog you are considering and what remains undecided. Ask how to supply further details once you have them. Keep the conversation about a real plan, without promising behaviour you cannot know in advance.

Keep a clear record

  1. RequestDescribe the dog and ask for permission in writing.3
  2. Reply to questionsSupply additional information the landlord asks for.3
  3. Save the decisionKeep the written permission or refusal with your tenancy papers.3

You can use email and keep the full thread in one folder. Save attachments as well as messages, including any photographs or description you supplied. Note when you sent the request and when information was requested or provided. This is useful administration whether the answer is straightforward or you later need advice.

Understand the response deadline

The normal deadline is 28 days after the request. If the landlord reasonably asks for further information within that period, the Act allows an extension to seven days after that information is provided. It also permits extensions to seven days after a superior landlord replies, where their consent was sought within the original period, or to a date landlord and tenant agree.1

The tenant guide explains that after you provide information, the landlord has the remainder of the original 28 days or seven further days, whichever is later. If you do not provide the requested information, they need not decide. Check which exception applies before concluding that a reply is late.3

If a response says “we need more time”, ask what information or permission is outstanding and when you should expect an answer. Keep any agreement about a later date in writing. Do not interpret silence as approval, or resolve uncertainty by bringing the dog in and hoping the paperwork catches up.

What can count as a reasonable refusal?

Government guidance gives examples rather than an automatic answer for every property. Relevant issues can include a housemate's allergy, inadequate space for the proposed animal, legal restrictions on ownership or a superior lease. General dislike of pets or what a previous tenant's pet did would usually be unreasonable reasons.4

Reasons in the government guidance
May be reasonableUsually unreasonable
The home is too small for the proposed large pet or several pets.4The landlord dislikes pets.4
Another tenant has an allergy.4A previous tenant's pet caused damage.4
A superior lease prevents permission.4General worry about possible future damage.4

Ask the landlord to relate a concern to your request. If the answer mentions a superior lease, ask what restriction applies and whether consent has been sought. If it mentions space, ask which part of the proposed arrangement causes difficulty. You do not have to turn the exchange into an argument to ask for a clearer explanation.

Assistance animals have additional significance: the government guidance says knowing that a tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog, would usually make refusal unreasonable. Get advice about your circumstances rather than treating disability-related needs as an ordinary pet preference.4

Separate permission from fees and damage

For tenancies within the Tenant Fees Act, landlords cannot require prohibited payments or generally require tenants to enter third-party service or insurance contracts. The permitted-payment rules do not create a special pet-insurance payment. Do not assume that compulsory damage insurance is the price of exercising the new request process.5

The ordinary security-deposit cap is five weeks' rent where annual rent is below £50,000, and six weeks where it is £50,000 or more. Calling money a “pet deposit” does not take it outside the rules. Ask for advice about any proposed additional payment, its purpose and the total deposit.5

The same Act permits damages for breach of the tenancy. Permission does not remove responsibility for damage, and government guidance says the landlord can use the deposit for pet-related repairs. They cannot recover the same damage through both insurance and the deposit. Discuss repairs promptly and keep records of what was agreed.4, 5

For a property advertised at a stated rent, a landlord or agent cannot ask, encourage or accept a higher bid. Government guidance says you can report rental bidding to the local council. Do not offer above the advertised figure to make your dog more attractive as an applicant.6

Take photographs of the home's condition and keep the inventory and correspondence together. If money is requested, ask for the reason and the relevant term before agreeing. Distinguish a genuine repair discussion from an unexplained charge added because you asked about a dog.

If the answer seems unfair

Complain in writing to the landlord or agent, explaining which part of the answer you dispute. The tenant guide recommends complaining if the landlord has not responded within the relevant period or you think the refusal is unreasonable. Include the request and the timeline, accounting for any applicable extension.3

Shelter explains that tenants can ask a court to consider a refusal, but may need legal help and might not win. It also distinguishes asking for permission from obtaining a pet without asking, which can put a tenancy at risk. Seek advice before taking legal action or responding to an eviction threat.7

The government's overview points tenants towards Shelter and Citizens Advice. Send an adviser the tenancy agreement, your request, the dog's description, all replies and any proposed charges. Write your immediate question clearly, such as whether a particular reason is reasonable or what to do after no decision.2

Give your dog's everyday plan some detail

Dogs Trust recommends a pet profile covering personality, behaviour, training, daily routine and veterinary-care history. A reference from a previous landlord can help. Be ready to discuss time alone, care arrangements and house training. These details support a request; the charity's suggested profile is not an extra statutory form.8

Useful details for the conversation

  • The dog's size, age and what you know about their behaviour.8
  • Their routine and how care will work during your absence.8
  • A previous landlord's pet reference, where available.8
  • Relevant veterinary-care history and preventive-care arrangements.8
  • Questions you still need the landlord or agent to answer.

Keep the description truthful and practical. If your work pattern changes each week, describe the cover you actually have. If the dog is new to you, explain what you know and what you will find out from the rescue or previous keeper. A clear request gives both sides something concrete to discuss before a dog joins the household.

Sources and further reading8 sources

The small numbers in the article link to the source behind each fact. Sources open on their own websites.

  1. Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 11The National Archives
  2. Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenantsMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
  3. Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants: If you want a pet to live with youGOV.UK
  4. Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords: If a tenant wants a pet to live with themGOV.UK
  5. Tenant Fees Act 2019The National Archives
  6. Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants: Rental biddingGOV.UK
  7. Ask your landlord if you can have a petShelter England
  8. Renting with petsDogs Trust