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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of pet inclusive homeless and temporary accommodation.

Local authorities must ensure that temporary accommodation is suitable for applicants and members of their household, taking account of their needs, requirements, circumstances and the location of the accommodation.

The Homelessness Code of Guidance, which can be found here, encourages housing authorities to give careful consideration to applicants who wish to retain their pet. Local authorities do their upmost to try and accommodate this, however not all types of temporary or emergency accommodation are suitable for pets, as there may be limited facilities and space available.

Recognising the importance of pets, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 introduced an implied term into private sector assured tenancies, that enables tenants to ask the landlord for permission to keep a pet, and when they do so consent cannot be unreasonably refused.