Pet Addendum Template

A pet addendum is a formal supplement to a tenancy agreement documenting landlord permission for tenants to keep specific pets in rental properties. It records pet details (type, breed, weight, age), establishes additional conditions beyond standard tenancy terms, clarifies damage liability, and sets cleaning/maintenance requirements. Attaches to and forms part of the main assured periodic tenancy (APT) agreement.

Model Tenancy Agreement & Renters' Rights Act:

• Model tenancy agreement update (2021): Government guidance recommends landlords allow pets by default, with tenants requesting permission in writing rather than landlords offering it as a special favour
• Renters' Rights Act 2025 (from 1 May 2026): Turns the model tenancy guidance into law — tenants gain a statutory right to request a pet, landlords must respond within 28 days and cannot impose blanket bans. Refusals must be for reasonable grounds only
• Refusal must be reasonable: Blanket "no pets" policies are discouraged - landlords should refuse only for legitimate reasons (property unsuitability, lease restrictions, insurance issues). If you need to refuse, our Pet Permission Decision Notice documents your reasons within the statutory 28-day deadline
• Wider tenant pool: Pet-friendly properties attract more applicants and tenants often stay longer, helping reduce void periods. Rent should reflect local market value — it cannot act as a pet "fee" or surcharge
• Protection still essential: Pet Addendums protect landlords by documenting specific conditions, damage liability, and termination rights if pet causes problems

Key Functions:

Legal clarity: Prevents disputes by documenting exactly which pets are allowed with what conditions. Damage protection: Confirms tenant liability for pet damage beyond normal wear. Insurance compliance: Satisfies landlord insurance requirements for pet documentation. Eviction grounds: Provides breach evidence if pet terms violated.

Our template provides comprehensive pet permission documentation with property protection clauses and tenant responsibilities.

Financial and Legal Risks:

• Unrecoverable damage costs: Without Pet Addendum documenting pet permission and damage liability, deposit schemes often favour tenants claiming landlords implicitly allowed pets - losing you hundreds in carpet replacement, scratch repairs, or odour removal costs.
• Insurance claim denials: Landlord insurance typically requires written pet permission documentation - undocumented pets may give insurers grounds to deny claims for pet damage such as carpet and flooring replacement.
• "Multiple pets" escalation: Allowing one pet verbally often leads to additional animals - without written limits, tenants argue subsequent pets are also permitted, creating noise, damage, and neighbour complaints.
• Difficult eviction proceedings: Trying to evict tenants for unauthorized pets when you've informally allowed one pet becomes evidentially complex - tenants claim you consented, weakening Section 8 grounds.
• Lease violation with freeholders: Many leasehold properties prohibit pets - allowing pets without freeholder consent breaches your lease, potentially exposing you to forfeiture proceedings and significant legal costs.
• Neighbour disputes and complaints: Pet noise (barking, cats in heat) or mess (garden fouling) causes neighbour complaints - without written pet conditions, you have no documented grounds to enforce tenant compliance.
• Professional cleaning disputes: Without written requirements for professional cleaning/pest treatment, tenants argue normal cleaning suffices - leaving you with flea infestations requiring fumigation (£300-£800).
• Missed letting advantage: Pet-friendly properties attract more applicants and tenants tend to stay longer, reducing voids and turnover - but relying on verbal permission means you take on the pet without the written conditions that protect you. Rent should reflect local market value, not act as a pet surcharge.

Common Scenarios:

Tenant asks "can we get a small dog?" Landlord says "yes, should be fine" without documentation. Months later: carpets damaged, doors scratched, garden fouling complaints from neighbours. Tenant claims the dog was always permitted. Deposit scheme sides with tenant as no written conditions exist. Landlord faces the full repair bill.

Pet Addendums protect both parties - documenting permission while establishing clear responsibilities and consequences.

Comprehensive Pet Permission Documentation:

• ✓ Property address and tenancy reference
• ✓ Landlord and tenant details
• ✓ Pet description (type, breed, weight, age, colour)
• ✓ Pet identification (microchip/tag numbers)
• ✓ Additional rent for pet permission (if charging)
• ✓ Damage liability confirmation
• ✓ Professional cleaning requirements
• ✓ Flea/pest treatment obligations
• ✓ Noise and nuisance prevention
• ✓ Garden and outdoor area maintenance
• ✓ Waste disposal requirements
• ✓ Veterinary care and vaccination confirmation
• ✓ Pet damage liability clauses
• ✓ Restrictions (breeding, additional animals)
• ✓ Landlord inspection rights
• ✓ Pet removal rights if problems arise
• ✓ Breach consequences and eviction grounds
• ✓ Freeholder/management permission confirmation
• ✓ Insurance notification confirmation
• ✓ Signature section (landlord and tenant)

Covers cats, dogs, caged animals, and other common domestic pets with full property protection and tenant liability clauses.

Related documents: Landlords allowing pets typically also need AST Agreement, Inventory & Schedule of Condition, and Property Inspection Report.

Don't Make These Critical Errors:

• Verbal permission only: Saying "yes you can have a dog" without written documentation is legally worthless - deposit schemes require written evidence of pet conditions, verbal agreements favour tenants in disputes.
• Vague pet descriptions: "Small dog" is insufficient - specify breed, weight limit, age - tenants interpreting "small" differently causes disputes when a 25kg Labrador appears.
• Not checking lease/insurance: Many leasehold properties prohibit pets, and landlord insurance often excludes pet damage without notification - confirm permission before agreeing and inform insurers in writing.
• Treating rent as a pet charge: You cannot levy a pet fee, a pet deposit, or a rent top-up to "offset pet wear" - these are prohibited payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Set rent to local market value and rely on the standard deposit (capped at 5 weeks' rent) plus clear damage-liability clauses to cover pet wear instead.
• Missing professional cleaning requirements: Without explicit professional carpet/upholstery cleaning requirements, tenants argue normal cleaning suffices - leaving pet odours, stains, or fleas requiring expensive remediation.
• No flea treatment obligations: Pet infestations are common - without written requirements for regular flea treatment and end-of-tenancy fumigation, you inherit expensive pest control costs (£300-£800).
• Allowing "temporary" pets: Tenants asking to pet-sit or foster "just for a few weeks" often keep animals permanently - any pet presence requires full Pet Addendum regardless of claimed duration.
• No revision for additional pets: Allowing one pet without explicit limits on subsequent animals means tenants may acquire more pets claiming original permission covers them - specify "one dog only" clearly.
• Pet insurance note: From 1 May 2026, landlords cannot require tenants to take out pet insurance or charge for it — this provision was removed from the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Instead, ensure thorough inventory records, clear damage liability clauses, and protect your own position with landlord insurance that covers pet damage.
• Missing removal rights clause: If pets cause ongoing problems (excessive noise, damage, complaints), you need documented right to require pet removal without ending tenancy - otherwise only eviction addresses issues.

Our template includes all essential clauses with clear tenant responsibilities, damage liability, and landlord protection provisions.