UK Tenants Now Have Pet Rights Under The Renters’ Rights Act 2024. After 35 Years, Here Is Exactly What This Means For UK Pet Bird Owners.

I have had some version of the same conversation hundreds of times across 35 years.

Someone comes in — often a young person, often a couple, often someone living alone — and they look at the birds for a while. Then they tell me they cannot have one. Not because they do not want one, not because they do not have the space, but because their landlord has a no-pets clause in the tenancy agreement and they are worried about what happens if they breach it.

Some of them have pets anyway and do not tell their landlord. Some of them genuinely hold off, sometimes for years, waiting until they buy a property. Some of them give up entirely on the idea.

As of 1 May 2026, that conversation has changed. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and its pet provisions came into force on 1 May 2026. Under this law, private tenants in England now have a legal right to request a pet — and their landlord cannot unreasonably refuse that request. Blanket no-pets policies are no longer lawful.

This is genuinely significant news for anyone who rents and has wanted a budgie or cage bird. I want to explain exactly what the law says, what it means in practice, and — from 35 years of experience with birds and their owners — what it means specifically for people considering a cage bird in a rented home.

What The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Actually Says About Pets

The legislation is specific and worth understanding clearly — because there are nuances that matter for how you use these rights.

The core rights for tenants:

• You have the right to request to keep a pet. This right is implied into all private assured tenancies automatically — it applies even if your current tenancy agreement says no pets. The landlord cannot override it by contract.
• Your request must be made in writing and must include a description of the pet. A written message or email is sufficient. The description should cover what the pet is, its approximate size, and any other relevant details about how it will be kept.
• Your landlord has 28 days to respond in writing. If they do not respond within 28 days, you can apply to a court. If they ask for further information about the pet, they get an additional 7 days from when you provide that information.
• Your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. They must consider your specific request on its individual merits. A blanket “no pets” policy is no longer sufficient grounds for refusal.
• If refused unreasonably, you can challenge it. Tenants can apply to court if they believe the refusal was unreasonable.

What landlords can still do:

• Refuse if there is a reasonable and specific justification — for example, a superior landlord (a freeholder above the letting landlord) has not given consent, or the property is genuinely unsuitable for that specific pet
• Use the tenancy deposit to cover any damage caused by a pet
• Request additional information about the pet before making their decision
• Refuse if keeping the pet would put the landlord in breach of an agreement with a superior landlord that prohibits pets

Important limits to know:

• This law applies only to private tenants in England with assured or assured shorthold tenancies
• It does not apply to social housing tenants
• It does not apply to lodgers (people living with their landlord)
• It does not apply to tenancies in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, which have different housing legislation

Why This Matters — The Scale of The Problem It Solves

To understand why this legislation matters, it helps to know how significant the barrier was before it.

Only around 5.9% of rental properties across England were listed as pet friendly before the Act came into force — just 5,839 out of approximately 98,964 properties. That is a startlingly small number given that, as the RSPCA notes, there were approximately 4.7 million private renting households in England in 2024.

The practical consequence was that millions of people who would have made responsible pet owners were simply excluded from pet ownership by the terms of their tenancy — not because their specific circumstances were unsuitable, but because a blanket no-pets clause was the default position for the majority of landlords.

The Government has confirmed that the Renters’ Rights Act came into force on May 1st 2026, and with it, blanket bans on pets are no longer lawful.

For budgie owners specifically, this is particularly significant. Cage birds have always been among the most suitable pets for rented accommodation — they produce no outdoor mess, they do not require access to a garden, they cause minimal wear on property fabric compared to dogs or cats, and the potential for neighbour impact from a pair of budgies is genuinely modest. The blanket no-pets rule was disproportionately restrictive when applied to birds, and the new legislation creates a framework in which landlords must now consider the specific nature of the pet rather than refusing on principle.

Why Cage Birds Are Well-Placed Under The New Rules

The legislation requires landlords to consider requests on their individual merits — which means the nature of the pet, how it will be kept, and any specific risks to the property all become relevant. This is where cage birds have a genuine advantage over many other pets.

