The NRLA has played down landlords' fears about new Government proposals to give tenants the right to request a pet.
Speaking on the Radio 4 You and Yours programme, director of policy Chris Norris said many landlords weren't too worried about the government's announcement in the Renters Reform White Paper that would force them to consider requests and to 'not unreasonably' refuse them.
'There are lots of challenges on landlords, and this is a relatively small element. I doubt it will be the issue that pushes people over the edge,'� he said.
The potential changes around keeping animals would not be a huge change for landlords, who already evaluate a renter's situation on a case-by-case basis, Norris told listeners.
'We had been concerned about the ban on requiring extra pet insurance in 2019 but the government has said they will allow them to request this again '� so there's reassurance for landlords.'�
Although tenants could potentially add pet insurance onto their household contents insurance, he hoped policies wouldn't be prohibitive. 'We want to make having the conversation easier with landlords if a tenant says they have insurance,'� he added.
Jen Berezai (pictured), co-founder of AdvoCATS and Heidi Shackell, CEO at The Lettings Hub, will be discussing the issue in a webinar on 26th July, following a survey by the company that found more than three in four landlords had reported damage by pets, with over half not being able to recover their costs.
The webinar will consider topics including how landlords are going to be covered, what defines a pet and the potential welfare measures coming into the law.
Shackell explains that it has split the lettings industry. 'Understanding what letting agents and landlords think of the proposal is important to us to enable us to support our customers as best as possible,'� she adds.
Register for the webinar and submit your questions here.
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