North Wales MS welcomes Senedd report backing call to end ‘no pets’ rental clauses

A North Wales Member of the Senedd has welcomed a Senedd committee report which has found that more needs to be done to address the need for pet-friendly housing in Wales.

Carolyn Thomas, Member of the Senedd for North Wales, who has long campaigned for the banning of blanket no pet clauses in tenancy agreements, has said that the report published by the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee is a step in the right direction.

The report outlines how the committee heard compelling evidence during its inquiry that prospective tenants with pets were experiencing discrimination when trying to rent a property in Wales, with only 8% of private rented sector properties being advertised as pet-friendly.

The inquiry also heard evidence of people opting to sleep in their cars rather than go into accommodation without their pet, with the Dogs Trust arguing that this situation was a ‘repeatable form of causing homelessness’.

The committee concluded that they were united in their view that landlords and agents should not be able to discriminate by including ‘no pets’ clauses in standard contracts without good reason. The committee also recommended that the Welsh Government must urgently outline how it intends to extend tenants’ rights to have a pet into contracts, including whether it will bring forward legislation to end discrimination on these grounds.

The committee heard how many landlords fear that allowing pets in their property increases the risk of damage, but the committee was told that polling shows around three-quarters of landlords who do allow pets report no issues at the end of the tenancy.

Speaking after the publication of the report, Carolyn Thomas MS said: “I have been calling for a ban on blanket no pet clauses in Wales, so I am delighted that the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee has put forward such a strong recommendation in favour of legislative change.”

Charities and rehoming centres have been raising the alarm for some time about the impact that blanket no pet clauses are having on the sector, with the Dogs Trust saying they receive hundreds of calls each week from desperate owners forced to rehome their dogs due to a lack of pet friendly accommodation.

Carolyn Thomas continued: “A lack of pet-friendly homes is one of the key drivers causing people to go through the trauma of having to relinquish their pet, whilst also adding huge amounts of pressure to rehoming centres. This situation cannot be allowed to continue, and I will continue to call for legislative change to bring about an end to cruel and unnecessary no pet clauses which are harming people, pets, rehoming centres, and charities.”