Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the expected timetable is for establishing the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman; and what mechanisms will be available for tenants to challenge unreasonable refusals to keep a pet before the Ombudsman is operational.

On 13 November 2025, the government published a roadmap for implementing the Renters' Rights Act, which can be found on gov.uk here.

In implementation Phase 2 from late 2026, we will introduce the national Private Rented Sector Database and Private Rented Sector Ombudsman.

Prior to the establishment of the new service, if a tenant thinks their landlord has unreasonably refused a request to rent with a pet, they will be able to challenge the decision in court.

My Department has made no specific assessment of the impact on tenants of the period between 1 May 2026 and when the new service will be available.