Making a house feel like a home is a complicated process. For some, it’s a matter of putting their stuff in the right places. For others, it’s more important that they get the place smelling right. For many renters, the easiest way to make their house feel like a home would be to have a pet living with them. Unfortunately, many people are unable to have pets in their rented property because their landlords will not let them. Tenants with pets find it harder to find places to rent.
Benefits to Tenants
A campaign by the flat-sharing website SpareRoom is encouraging landlords to open up to pets, for the good of their tenants. The campaign stresses that the overwhelming majority of pet owners have never had a problem caused by their pet (88%). Pets also have a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of tenants. Tenants who feel better are less likely to cause trouble to landlords.
Prevalence of Pets
Pets are more popular in Britain than almost anywhere else in the world. Millions of us rent rather than own properties. However, these two facts do not overlap in the availability of pet ownership for renters. 78% of tenants with pets say that they have found it difficult to find a rental property. Only 31% of landlords say that they would accept tenants with pets. As a result, 21% of renters have hidden their pet from their landlord.
Sweeteners for Landlords
The campaign has a number of ideas to make landlords more amenable to pets. Chief among these is a suggestion that landlord insurance should change to cover potential damage by pets. Alternatively, landlords could be safe from having to claim on their insurance policies if tenants with pets agree to pay for any damages themselves. Many renters are willing to pay between £10 and £49 extra a month for the right to keep a pet (53%).
At Alternative Insurance, we offer insurance for both landlords and pet owners. While these are currently separate issues, we can help protect the health of both your property investments and your pets. We specialise in finding landlord insurance policies that cover you against everything you need to be protected. We also sell pet insurance policies that protect you against the costs of your pet’s medical expenses. Whether you are a landlord, or a pet owner, we have policies to suit you.