Nine in ten landlords have not received a single formal pet request since the right came into force on 1 May 2026, yet more than half of tenants say pet-friendly rentals actively influence where they choose to live, according to new research from LRG.
The Summer 2026 Lettings Report draws on responses from 717 landlords and 860 tenants across England and Wales. It finds that the new pet request framework established by the Renters' Rights Act is yet to become a regular feature of day-to-day lettings, but its impact on how tenants approach their search for a home is already significant.
Of all landlords surveyed, 93% have not received a request, 6% have approved one, 0.8% have one under consideration, and fewer than 0.3% have refused. The low volume of formal requests may partly reflect a shift in tenant behaviour rather than a lack of demand.
Rightmove data shows that searches filtering specifically for pet-friendly rentals fell 54% year on year in May 2026 and 52% in June, yet pets remained the most searched-for rental keyword across both months. Tenants may no longer need to filter for pre-approved listings, since they can now formally request permission on any property, which makes the pet-friendly label less relevant to their search.
The underlying demand is real. Nearly three in ten tenants already own a pet, while a further 19% are either considering getting one or actively planning to do so in the next twelve months. Before the Act came into force, no-pets policies had a direct personal cost for many tenants: 32% say they were affected in some way, with 15% choosing not to get a pet they wanted, 12% losing out on a property because of their pet, and 5% giving up or rehoming an animal. A Dogs Trust National Dog Survey found that 25% of renting dog owners had been denied housing because of their pet.
For a significant portion of the tenant population, keeping a pet is not a preference but a condition of where they will live. LRG's survey found that 34% of tenants say a pet-friendly property is essential, and they would only consider renting somewhere that permits one. A further 24% say it is either very or somewhat important, while for 42% it is not a factor in their decision at all.
When asked what would most increase their confidence in approving a pet request, landlords pointed to two measures:
- 31% want a professional cleaning obligation at the end of the tenancy
- 28% want tenant-funded pet damage insurance
- 28% say nothing would change their view
For those open to persuasion, the financial case may carry weight. Research commissioned by Battersea, drawing on surveys of more than 2,000 landlords and 1,000 renters, found that 76% of landlords reported no pet-related damage at the end of a tenancy.
Where damage did occur, the average cost was £300, compared with £775 for non-pet-related damage caused by tenants without pets. Pet-owning renters also tend to stay longer: 50% had remained in their previous property for more than three years, compared with 31% of renters without pets. A joint research project by Dogs Trust and Cats Protection found that 26% of tenants would stay longer in a property if pets were permitted.
"The formal requests are coming in slowly, and that is to be expected at this early stage," said Allison Thompson, chief lettings officer at Leaders, part of LRG.
"But the demand is real, and the legal framework is now in place. What the data shows is that most landlords are not opposed to pets in principle; they want practical reassurance that their property will be looked after.
"That is exactly where agents can add value: helping landlords put the right conditions in place, supporting tenants through the request process, and making sure both sides understand what the new rules actually mean. Done well, this is an opportunity to build longer, more stable tenancies, and that is good for everyone."
