Six months on since the Renters’ Rights Act came into play, Jesmond residents and estate agents have said that those renting properties now have more ability to live how they want.

Since the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force in England on May 1st 2026, ended blanket bans on pets in private rentals, students and residents renting private houses in Jesmond now have a legal right to ask for a pet, and landlords can no longer refuse without a good reason.

Any tenants who wish to request a pet must make the request in writing, and landlords have 28 days to respond. If a landlord refuses, they have to explain why. The right applies to private tenancies whatever the contract says.

Maddie Bailey, a sales and lettings negotiator at Rook Matthews Sayer estate agents in Jesmond, told JesmondLocal the process of requesting to keep a pet is relatively straightforward.

“Whenever we have a request for a property, we usually request all the information, including pets, and then draft it all up for the landlord in writing,” she said.

Bailey shared that most of the time landlords say yes to pets, but legally they can only really say no if the property is in a flat and the flat building doesn’t allow pets. 

“We are yet to come across a student who has sort of asked us if they can keep a pet. Most of the time landlords are pretty lenient anyways,” she explained.

Holly Fisher, a third-year history student, is one of those putting the new renters rights to use. Her Jesmond house has a communal pet hamster called HamTart, which she shares with seven other housemates.

Holly said HamTart officially belongs to her housemate Daisy, who originally said she was getting him for company and to combat loneliness.

Ben, the house’s lead tenant, messaged the landlord in July, shortly after the Act came into force, to ask about Daisy keeping the hamster.

“The landlord didn’t really have an issue with us having a hamster,” said Fisher. “I suppose it’s partly because he’s such a low-maintenance animal, but we were happy to know we could keep him.”

“Everyone in the house now loves HamTart, and I even have another friend in Jesmond who also got a hamster this year,” she added.

According to data collected by LRG, a national estate agency, 93.2% of landlords reported receiving zero formal requests from tenants looking to keep a pet, with 6.5% receiving a request and approving it and 0.3% receiving a request and refusing it.

The findings are based on a survey of 717 landlords and 860 tenants across England and Wales, capturing the market’s initial behaviour during the first few months following the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act.

Not every student is covered by the Renters’ Rights Act. University-run accommodation and purpose-built student blocks can still operate no-pets policies.

Fisher admitted that they weren’t really aware of what the renters right act entailed before asking about having a hamster, she suggests others who want some extra companionship also have a read about their rights.