Tenants rights to keep pets to be strengthened in new measures to improve renting

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The Scottish Government have introduced new plans to make it easier for renters to keep pets in their homes.

The new legislation will introduce a range of measures aimed at improve renting, including strengthening tenants' rights to keep a pet. Measures in bill will allow a renter to make a request to keep an animal in their home and for that to not be unreasonably refused by their landlord.

It is currently entirely up to the landlord whether a tenant can keep a pet, and they must be given written permission to do so. A number of other provisions are set to be introduced which government chiefs hope will provide a "good quality, and affordable rental market".

These include a system of long-term rent controls, with the Scottish Government working with tenants, landlords, investors and developers to bring forward a system "that works for tenants and supports investment in private rented housing".

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “Pets are an important part of the family for many people across Scotland. Tenants have the right to feel at home in rented accommodation and having more control over keeping a pet can play a big part in that and can have additional benefits for their mental health and wellbeing.

“This is just one of a range of measures in the Housing (Scotland) Bill, including long-term rent controls, which will help improve the lives of renters and create an affordable, high-quality, and fair private rented sector.

“The Bill also meets the Scottish Government’s ambition to improve the renting experience in Scotland, whilst also encouraging landlords to invest. We will continue to work to create a system that strengthens renters’ rights and supports continued investment in the rental market.”

Gilly Mendes Ferreira, Director of Innovation and Strategic Relations for the Scottish SPCA said: “We welcome the provisions included within the Housing (Scotland) Bill, particularly the safeguarding of the rights of tenants to keep pets and hope that these measures will foster a more inclusive and compassionate rental market. Our research has found that over 75% of tenants stated they had a pet for emotional (77%) and mental health (83%) support.

“This survey also highlighted that seven out of 10 tenants would risk becoming homeless if they were no longer able to keep their pet in their current accommodation. Sadly, we also found that 37% of tenants stated that they have had to make that unimaginable choice between having a pet and having a roof over their head.”

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