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James Strauch, a 42-year-old maintenance manager and RNLI volunteer from Rhyl, was forced to make the tough decision to give up his beloved four-year-old labrador mastiff cross, Bruno, to avoid being homeless. James had failed 60 times to secure a home to rent that would accept pets, despite offering landlords a £1,000 deposit. Dogs Trust claims around 15% of the animals left at its shelters were given up due to accommodation issues, while the National Residential Landlords Association highlights that bad tenants with pets cause additional risk for landlords.
James, who was living with his former partner when he homed Bruno as a puppy, wanted to find another rental property for just Bruno and himself when the couple broke up. Although James applied for around 50 to 60 properties, as soon as he mentioned the dog’s existence, landlords responded with a blanket ‘no’. Even after offering double and triple the deposit and an extra £1,000, no one showed interest. When James omitted Bruno from his applications, he immediately received replies and positive feedback.
After staying for six months in a friend’s converted garage, James had to give up Bruno to find somewhere to live. Although he eventually found someone nearby willing to adopt Bruno, it was a gut-wrenching moment. As James stated, “dogs are not just a pet, you know – you do treat them like one of the family.” Nevertheless, James noticed an instant change in responses from landlords and agencies once he rehomed Bruno and found somewhere to live within a week.
In Wales, there is no statutory right for people to keep a pet while renting, although guidance suggests landlords cannot unreasonably refuse requests. However, in North Wales, landlords refuse to rent to tenants with pets due to the damage they might cause, with pets adding an additional risk when it comes to managing an asset. While the Welsh government plans to consider supportive measures to renters with pets, the UK government is looking to change laws around renting with pets in England. Scotland is also looking to pass new legislation, which the RSPCA welcomes, as it compels landlords to declare reasons for refusing requests to keep a pet. The bill also proposes the services of an ombudsman, who would help resolve disputes between tenants and landlords without the need for court action
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