The considerations that make a landlord reasonably nervous about dogs — outdoor access requirements, potential for damage to doors and flooring, significant noise — do not apply to cage birds in the same way. A well-managed budgie or pair of budgies in a clean cage:

• Does not damage carpets, skirting boards, or doors
• Does not require access to a garden or outdoor space
• Produces no outdoor mess or waste
• Can be managed to minimise odour through regular cage cleaning
• Has a contained, specific footprint within the property
• Does not present the allergy risk that cats and dogs do to future tenants

None of this means a landlord must approve every cage bird request — the legislation allows for reasonable refusals. But it does mean that a well-presented request for a pair of budgies, including information about how they will be kept, is a request that most landlords with no specific legitimate objection will find difficult to refuse on reasonable grounds.

How To Make Your Pet Request — Practical Advice For Bird Owners

The legislation specifies that the request must be made in writing and must include a description of the pet. Beyond that minimum, the quality of the request can make a significant difference to how it is received.

The Noise Question — Being Honest About It

I want to address this directly because it is the most legitimate question a landlord can raise about cage birds in a shared building or flat, and because honest information serves owners better than wishful thinking.

A settled pair of budgies makes noise. Not continuously, not loudly, and not at inappropriate hours if the cage cover schedule is managed properly — but they chirp, they sing, and they call to each other throughout the day. In a detached house, this is entirely contained within the home. In a flat or terraced property, whether it is audible to neighbours depends on wall thickness and the specific position of the cage.

In my honest experience across 35 years: a pair of budgies in a flat is not typically a noise issue for neighbours when the cage is not positioned against a shared wall and the birds are kept on a consistent cover schedule (which eliminates early morning calling by controlling the light). The sound level is significantly less than a television, significantly less than a dog, and comparable to a moderate radio.

However, a single budgie kept alone and left to call for its absent flock — that can be more persistent and more carrying. Which is one of several reasons I recommend a pair rather than a single bird: a pair is settled, content, and much less inclined to the repeated loud calling that a lonely single bird produces.

If noise is a genuine concern raised by your landlord, address it directly in your request. Describe how you will manage it — cage cover schedule, cage position away from shared walls, the settled temperament of a bonded pair. Specific, practical information is far more persuasive than a general assurance.

What To Do If Your Landlord Refuses

The legislation gives tenants rights, but it also explicitly allows landlords to refuse on reasonable grounds. The question of what constitutes reasonable refusal is not always immediately obvious, and it may need to be tested in specific cases.

I want to be honest here: the new legislation is real and significant, but it is also new, and there will be cases where the boundary between reasonable and unreasonable refusal is disputed. For most cage bird requests in standard private rental properties, a blanket refusal without specific justification related to the bird in question is likely to be difficult for a landlord to defend. But if you reach a point of dispute, you need proper advice rather than just my opinion from behind a pet shop counter.

The Deposit Position — What Tenants Should Know

One of the explicit provisions in the legislation is that landlords may use the tenancy deposit to cover any damage caused by a pet. This was already the case in principle — the deposit exists to cover damage beyond normal wear and tear — but the Act makes it explicit in the context of pet tenancies.

For cage bird owners, this is worth understanding clearly.

A pair of budgies kept in a properly managed cage is unlikely to cause any deposit-deductible damage in normal circumstances. The specific risks from cage birds are:

• Cage placement — if the cage sits directly on carpet for an extended period and the area under and around the cage accumulates droppings or spillage, this could cause staining. A cage mat or tray beneath the cage prevents this entirely.
• Wall proximity — seed husks, water splashes, and feather dust can reach walls close to the cage. Keeping the cage a short distance from the wall and wiping the area regularly prevents accumulation.
• Out-of-cage time — droppings from a bird in free flight can land on furnishings or surfaces. Supervised out-of-cage time with washable cage mats and covers on sensitive furniture manages this.

None of these are difficult to manage with reasonable care. If you address these specific points in your pet request — confirming that you will use a cage mat, will keep the cage area clean, and will manage out-of-cage time responsibly — you are directly addressing the deposit risk that the landlord is weighing.

Which Birds Suit Rented Living — My Honest View From 35 Years

Since this legislation opens the door to cage birds in rented properties, I want to give my honest view on which birds are most suited to rented living — because not every cage bird is equally suitable for every property type.

