Pictures of household pets; a mouse, a dog, a cat and a lizard

Category: Renters Rights Bill

Conservative peers in the House of Lords are not giving up the fight to keep pet deposits and other key amendments in the Renters’ Rights Bill, despite pushback from Labour. 

Two weeks ago, we reported that the Renters’ Rights Bill is now in the very last stages of debate before it reaches Royal Assent. In the House of Commons, Labour MPs shot down proposals that landlords should be able to require a ‘pet deposit’ from tenants, in lieu of pet insurance. 

Baroness Scott of Bybrook, a noted advocate for private landlords in parliament, has pledged to reintroduce the pet deposit amendment when the Bill next gets sent back to the House of Lords on 14th October. 

Faces of opposition

During the September debates, the pet deposit amendment was contested by Labour MP Johanna Baxter. Declaring her interest as the chair of the APGO Cats (All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats), she expressed concern that requiring three weeks’ worth of rent would be unaffordable for many pet-owning tenants. She continued:

Measures already exist for landlords to seek additional compensation from the tenant in the very rare circumstances in which damage caused by a pet may exceed the value of the existing security deposit. The amendment could see tenants forced to find up to £1,500 extra for a one-bedroom flat in high-rent areas. That would mean that those without additional ready funds are priced out of having a pet. Another problem with the addition of a pet deposit is the potential lack of transparency in landlord decisions on what constitutes pet damage and what constitutes the type of damage that would otherwise be funded by the standard security deposit.

Historically, some landlords have been known to actively avoid tenants with pets due to the cost of repairs from damage they can cause, so a pet deposit scheme is likely to be welcome by them.

Re-letting rule

Meanwhile, Conservative peer Lord Young plans to reintroduce another amendment pertaining to the controversial 12-month re-letting rule. This proposal would allow landlords of shared leases to re-let and re-market their properties within a 12-month timeframe, if their sales fall through.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook argued against the shared owner exemption amendment when it was first proposed. He said it would undermine protections put in place for tenants renting sublet homes from shared owners.

Lib Dems weigh in

Baroness Grender, former director of communications for the Liberal Democrats, will also weigh into the Renters’ Rights Bill debate with an amendment of her own.

Her amendment would aim to hold the government more accountable for housing standards throughout England. It would force Labour to produce annual reports on whether the Decent Home Standard has been met, mainly surrounding Ministry of Defence accommodation.

These amendment efforts show that, although it is late in the game, it’s all still to play for. Labour may continue to resist these proposals, but if the opposition put forward reasoned arguments, there is hope for amended legislation that offers some needed leeway to private landlords. 

The ‘ping-pong’ process between the House of Lords and House of Commons can be extended if no agreement is reached, leaving a piece of legislation in a state of limbo. Whether or not this happens to the Renters’ Rights Bill, we will keep you updated over the next few weeks as the Bill inches closer to completion.