How Friendly is the UK Rental Market to People with Pets?

Pet ownership in the UK has rocketed since 2020 with over 13.5 million people now owning a dog (36% of the population) as the top pet in the UK, followed closely by the number of people owning cats at 12.5 million people in the UK (29%)¹.

But how easy and expensive is it for renters with pets to find a new.

Historically it has been a hassle to find the right home where pets are allowed in the first place. However, in Spring 2023 the government introduced The Rental Reform Bill, part of which prohibits landlords from placing a blanket ban on pets – requesting they must specify in writing why they oppose. An additional deposit can be requested, but this mustn’t breach the deposit cap under the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

The team at Towergate last did this research in 2020, now four years on and with pets playing a huge role in everyday lives and in millions of homes across the UK, we can reveal the UK’s top areas for renters with pets.

We analysed 25 major cities and towns in the UK against key factors for renters with pets including the proportion of rentals available with a private garden, neighbour sentiment and available rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’. Using a points system, we can share the best to worst places in the UK when it comes to pet friendly rentals.

The top cities and towns for renters with pets overall

We can reveal, the city of Glasgow performed very well across the 10 factors of this 2024 research, making it the best city overall in the UK for renters with pets.

The Scottish city has the highest percentage of pet friendly rentals and comes in at 12% cheaper to rent, than properties listed as not pet-friendly. Huge shifts have taken place in the UK’s capital too: in 2020 London came last on list in twenty fifth place, but now it’s the third top city of renters with pets, and Birmingham second.  

The 2020 top city in the UK for renters with pets overall, Southampton, has dropped out of the top 10 altogether, along with Derby, Plymouth, with new entries Brighton and Hove, the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, and Sheffield taking their place.

The top cities and towns for percentage of available rentals with a garden

With most cats and dogs needing an outside space, this aspect of a new home search can be a make or break for many renters – although those in cites make great use of the parks and green spaces many metropolises now have, it’s still a massive benefit to have.

London just makes the top 10 in this category with 42% of properties to rent listed with a garden, and the top city for coming with an outdoor space in 2024 a huge 60% of homes offering this. Edinburgh does well here too, coming in joint second place with Belfast, both having 58% of available homes with gardens.

In 2020, Derby, Wolverhampton and Newport took the three spots. All, apart from Wolverhampton in 4^th in 2024 (56%), have slipped out of the top ten.

Top cities and towns for percentage of rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’

Of all the properties listed as ‘pets allowed’, Glasgow comes top here with over 14% openly welcoming pet owners. Big shifts in Belfast: in 2024 it’s the place least keen on allowing pets, with not one listing stating pets allowed.

Brighton and Hove, London and Liverpool are also some of the cities new to the top ten in this year’s results.

Top cities and towns for affordable rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’

The research looked at the price of rentals listed as pet friendly across each city to rank those where the price is lowest and therefore more affordable.

Kingston upon Hull is the most affordable city in the UK for pet owners - moving up from third position in 2020. The average cost however has risen significantly from £499.04 in 2020 to £753.44. 

Bradford, is the second most affordable city for those with pets in 2024 costing on average £1061.25 per month, followed by pennies of difference to Derby in third. Bradford was the top city in 2020, and just Belfast drops out of the 2024 top three, finding itself not even in the top 10.

Top cities and towns for lack of pet owner rent price ‘penalty’

Big swings across the country are happening when it comes to renters having to pay a price penalty for being animal lovers.

London is now the top city that doesn’t hit renters with pets in their wallets with properties listed as ‘pets allowed’ costing a sizable 33% less than other advertised properties opposed to their four-legged friends. London was absent from the top 10 in our 2020 survey, so the post-pandemic lifestyle shifts in the capital are evident here.

And the worst cities in 2024 for charging renters with pets a ‘pet penalty’ are Stoke-on-Trent and Sheffield where both cities add 30% to their rental prices. Manchester also increases pet friendly homes by 25% on average, compared to homes listed without a pet mention.

Top cities and towns for lack of neighbour complaints regarding pets

Finally, and possibly the top worry of landlords and potential neighbours – the dreaded noise disruption that even the most loved of pets can make.

Who does the best for minimal neighbours complaining about noise? It’s off to the calm of the seaside as Brighton and Hove are the UK’s least conflicted areas. Followed by Kingston on Hull and another seaside staple – Portsmouth as the third least likely to be hit by complaints.

Quite a different mood in the UK to our 2020 results where Brighton and Hove and Portsmouth didn’t make the top 10; Leeds took the top spot followed by Edinburgh, and one coastal city, Southampton made the top three.

It’s clear to see that the UK loves having pets and that the rental market is paying attention. Pet owners have more support these days from the government and protection caps when it comes to reasonable costs attached to having pets.

While landlords appear to be more welcoming to tenants with pets to their properties, pets can still cause damage to properties. Landlord insurance protects landlords from financial losses associated with their rental property, but it’s important to note that pet damage often isn’t included as standard.

It’s best to have a conversation with tenants about recovering costs to properties due to pet damage should an incident occur, or consulting with your insurance provider about the possibility of additional cover specifically for pet damage.

Consult an expert for your insurance needs

The content of this article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered insurance advice.

If you're seeking protection that fits your unique circumstances, we recommend researching thoroughly or consulting an expert, such as one of our insurance specialists, to ensure you have the coverage that meets your specific needs.

Methodology & sources

Our methodology involved analysing existing data and reputable sources.

The UK’s 25 major cities by population figures were analysed and the below 10 criteria points were analysed for each city:

• Pets per capita
• Pet friendly rentals
• Actual number of rentals with a private garden
• Percentage of available rentals with a private garden
• Actual number of rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’
• Percentage of available rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’
• Average monthly rental cost for ‘pets allowed’ listings
• Average rent differences between pet friendly and not pet-friendly
• Neighbour sentiment around local pets

Each of the cities were then ranked for each of the above criteria points, before an average rank across all aspects gave the final ranking number known as the ‘overall index number’. Desk research sources for each criterion is available on request.

Data sources are as follows:

• Neighbour sentiment (no. searches for complaint related terms by residents in each city): Google Keyword Planner
• Rental prices: zoopla.co.uk
• Pet ownership statistics: ukpetfood.org
• Population statistics: ons.gov.uk
  
  

¹ Pet ownership statistics: ukpetfood.org/resource/paw-some-new-pet-population-data-released-by-uk-pet-food.html.

About the author

Alison Wild BCom (Hons), FMAAT, MATT, Taxation Technician is a highly respected industry professional who has been working with and advising SMEs in areas including tax, pensions, insurance and marketing for over 25 years. She is a Fellow member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) and also has 20 years' experience as a residential landlord.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems, we recommend that professional advice be sought.