Best suited to most rented properties:

• Budgies (a pair) — my most common recommendation for rented living. Small footprint, manageable noise, minimal property impact, and genuinely rewarding as pets. A pair is better than a single bird for welfare and for noise management. See our full guide on budgies for flats and smaller homes.
• Canaries — even quieter than budgies in most circumstances. Males sing beautifully but are not persistent callers in the way a lonely budgie can be. Very low property impact. Well-suited to flats.
• Zebra finches (a pair) — active, interesting to watch, and their vocalisations are quiet enough that neighbour impact is genuinely minimal. Require less direct interaction than budgies.

More consideration needed before requesting these in rented properties:

• Cockatiels — larger, louder, and with a more significant noise profile particularly in the morning. Well suited to rented houses, but a flat with shared walls requires more careful consideration and a cage cover routine is essential.
• Larger parrots — African Greys, Amazons, and similar species produce noise at levels that may genuinely affect neighbours in shared buildings. These are best suited to detached or semi-detached houses rather than flats. A landlord refusing such a bird in a flat on noise grounds is likely to be on reasonable ground.

The legislation requires landlords to consider the specific pet. The nature of the bird matters, and matching your request to the specific property you are in is both good practice and more likely to succeed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Renters’ Rights Act mean my landlord has to say yes to my budgie?

Not automatically — but they must consider it fairly and cannot refuse without a reasonable, specific justification related to your particular pet and property. A blanket no-pets policy is no longer lawful grounds for refusal. If your landlord refuses and cannot give a reasonable specific reason, that refusal may be challengeable.

My tenancy agreement says no pets — does the new law still apply?

Yes. The right to request a pet is implied into all private assured tenancies in England as of 1 May 2026, regardless of what the tenancy agreement says. Landlords cannot override the legislation through the terms of the agreement.

Does this apply in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland?

No — the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 applies to England only. Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have separate housing legislation with different rules.

I already have a budgie in my rented flat without telling my landlord — what should I do?

The new legislation requires you to request permission — you cannot simply keep a pet without notifying your landlord. The Act does not retrospectively legalise undisclosed pets. The practical advice is to make a formal written request now, describing your birds and how they are kept, and seek permission going forward. Speaking to a housing adviser before you approach your landlord, if you are concerned about the situation, is sensible.

Can a landlord charge extra rent because I have a budgie?

The tenancy deposit can be used to cover pet damage, but the Act does not specifically allow landlords to charge a higher deposit or additional rent solely because of a pet. What they can do is require conditions as part of granting consent — for example, that the cage area is cleaned regularly, or that the bird is not left for extended periods without someone to check on it.

Where can I get budgies suited to rented living in Swindon?

Come and see us at Paradise Pets, Manor Garden Centre, Cheney Manor, Swindon SN2 2QJ. Or ring us on 01793 512400. We will help you choose birds that are well suited to your specific living situation, advise on setup, and can answer any questions about how to present a cage bird request to your landlord in the most persuasive way. All our birds come from UK breeders we know personally.

One Last Thing From Me

The conversation I have had hundreds of times — “I’d love a budgie but I rent” — used to end there. The tenancy agreement said no pets, the landlord enforced it, and that was the end of it. Thousands of people who would have been responsible, caring owners were simply excluded by default.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 does not guarantee every tenant who wants a budgie will get one. It cannot override every legitimate refusal, and there will be properties where cage birds genuinely are not suitable. But it replaces a system where “no” was the automatic answer with one where “no” requires justification, where every request must be individually considered, and where tenants whose landlords refuse without good reason have a path to challenge.

For most people in standard private rented properties in England who want a pair of budgies — this law creates a genuine, realistic route to doing so. That is a real change, and it has been a long time coming.

If you are considering making use of these new rights and you want advice on what type of bird suits your property, how to present your request, and what to actually consider before bringing birds home for the first time — come in and talk to us. That conversation is free, and it has been one of the more enjoyable parts of this job for 35 years.

Written by Neil — Neil has owned and run Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988. He has kept, bred, and sold budgies and cage birds for over 35 years. For advice on any bird or small animal, visit us at Manor Garden Centre, Cheney Manor, Swindon — or call 01793 512400.