Our mission: to encourage pet-friendly renting

Britain is a nation of pet lovers – more than half of households own an animal, and 97% of pet owners consider their furry friend as part of their family.

But despite our affinity with creatures great and small, it’s now harder than ever for renters to find accommodation for them and their pet. Which is even more concerning when you consider how many more of us are renting nowadays too...

Over the years at SpareRoom we’ve heard plenty of heartbreaking stories from owners forced to rehome their pets, just so they can find a place to live. We’ve heard every well-formed argument about why pets should be allowed in rented homes, and we’ve listened to all of our landlord’s opinions about why they might be a bit more reluctant to allow this too.

And we’ve decided it’s time to make a change. So we’ve launched a political Think Tank, run by pets and their owners – which will challenge landlords to think differently about letting to pets, and encourage more animal-friendly rentals in the UK.

To form our Think Tank, we selected a group of experts in both animal welfare and housing, including charities, vets and landlords, from organisations including Crisis, the RSPCA, and paws.com – as well as pet owners, and even the pets themselves. The group met to discuss and review the many issues around pets and renting, from both a tenant and landlord’s perspective.

The Think Tank then proposed solutions that could work towards our goal, remove the stigma around renting to pet owners, and let renters live in harmony with their furry friends at their side.

Check out the full discussion in the report, which you can download here.

We’d also love to hear your experiences of renting with a pet, or letting your property to a pet owner. Email us at pets@spareroom.co.uk or head to Instagram and share your story (and adorable snaps, obviously) using the hashtag #PetsOfSpareRoom.