Landlords slam ‘shoddy and outrageous’ U-turn on pet insurance

Ben Beadle at the NRLA accuses ministers of failing to listen to landlord concerns after a requirement for tenants to have pet insurance was dropped from the Renters’ Rights Bill.

Landlord leaders have slammed a change to the Renters’ Rights Bill meaning no insurance is needed for tenants to keep pets, as “shoddy and outrageous”. Ben Beadle, CEO at the NRLA, says the amendment to the bill leaves landlords and letting agents having to “shoulder even greater risks”.

He accuses ministers of failing to listen to the voice of property owners by going back on a previous promise that renters would require pet insurance.

Ban

The bill introduces a ban on ‘no pets’ tenancies, and tenants will have the right to keep pets. Landlords will need a good reason if they refuse.

But the original wording, before the amendment, said landlords can ask tenants to take out pet insurance to cover potential damage to property

The controversy over the amendment comes as the House of Lords prepares to debate the bill again at report stage on Tuesday.

Beadle says: “This is a shoddy and outrageous way to make law”. Ministers keep talking about how the Bill works for responsible landlords, and yet they seem incapable of speaking to those representing them.

“Yet again the Government simply expects responsible landlords to shoulder even greater risks without any consultation about the likely impact.

“Whilst the Government might say that they are fighting their corner it is tenants who will lose out as landlords become more risk averse.”

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner told MPs in October: “This Bill will make it easier for tenants to request the ability to have a pet in their home.

“It will also allow landlords to require insurance covering pet damage, so that everyone is covered and no-one is left unfairly out of pocket.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

Source: The Negotiator 26 June 2025.