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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will issue guidance on whether a landlord could require a relevant person to enter into a contract of pet insurance as an alternative to complying with a no pets clause in a tenancy agreement.

The Tenant Fees Act prohibits most fees beyond rent and a deposit capped at 5 weeks rent where total annual rent is less than £50,000. As such, a landlord cannot require that a tenant take out insurance for a pet.

Regarding pet ownership, the Government recommends the deposit cap is used as a maximum, rather than the default. Charging a deposit of four weeks rent provides leeway to expand to five weeks in situations such as where the tenant owns a pet. This approach should therefore accommodate private renters who wish to keep pets, without the need for pet insurance, or a separate pet deposit.