Rental searches for pet friendly properties drop after law change
Rightmove data shows fewer renters are proactively filtering out pet-friendly properties when looking for a home. While pets remain the most searched term overall, the lead at the top is narrowing, ahead of gardens, garages and furniture.
According to figures shared with the BBC, tenants’ searches for properties that accept pets decreased by 54% in May and 52% in June compared to the same months the previous year. The declines accelerated this year as the changes approached and began to be implemented.
Marc von Grundherr, director of the Benham and Reeves agency, said some tenants only disclose their pets after signing their lease, while others are discovered during property inspections.
“The reality is that tenants now understand that the balance of power has shifted. Landlords can no longer rely on a blanket ‘no pets’ policy to deter applications and should instead expect conversations about pet ownership to arise much later in the rental process,” he said.
Now in England, landlords can still refuse a pet if another tenant has allergies, if the property is too small for a large pet or several pets, if the pet is illegal, or if the landlord is a leaseholder and the property owner does not allow pets.
