Can an open letter to the heart of government rescue pet owning tenants from the Renters Rights Bill?

Campaigning East Midlands based pets charity AdvoCATS has penned an open letter to Angela Rayner, Secretary of State and Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State, for Housing Communities and Local Government, calling on them to urgently review their amendment to the Renters Rights Bill, retracting the right for a landlord to require pet damage insurance.

The letter marks the fourth anniversary of the organisation’s original Heads for Tails! report and campaign of the same name, that attracted an unprecedented level of support from across the private rental sector and animal welfare world for its simple proposal giving landlords this provision.

“We had six months to pull this together last time” AdvoCATS founder Jen Berezai recalls, “It’s been a much more frenzied timescale this time around as the removal of this key feature of the RRB happened just a couple of weeks before parliament broke up for the summer recess, which only gave us 6 weeks before its return. That said, we’ve been bowled over by the additional support we’ve pulled together in such a short time, some really big corporate names and industry individuals have added their voice to ours, as well as two seasoned animal welfare campaigners.

“Everyone I explain pet damage insurance to has the same reaction. It’s a great idea, pleases everybody, and is such a simple way to effect significant change” added Ms Berezai.

"Furthermore, we are convinced that the government did not have the correct information in front of them when they made their decision. Pet damage insurance is the most cost-effective option on the table and is favoured by both landlords and tenants alike. The products are available. The industry is ready. We say it’s a Win:Win, an archetypal no-brainer.”

Should their campaign not be successful, Ms Berezai fears a bleak outlook for pet owning tenants. “If landlords feel they’re leaving themselves exposed to the risk of unrecoverable costs, they won’t accept pets, it’s as simple as that. They have an almost overwhelming choice of potential tenants as the supply of rental properties is dwindling, while demand is increasing. So much so that it’s easy for them to go for the perceived easy option and rent to non-pet owners. Landlords need encouragement, and tenants need a negotiating tool, neither of which are provided by this revised bill."