Renters to gain right to keep pets under new housing plan

The move has been long called for.

The move is part of the government’s new housing action plan to end blanket ‘no-pet’ clauses in rental agreements across Ireland.

The plan is set to be formally launched this week by Minister for Housing James Browne, who pushed the new changes. 

The Minister insisted that tenants, particularly those in social housing, should not be automatically banned from keeping pets.

Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) will be prohibited from including a general ‘no pets’ clause in tenancy agreements under the new proposal. 

Landlords will instead be asked to assess pet requests individually, similar to a model recently adopted in the UK.

It is a move which has been long backed by campaigners as thousands of tenants across Ireland have had to go through the heartbreak of giving up their beloved pets to move into a home.

Additionally, the move has been welcomed by animal charities who also highlighted how many renters have recently been forced to give up their pets due to strict housing rules.

Also, landlords will reportedly be warned that they cannot charge extra deposits for those with pets as the maximum total deposit will remain at one month's rent.

The new plan pertains to just AHBs and social housing as of yet, meaning some tenants in the private rental sector may still struggle with pet bans.