A recent online survey showed that pet damage is extremely common in properties where landlords rent to tenants with pets and the costs are difficult to recoup. With the demand for pet-friendly homes continuing to increase, the report says that the UK Government must now understand the costs for landlords and implement rules that support the sector.

The survey and research were undertaken as a joint project between lettings industry trade bodies Propertymark and the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). The trade bodies say that the results from the survey clearly show that the UK Government has limited the protection of landlords and therefore access to housing for those with pets and are calling on Eddie Hughes, the Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) to prioritise amendments to the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to make renting with pets easier for landlords, tenants and letting agents.

The survey found that the vast majority of landlords and agents have incurred damage from pets, with 85.3% of landlords and agents having incurred damage to their property by pets. This is closely followed by 84.7% having incurred damage by adults and 54.9% incurring damage by children.