Member

Furthermore, as I have noted before in Committee, figures from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home show that 39% of rehoming applications come from renters, underscoring the direct impact that a lack of housing options has on pet ownership. This demonstrates the risk that pet-owning tenants face in the private rented sector, where landlords can easily reject applications without explanation, often forcing tenants to give up their pets to access housing. Indeed, it is the second most common reason animals are sadly surrendered to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. This clause is essential to tackling the first barrier that pet owners face when they are entering the private rental market: being excluded before even securing a tenancy. Without such a small, proportionate and practical change, the Bill sadly risks falling a little short of its goal of ending the blanket ban on pets in privately rented homes and, more broadly, creating a fairer and more inclusive rental system for all. I beg to move.