Greater flexibility to keep pets in homes amongst range of
Housing Bill measures.
New legislation will introduce a range of measures to improve
renting in Scotland, including strengthening tenants' rights to
keep a pet.
Measures in the Housing (Scotland) Bill will allow a renter to
make a request to keep a pet in their home and for that to not be
unreasonably refused by their landlord. Currently, it is entirely
up to the landlord whether a tenant can keep a pet, and they must
be given written permission to do so.
Other provisions aimed at providing a good quality, and
affordable rental market also 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 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.”
