Pets are the most common new request landlords are getting under the Renters’ Rights Act, and the one with the shortest legal clock. The rules sit in two new sections of the Housing Act 1988, 16A and 16B, inserted by section 11 of the 2025 Act. They have applied to private assured tenancies in England since 1 May 2026. This guide covers the deadline, the extensions, what you can and cannot ask for, and how to word your reply. It is a dates-and-letters guide, not legal advice.
In force as of 25 October 2026 Housing Act 1988, sections 16A–16B (inserted by Renters’ Rights Act 2025, s.11)
The rule in one paragraph
Every private assured tenancy now has an implied term that the tenant may ask for consent to keep a pet, and that the landlord’s consent “is not to be unreasonably refused”. The tenant’s request must “be in writing” and “include a description of the pet”. The landlord must give or refuse consent in writing “on or before the 28th day after the date of the request” (s.16A(1)(c)).
Working out the deadline
The 28 days are counted after the date of the request, so the request day itself is not day one.
| Request dated | Reply on or before |
|---|---|
| 1 October 2026 | 29 October 2026 |
| 17 October 2026 | 14 November 2026 |
| 10 December 2026 | 7 January 2027 |
| 31 January 2027 | 28 February 2027 |
Weekends and bank holidays are not excluded, so a deadline can fall on a Sunday or Christmas Day. Reply before that if you are posting your answer. The pet request deadline calculator gives the exact date, including the extensions below.
Extension 1: you need more information
If, within the 28 days, you reasonably ask the tenant for more information, you can wait “until the 7th day after the date on which the tenant provides” it (s.16A(2)). If the tenant never provides it, the Act does not require you to decide.
For example, a request arrives on 1 October 2026 and you ask on 10 October for the dog’s breed and size. The tenant replies on 27 October, so your deadline becomes 3 November 2026. A question sent after the 28 days have run does not extend anything.
Reasonable questions are things like the type, breed, size and age of the animal, how many there are, and where it will be kept. Ask once and ask everything.
Extension 2: you need a superior landlord’s consent
Many flats are let by leaseholders whose own lease needs the freeholder’s consent for pets. If you ask the superior landlord within the 28 days, you can wait until the 7th day after you receive their decision (s.16A(3)). Ask early, in writing, and keep the evidence.
Extension 3: an agreed date
You and the tenant can agree any later date (s.16A(4)). Put the agreement in writing, for example by email, so that nobody later disputes it.
Reasonable and unreasonable refusals
The Act does not list every acceptable reason. Section 16B(4) gives two situations where refusal is reasonable:
- keeping the pet would put you in breach of your agreement with a superior landlord, for example a head lease that bans animals; or
- the head lease needs the superior landlord’s consent and they have not given it, despite you taking reasonable steps to get it.
Beyond those, reasonableness turns on the facts. Reasons tied to the specific animal and the specific home are more likely to stand up than blanket objections. A large dog in a small flat with no outside space is an example. “I don’t allow pets” is the kind of answer the implied term is designed to stop. A refusal letter should say what the reasons are.
What you cannot ask for
During the Bill’s passage the Government removed the provisions that would have let landlords make consent “conditional on the tenant taking out, or paying for, pet damage insurance”. Its Lords amendments 10, 12 and 13 deleted them. A Lords proposal for a separate pet deposit of up to three weeks’ rent is also absent from the Act. So, as enacted:
- No pet insurance requirement. Section 11 contains no insurance condition, and the Tenant Fees Act 2019 was not amended to allow one.
- No pet deposit or pet fee. The only deposit is the ordinary tenancy deposit, capped at five weeks’ rent where annual rent is under £50,000 and six weeks’ where it is £50,000 or more (Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1).
- No pet rent. Rent can only rise through the section 13 process, not by adding a pet supplement. See the section 13 guide.
The Tenant Fees Act also stops you requiring a tenant to make a payment to you or to a third party unless it is a permitted payment. Keep any conditions free of costs: no compulsory paid cleaning, no fee to process the request.
Writing the reply
Whatever you decide, reply in writing, on or before the deadline, and keep a copy. Three outlines follow; fill in the specifics.
Consent
Thank you for your request dated [date] to keep [description of pet] at [address]. I consent to you keeping this pet at the property. This consent covers the pet described above. Please ask again before keeping any other animal. The usual terms of your tenancy continue to apply, including your responsibility for any damage beyond fair wear and tear.
Consent with conditions
Thank you for your request dated [date] to keep [description of pet] at [address]. I consent on the following conditions: [for example, the consent covers one cat; the pet is not left alone in the property for extended periods; any garden fouling is cleared promptly]. These conditions do not require you to make any payment. If you have concerns about any condition, please let me know.
Keep conditions specific and proportionate to the animal and the property, and make sure none involves a payment.
Reasoned refusal
Thank you for your request dated [date] to keep [description of pet] at [address]. I am unable to consent, for the following reasons: [for example, the head lease of the building prohibits animals (clause [x]), and the freeholder refused consent on [date] when asked on [date]; a copy is enclosed]. If your circumstances or the request change, for example a different animal, please ask again and I will consider it afresh.
Quarterday’s pet request calculator runs the 28-day clock and fills these letters in with your dates, and the tracker keeps each request on your deadline list.
If the tenant disagrees
The tenant’s remedy under the Act is court action: under s.16B(5), the court “may order specific performance of the obligation”. The ombudsman route the Act anticipates is not live yet. The redress scheme sections are not commenced, and the government expects landlords to join the new ombudsman in 2028.
In practice, the best protection is a dated record: the request, any request for more information, the head-lease position and a written answer with reasons, all within the clock.
Quick checklist
- Request logged with its date and pet description
- Further information requested in writing within 28 days (if needed)
- Head lease checked; superior landlord asked within 28 days (if needed)
- Written reply sent on or before the deadline
- No insurance, fee or extra deposit required as a condition
- Copies kept with the tenancy file
For the rest of your recurring duties, from gas safety to the landlord database, see the compliance checklist for 2026/27.