Are You A Pet-Friendly Landlord?

As a landlord, there are many elements you have to consider when deciding who you’re going to rent a property to, but one aspect that a growing number of renters are looking for is a landlord who is pet friendly.

Property Investor Today revealed that the number of searches in the UK for pet-friendly rentals has surged considerably in recent years. It cited the 2020 Build to Rent report from HomeView, which noted that searches for terms such as ‘pet-friendly rentals’ and ‘pet-friendly apartments’ have hit their highest levels since records began in 2004.

Despite the obviously significant demand among tenants, the news provider also noted that 78 per cent of pet owners find it difficult to find somewhere to rent, citing research by the Dog’s Trust.

If you don’t currently allow your tenants to have pets, you could be missing out on a significant proportion of the market as a result.

Director of neighbourhoods at Get Living Ian Gibbs told the publication that 15 to 20 per cent of their customers “mention pets specifically as part of their requirements”.

On The Market recently noted that the government has made it easier for landlords to allow tenants with well-behaved pets to lease their properties through its model tenancy agreement.

In fact, the publication added that the government wants to actively encourage more landlords to rent homes to responsible pet owners.

The publication suggested a number of steps tenants can take to try to secure a rental with their pets, but some of them will be equally useful for landlords. Asking prospective tenants to provide references for their pets is one option, or you could even meet the tenants and their pets to see that their animal is as well behaved as they claim.

If you’re looking for letting agents in Scotland to help navigate the rentals market as a landlord, contact us today.