7 in 10 Blackpool landlords still refusing pets in homes despite Renters' Rights Act
Of 94 live rental listings in Blackpool only 28 of them (29.8%) accept pets.
It has been revealed by a study conducted by Ranking Atlas that over 70% of landlords are refusing to accept pets in homes, despite the changes to the Renters’ Rights Act.
Two months after the Renters' Rights Act gave tenants the legal right to request a pet, we analysed 94 live rental listings in Blackpool. Just 28 - 29.8% - accept pets, close to the 30% average across our national sample.
Nationally, 45% of renters say they plan to get a pet now the Act has passed (YouGov/Battersea), and 743,000 households have previously been refused one by a landlord. The Act gives renters the right to ask. In Blackpool, 70.2% of the market still says no.
On 1 May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act came into force in England. Among its provisions, tenants gained the statutory right to request to keep a pet in their rental home. Landlords can no longer impose blanket “no pets” clauses and cannot unreasonably refuse a request. The change affects approximately 11 million private renters in England.
The legislation arrives as pet ownership in the UK has reached its highest recorded level. According to the PDSA’s 2025 PAW Report, 54% of UK households now own a pet, up sharply since before the pandemic.
The UK dog population hit a record 11.1 million in 2025. At the same time, private renting has shifted from a transitional phase to a long-term reality for millions of households, meaning more people are looking to keep pets in rental properties for longer periods than at any point in modern history.
The collision between these trends is the context for this analysis. We examined 15,522 live rental listings across 41 UK cities to measure what pet-friendly supply actually looks like, and what happens to rent when landlords say yes.
What the Act does and doesn’t do:
The Renters’ Rights Act grants a right to request a pet, not a right to a pet-friendly home. Landlords must consider each request individually and can still refuse on reasonable grounds (property damage risk, lease restrictions, property unsuitability). The Act changes the negotiation, but it does not create supply. That distinction is central to our findings.