Renting with pets
If your pet causes damage
You are responsible for damage caused by your pet that is not 'wear and tear'.
Wear and tear is when things become worn or old because of normal use.
You might have to pay for:
replacing scratched, chewed or damaged furniture
removing pet hair from carpets and furniture
fixing stained floors and carpets
Your landlord could try to keep some or all of your deposit to pay for damage your pet causes.
Your landlord has to protect your deposit in a scheme and give you information about it.
Get an inventory
Having an inventory before you move in could help if your landlord tries to blame your pet for damage that was already there.
Check your tenancy agreement
Check what your tenancy agreement says about cleaning at the end of your tenancy.
It could say that:
you are responsible for cleaning
you must pay for professional cleaning
You could say it is not fair to pay for professional cleaning if you can clean the property yourself.
What is reasonable might depend on:
how clean the property was when you moved in
if your pet caused a lot of damage that you could not clean yourself
Find out more about:
Last updated: 1 May 2026
