Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact on tenants of the gap between the commencement of the pet provisions on 1 May and the operational launch of the Ombudsman, including the extent to which renters may need to rely on the courts during this period.

On 13 November 2025, the government published a roadmap for implementing the Renters' Rights Act, which can be found on gov.uk here.

In implementation Phase 2 from late 2026, we will introduce the national Private Rented Sector Database and Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.

Prior to the establishment of the new service, if a tenant thinks their landlord has unreasonably refused a request to rent with a pet, they will be able to challenge the decision in court.

My Department has made no specific assessment of the impact on tenants of the period between 1 May 2026 and when the new service will be available.