To think that the renters reform bill is going to kill people with allergies?

[Petallergysufferer]

Just that really. I know many people will see this as a good thing. I know too that the severity of allergy to pets which means they can kill you is rare. But it does happen. I am that severely allergic. So if landlords can't give a blanket ban then there are no pet-free properties for me to move into.

For those who don't know - antihistamines make no difference and the only way to get all allergens out of the place is to remove all soft furnishings including carpets and underlay. Deep cleaning things does not work. So unless the landlords change all carpets, curtains, sofas etc. in between tenants, then it still has enough allergens to trigger a life-threatening reaction. For me that reaction is asthma and I already see a hospital specialist so there is no further treatment that can be offered. Avoiding allergens is the key advice. I'm really worried that the full implications have not been thought through.

Even though there can't be a clause specifically banning pets, landlords will be able to pick and choose whether they rent to someone with pets or not, so I don't see much changing to be honest. Some landlords will never allow pets in any case and a change in rent clauses won't affect that.

I'd say it to someone with a disability who was campaigning to have all homes to have disability adaptations fitted, when they have no intention to live there.

Well the Renters Reform Bill has been pushed back, they've not yet worked everything out in parliament nor gone to consultation. The no blanket pet ban is unless LL has a good reason to refuse permission (for pet) So I guess if there's enough LLs out there with pet allergies in their family, then there may be genuine properties that have been kept pet free.

I don't understand why you don't only rent properties with hard flooring and no furniture and get a company in to do floor to ceiling deep clean, given severity if your allergy. I would have thought you'd welcome Renters ReformBill as effectively by getting rid of section 21 no fault evictions OP you'll have to move less often and have more security in your tenancy when you're in a place you want to stay in. Surely that is even better for you?

Well fine but that's clearly not what I saying is it? But you carry on feeling superior.

I welcome no fault eviction ban but I think you are over estimating how many of those sorts of properties there actually are and how their rent compares to other properties. Here they are for the rich only as that's not the housing stock.

I don’t think YABU as I am allergic to pets too. I think LLs should be able to specify no pets in their properties. Having an animal live with you isn’t a human right imho and shouldn’t be treated as such.

And it’s bonkers to me that LLs can still say no children, but can’t say no pets? Surely discrimination against children is objectively more of a problem than discrimination against dogs/cats/Guinea pigs? it’s not like you can rehome a child!

That said, I think you will have to look for rentals with hard flooring- tile, wood, and no carpets. We have allergies and asthma in our family too and that’s one thing we look for in a rental is no to minimum carpets.

Yes definitely. Typically when I advertise my house I get a choice of tenants due to demand. How I gel with people is most important but I'd choose no pets as a preference.

If my current tenants bought a pet I'd be ok but wouldn't want to rent to pet owners from day one.

It's a clear case of the greater good here.

People with that severe an allergy could look for unfurnished lets. The only flat I've rented recently was unfurnished, and had hard floors in the kitchen & bathroom, and a new carpet fitted before I moved in. That would have worked.

It isn't that difficult.

A landlord could have just purchased a property from a dog owner, and then put it on the market for letting as a ‘pet free house’. This same situation would happen if you bought a property too. The only way to prevent this is moving into a brand new property so yes, YABU.

I feel very sorry for you OP, it must really limit your life as there are dogs on public transport, in shops, in restaurants - everywhere!

Can’t you rent an unfurnished property with wooden / laminate floors?

What happens if you sit next to someone at work / in a restaurant / on the bus who has just had their dog climbing all over them? Assume you also next holiday, travel in taxi etc as well in case they have had them there?

An allergy like yours is incredibly rare. The number of deaths due to pet allergy in the UK is zero.
It is possible to die from anaphylactic shock but again this is rarely triggered by pet allergy and sufferers should carry Epi pens and or take anti allergen medication if they're aware of their condition.

In summary, no I don't think anyone will be killed by the rental reform.

I'm not sure of the details about how this will operate. If you can't ask people about their pet plans or penalise them for lying then landlords can't discriminate in favour of pet less applicants. And I can't see any way to prevent people getting pets once they're in. (Except for exemptions as below).

It looks as if landlords will be able to get a certificate of exemption on the grounds of medical or religious requirement (either theirs or other tenants) or if the home is unsuitable for certain animals/breeds (so a seventh floor flat might state "nothing larger than a dachshund").

Definitely this.

My tenants contacted me to advise that they were expecting. They were worried that I might kick them out as this had happened to their friends.

I knew about the rules but was still sad that they were so worried about it. It's a ridiculous situation TBH and the last thing you want to worry about when expecting.

You can look for a flat which prohibits

I feel for you OP and I do see your point. I have a pet allergy as does DP (nowhere near as severe as yours but it does make life uncomfortable) and we get frustrated when, for example, someone had clearly allowed a dog to sleep on a bed in a holiday let last year.

And whilst I totally get your concerns, what would you do if you were buying a house?

In reality I doubt very much that there won’t be a scenario where landlords can work around the new rules to still not allow pets so I wouldn’t worry about it too much - there will probable still be lots of pet free options.

Why are you assuming lifting a blanket ban on pets means every rented property will have had a pet in it?

You can look for a flat which prohibits pets in the lease. We own a flat where animals are allowed but that's because the residents own the freehold (and most seem to be pet owners!) My DH doesn't like dogs and would probably prefer to live in a development where dogs are not allowed but I try to look for pet friendly developments as I have a hamster.

Also true. The number of hypothetical deaths from this measure are dwarfed by the equally hypothetical number of deaths prevented due to pets' mental health support or additional exercise imposed on vulnerable pet owners (sedentary lifestyles are one of the biggest killers in this country).

Actually, I'm sorry to say that you are coming across as rather nasty. I'm sorry that you have a serious allergy. Lot's of people have serious health conditions, but they recognise that everything doesn't revolve around their personal circumstances. If you had bothered to read the information available the intention is to end the blanket ban on pets, not refusing landlords the right to refuse pets. They can still refuse pets, but they must have considered reasons. The exact same applies to children - which you claimed otherwise. If a landlord wishes to ban children they must have a good reason. So there will still be plenty of properties for you to rent.

What it seems is that you are not prepared to allow for anyone to have rights if those rights even theoretically impinge on your own perceptions of what you might want. That's selfish. I am sorry you have a serious health condition. So do I. But I don't expect the world to revolve around me.

I genuinly think it would be better if there was a ban on carpeted rentals (and ideally with a lot of rules in place about how well insulated the flat/house is etc]. It would make such a big difference to asthma/allergy problems which are so numerous here.

No, it just says there has to be a good reason to refuse rather than a blanket ban.

If you think people in apparently pet free homes now, don’t sneakily keep pets or have pet visitors you are mistaken.

Sorry to hear about your life threatening allergy but unfortunately the rest of society can’t stop keeping much loved animals because of you.

That must be difficult OP. As PP have pointed out though how is it possible to guarantee that there has not been a pet somewhere? I know people who had pets in rented properties when they were not supposed to.

Well said.

If the OP's allergy is that severe (as others have said, to be so allergic you can't even live in a property that once had a cat in it is as rare as a very rare thing) then appropriate housing would be facilitated by the local authorities

If your allergy is that bad, what do you do about working alongside people who do own animals? I own animals, I know no matter how much I clean my clothes their damn hairs still stick to them. That would surely be enough to set your allergy off given how bad it sounds?