Tenants and shelters in England hail bill allowing private renters to keep pets

Change should result in fewer animals being abandoned and make it easier for owners to find accommodation

Renters, pet owners and animal shelters have praised a long-awaited law that will allow tenants to keep pets in rented accommodation, after the government unveiled legislative changes to the private rented sector earlier this week.

Under the renters’ reform bill, tenants will have the legal right to request a pet in their home, which landlords cannot unreasonably refuse. The legal overhaul will also abolish section 21 no-fault evictions.