While the UK is known for being a pet friendly place with many pubs and stores welcoming furry friends, finding a pet friendly home to rent is one of the more challenging and frustrating problems pet owners face.
For those pet parents in the market to rent a place, CIA Landlords Insurance compiled a list of the best cities in the UK to rent with a dog. The list is based on a range of factors, including the quality of parks and green spaces, the number of rental properties that allow pets, and the number of services such as dog groomers, vets and kennels.
The list shows London is top dog in terms of the best city in the UK for renters with canine companions. London boasts the highest number of rental properties that allow pets (2,213 at the time of this research), as well as the greatest number of pet shops (1.3), pet-sitters (0.4) and kennels (0.4) available per 250,000 people.
For those who travel often and have to leave their dog behind, London also has an abundance of pet-sitters and kennels.
As for places to walk your pooch, London may not have the sea, but the city has received a rating of 80.4 out of 100 for the quality of its many parks and green spaces, making it an ideal location to explore with your four-legged buddy.
| Rank | City | Quality of green spaces & parks (out of 100) | # of vets per 250,000 people | # of dog groomers per 250,000 people | # of pet-sitters per 250,000 people | # of kennels per 250,000 people | # of pet shops per 250,000 people | % of population with dogs (per region) | # of dog owners | # of properties allowing pets |
| 1 | London | 80.4 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 9.00% | 806,579 | 2,213 |
| 2 | Nottingham | 70.5 | 17.9 | 7.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 31.00% | 99,665 | 19 |
| 3 | Belfast | 70.7 | 15.5 | 10.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 40.00% | 109,908 | 0 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 82.1 | 10.8 | 7.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 23.00% | 106,948 | 37 |
| 5 | Blackpool | 66.7 | 11.5 | 9.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 27.00% | 64,640 | 6 |
| 6 | Southampton | 77.8 | 16.2 | 7.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 25.00% | 61,550 | 22 |
| 7 | Cardiff | 83.0 | 7.8 | 5.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 30.00% | 134,186 | 53 |
| 8 | Derby | 77.1 | 12.9 | 5.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 31.00% | 83,845 | 13 |
| 9 | Bristol | 73.4 | 10.1 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 28.00% | 172,838 | 33 |
| 10 | Manchester | 53.5 | 4.4 | 7.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.8 | (no data provided) | (no data provided) | (no data provided |
Nottingham follows as the second best UK city to rent with dogs, offering the highest number of vets with a count of 17.9 per 250,000 people, far higher than London’s figure of 1.3 per 250,000 people. The quality of Nottingham’s parks and green spaces also ranks high at 70.5, despite being lower than London.
In third place is Belfast, which takes the top spot for number of dog groomers at 10 per 250,000 people. The Northern Irish capital is also a great spot for anyone looking to connect with other dog owners, as they make up 40% of the population in this region.
On the downside, Belfast currently has no available properties listed as being pet-friendly – however, that doesn’t mean renting with a pet isn’t possible here.
The research noted that landlords do not always advertise that they’re willing to consider pets; in fact, research found that only 7% of landlords in England advertise their properties as being pet-friendly. Despite this, some may be open to negotiation for the right tenant, and may even be required to consider tenants with pets in light of new guidelines removing a blanket ban on domestic animals in rented properties.
Meanwhile, in terms of cities that scored low for dog friendly renters, Bradford ranks as the worst city, scoring low across the board for dog-friendliness.
According to the research, there are a low number of services and facilities for canines available across this northern city, with 5.8 vets and 0.8 groomers per 250,000 people. The number of kennels on offer is slightly higher at 5 per 250,000, but the number of pet sitters remains low at just 2.5 per 250,000. On top of that, the city’s parks and green spaces received a score of only 42.9.
Newport, in Wales, follows as the second worst city, with an even worse quality score of 41.7 for its green spaces but slightly more vets (6.5) and groomers (1.6) available per 250,000 people. At the time of writing, only one property is advertised as allowing pets in Newport, though as previously mentioned, this does not necessarily mean there are not more options available.
Rounding out the bottom five cities are Southend-on-Sea, Stoke-on-Trent and Sunderland.
| Rank | City | Quality of green spaces & parks (out of 100) | # of vets per 250,000 people | # of dog groomers per 250,000 people | # of pet-sitters per 250,000 people | # of kennels per 250,000 people | # of pet shops per 250,000 people | % of population with dogs (per region) | # of dog owners | # of properties allowing pets | |
| 1 | Bradford | 42.9 | 5.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 22.00% | 65,848 | 3 | |
| 2 | Newport | 41.7 | 6.5 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 30.00% | 92,053 | 1 | |
| 3 | Southend-on-Sea | 35.0 | 10.2 | 5.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 21.00% | 62,015 | 6 | |
| 4 | Stoke-on-Trent | 37.5 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 28.00% | 104,377 | 13 | |
| 5 | Sunderland | 62.5 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 33.00% | 110,687 | 4 | |
| 6 | Birmingham | 58.6 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 28.00% | 275,613 | 114 | |
| 7 | Luton | 62.5 | 8.7 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 21.00% | 54,184 | 6 | |
| 8 | Birkenhead | N/A | 9.2 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 27.00% | 87,821 | 3 | |
| 9 | Swansea | 91.7 | 6.7 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 30.00% | 90,106 | 4 | |
| 10 | Reading | 78.3 | 7.1 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | (no data provided | (no data provided) | (no data provided | |
Richard Wayman, Finance Director at CIA Landlords said: “Some landlords have been hesitant to rent their properties to tenants with pets due to the risk of property damage, which may not be covered by general landlord insurance. However, The Renters Reform Bill will now give tenants the right to request a pet in the property, which the landlord is required to consider and cannot unreasonably refuse.”
“While these changes may cause some landlords to worry about the potential risks associated with renting to pet owners, they may also offer opportunities to attract a wider pool of tenants and increase rental income,” Wayman said. “Allowing tenants to have pets may also lead to higher satisfaction rates and longer tenancy durations, giving landlords long-term security. However, it’s important that both landlords and tenants evaluate whether the surrounding location is suitable for accommodating pets, particularly dogs and cats.”