Are you a stubborn Landlord who does not allow pets in rental property? Well you need to move with the times writes property blogger Lea Beven.

With services available to tenants enabling them to protect a landlord’s property against possible damage, it is hard to see why a landlord would refuse to allow them.

There is no extra cost to the landlord and it broadly widens the potential of finding tenants.

Research provided by the Dogs Trust tells us that 43% of UK households have pets, so landlords and agents who exclude pet owners are missing out on nearly half of the potential rental market.

With so many repossessions and many landlords suffering severe empty periods without tenants, it is time for a change of heart.

Many letting agents hold a hidden no-pets policy themselves and when a prospective tenant calls and asks what is available, they are brushed off and told that there is nothing.

The Office of Fair Trading considers a blanket ban on keeping pets in a property to be unfair under the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999. Therefore landlords should not include a ‘No Pets’ clause in their tenancy agreements.

The Office of Fair Trading believes that the landlord should not unreasonably withhold their consent for a pet. For more information on regulations visit www.oft.gov.uk.

Personally, I think that if the agency takes a responsible view and meets the pet prior to agreeing the residency, then quite often there is no problem at all.

So come on, give the dog a bone!