• Pet Checklist
• Pet Reference
• Freehold and Leasehold
• Pet Policy
• Pet Deposit
• Pet Information Form
• Find a Pet-Friendly Letting Agency

Pet Deposit

Insurance policies, such as contents insurance and landlords insurance, will not cover any damage caused by pets to property or furnishings. So it is essential that you decide in advance how you want to deal with any damage that may occur.

Higher deposit: You can ask your tenant for a higher deposit to cover any damage that may be caused by their pets. For example, if you normally ask for the equivalent of four weeks rent, you could ask for six weeks from pet owners.

The money should be held in a recognised deposit scheme and only used to repair damage caused to the property/furnishings or to replace damaged items. The Government has contracted three companies to run tenancy deposit protection schemes. Further details about the schemes can be found at www.direct.gov.uk

Pet payment: You may also want to ask pet-owning tenants for a non-refundable pet payment to cover the cost of professionally cleaning the property once they have moved out. This would cover the cleaning of carpets, soft-furnishings and curtains.

It is good practice to provide the tenant with a written estimate for professionally cleaning your property so that they know the pet payment you are asking for is fair.

Any pet payment taken by the landlord or letting agent should be taken at the start of the tenancy and would be non-refundable.