Read about our Head for Tails! campaign to make renting with pets easier for landlords AND tenants, first launched in September 2021, and scheduled to be re-launched in September 2024 to the new government.
Our Heads for Tails! report and campaign of the same name, was initially launched in September 2021 with cross party and cross lettings industry/animal welfare support for our proposal: to amend the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and add the right for a landlord to ask for pet damage insurance to the list of Permitted Payments.
So what does all that MEAN?
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 was the then governmentâs answer to unscrupulous landlords and lettings agents asking evermore ludicrous fees for this and deposits for that, making knowing upfront how much embarking on a rental was going to cost you a bit of a minefield. The TFA set a maximum deposit a landlord could ask for of 5 weeks rent, instructed agents to be totally transparent about fees on their websites, and aside from a few bits and bobs largely to do with utilities listed as Permitted Payments, that was it.
Sadly, one now widely acknowledged âunintended consequenceâ of the TFA was a significant number of landlords deciding to no longer accept pets as they couldnât ask for a separate pet deposit. Currently, according to government and industry statistics, less than 7% of landlords actively advertise their properties as pet friendly, preferring to go for the safer âNo Petsâ option.
Heads for Tails! started as a research project for a pet friendly MP, but quickly grew legs and became an umbrella campaign calling for greater awareness of pet damage insurance products, and proposing a simple legislative change to make renting with pets fairer for landlords AND tenants: add the right for a landlord to request pet damage insurance to the TFAâs list of Permitted Payments. We secured cross party support from over 40 MPs and Peers, plus another 40+ endorsements from the private rental sector (PRS) and animal welfare world. Such was the broad appeal of our report, that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) included our proposal in the Renters Reform Bill, which had got as far as committee stage at the House of Lords, before the 2024 general election was called, and all uncompleted legislation was consigned to the bin.
THIS IS NEVER BECAME LAW*
Despite popular opinion to the contrary, no rental reform legislation has yet been passed. AdvoCATS is regrouping its support, plans to relaunch the Heads for Tails! campaign after the summer recess, and lobby the new administration to ensure that permitting landlords to request pet damage insurance is included in any new white paper.
*page updated July 2024
Heads for Tails! is our hugely successful umbrella campaign that saw pet reforms included in the late, lamented Renters Reform Bill, which sadly never became law.
A simple change to existing legislation is the key to more landlords becoming pet friendly, and thatâs why we were able to secure such widespread political and corporate support first time around.
Whether itâs talking to the general public, clients,...
