Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made a recent assessment of the level of availability of pet-friendly accommodation in the private rental sector; and whether her Department is taking steps to increase the availability of pet-friendly accommodation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In 2021, the English Private Landlord Survey showed that almost half of landlords were unwilling to let to tenants with pets. The Government wants to ensure more tenants can experience the benefits of pet ownership – including the benefits to mental and physical health. The Renters’ Rights Bill will give tenants the right to request a pet and ensure landlords cannot unreasonably withhold consent. Landlords will be required to respond to any requests by a tenant to keep a pet within 28 days, instead of the 42 that had been proposed by the previous Government. Tenants will be able to challenge unfair decisions.
Asked by: Claire Hazelgrove (Labour - Filton and Bradley Stoke)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of levels of house (a) buyers and (b) sellers withdrawing from a sale at the last minute.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government recognises that the current home buying and selling process in England is slow, costly and stressful, and that transactions falling through can contribute to this.
On average, around one in three transactions fall through before completion, costing consumers around £400 million in direct costs alone.
We continue to consider how to drive improvements most effectively across home buying and selling for both consumers and the sector.