{"id":13023,"date":"2026-06-10T09:11:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/?p=13023"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:11:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T08:11:54","slug":"the-new-pet-rules-what-hailsham-eastbourne-landlords-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/the-new-pet-rules-what-hailsham-eastbourne-landlords-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"The New Pet Rules: What Hailsham & Eastbourne Landlords Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new pet rules are one of the big changes in the Renters’ Rights Act in England. Here we’ll explain what they mean for landlords.<\/span><\/h3>\n

The new rules in a nutshell<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Tenants now have the right to request a pet. Landlords can only refuse on what the rules call a ‘fair reason’.<\/p>\n

How the new rules should work<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Tenants must request written permission for every pet. Doing so without permission could be a breach of their tenancy.<\/p>\n

They need to explain what type of pet they want, how big it is and how much space it needs.<\/p>\n

Landlords must reply in writing within 28 days.<\/p>\n

If you give permission, it lasts until the end of that tenancy and cannot be withdrawn. If you’re refusing permission, you must explain why.<\/p>\n

When is refusal reasonable?<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

This is tricky. The rules don’t spell out exactly what’s reasonable and what isn’t.<\/p>\n

The rules specifically mention situations where a property is too small for the type or number of pets requested.<\/p>\n

So, two fully grown Great Danes in a studio flat is likely to meet that particular bar. But you can probably see it won’t always be an easy call.<\/p>\n

If another tenant has an allergy, that’s also a reason.<\/p>\n

If your property is leasehold, you can refuse if the lease bans pets or the leaseholder refuses permission.<\/p>\n

You can’t refuse just because you don’t want pets, are worried about damage, or think it might make the property difficult to relet in the future.<\/p>\n

If a tenant thinks you’re being unreasonable, they can take legal action against you. They can complain to the PRS Landlord Ombudsman when that’s set up, probably later in 2026.<\/p>\n

What this means for landlords<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Some landlords have allowed pets for decades.<\/p>\n

Most people with pets are responsible owners and make good tenants.<\/p>\n

While you can’t charge more rent for a pet or charge a pet fee, pet-friendly properties are usually sought after and attract good rents.<\/p>\n

You can’t ask for a larger deposit or for the tenant to take out pet insurance. But you can advise they take insurance or take it yourself.<\/p>\n

You can ask tenants to pay for pet damage or deduct it from their deposit.<\/p>\n

So, let’s be honest. The new rules are a big change. But they might not make much of a difference for landlords who are on the ball.<\/p>\n

We do have a slight concern over the vagueness of the new rules.<\/p>\n

How they work won’t really be clear until they’ve been running for a while and have been ruled on by the courts.<\/p>\n

This vagueness could trip up some landlords under the new rules. Or get caught up in unnecessary arguments with tenants.<\/p>\n

We strongly recommend you follow the new rules to the letter. Keep detailed written records of everything. Take expert advice where you need it.<\/p>\n

At Crane & Co, we work closely with many local landlords and understand the challenges of navigating an ever-changing rental landscape. If you’d like advice on the local market, property legislation, or your options as a landlord, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.<\/p>\n

Lettings Done Ethically<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Many people don’t trust estate agents. We’re trying to fix that.<\/p>\n

And that’s why we are proud to be a member of the Ethical Agent Network (EAN).<\/p>\n

It’s an independent body that checks our work against strict standards for honesty, service, and how we look after our clients, colleagues, and community.<\/p>\n

We’re the only local agency to have passed the EAN bar.<\/p>\n

#AgentsYouCanTrust<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The new pet rules are one of the big changes in the Renters’ Rights Act in England. Here we’ll explain what they mean for landlords. The new rules in a nutshell Tenants now have the right to request a pet. Landlords can only refuse on what the rules call a ‘fair reason’. How the new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13024,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[25,34],"class_list":["post-13023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-landlords","tag-jerry","tag-landlords"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13023"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13025,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13023\/revisions\/13025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.craneandco.co.uk\/pages\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}