Managing Pet Requests on a tenancy

Pet Requests lets you log a tenant's request to keep a pet against their tenancy in Alto, track the 28-day response deadline set by the Renters' Rights Act, and record the landlord's decision. You'll find it on the Requests side menu of a tenancy record, where every pet request on that tenancy is listed as In Progress or Completed.

Since 1st May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act has given tenants in England the right to ask in writing to keep a pet. Landlords can no longer apply a blanket 'no pets' rule: each request must be considered on its own merits, and a landlord can't refuse without a fair reason. The landlord must respond in writing within 28 days, or later if they ask the tenant for more information. Pet Requests works out that deadline for you, adds it to the tenancy as a management date, and keeps the request, any follow-up correspondence, supporting documents and the reasons for the decision together on the tenancy, so you have a clear record if a decision is ever challenged.

How the final response deadline is calculated

Alto works out the date by which the landlord must respond, shows it in the Final response deadline panel on the request, and updates it as you record correspondence with the tenant, so you don't need to calculate the statutory deadline yourself.

• The deadline starts as 28 days from the Official requested date, which is the date the tenant made the request
• If you ask the tenant for more information, the deadline becomes whichever is later: the original 28-day deadline, or 7 days after the date the tenant supplied the information
• If you ask for more information more than once, Alto recalculates the deadline from the latest dates you've recorded

The panel also shows how the deadline was worked out, for example (28 days from initial request) or (7 days from latest response).

Example

A tenant asks to keep a pet on 17th September 2026, so the deadline is 15th October 2026. You ask for more information on 11th October 2026 and the tenant replies on 12th October 2026. Seven days from 12th October is 19th October, which is later than 15th October, so the deadline moves to 19th October 2026.

Viewing pet requests on a tenancy

The Manage Pet Requests page lists every pet request on a tenancy, so you can see at a glance which requests still need a decision and when each one is due.

1. Click Tenancies on the main navigation bar
2. Select the relevant tenancy from Recent & Favourite Tenancies
   1. Alternatively, find the tenancy using the Search Tenancies bar in the top right
3. Click Requests on the side menu

The Manage Pet Requests page opens, with the tenancy's requests split into two tables:

• In Progress - requests still awaiting a decision, showing the Requested Date, Final Response Date, Request Details and Information Status
• Completed - requests that have been approved or rejected and marked as completed, showing the Responded Date, Outcome and Request details

When none of a tenancy's requests are awaiting a decision, the In Progress section shows No pet requests in progress, and any completed requests remain listed in the Completed table.

Click the arrow at the end of a row to expand a summary of the request without opening it.

Adding a pet request

Add a pet request as soon as you receive the tenant's written request, so the deadline is tracked from the right date. You only need the request date and a short description to start; you can add more to the request as it progresses.

1. On the Manage Pet Requests page, click Add new request
2. Complete the Pet Request details section:
   1. Official requested date - the date the tenant made the request. The deadline is calculated from this date
   2. Request details - a short description of what the tenant has asked for, such as the type, breed and number of pets
   3. Notes - any other relevant information, where applicable
   4. Documents - where applicable, drag files into the panel or click choose from folder to attach the tenant's written request or other supporting documents. Files upload when you save the pet request
3. Click Save

You're returned to the Manage Pet Requests page, where the request appears in the In Progress table with its Final Response Date. Alto also adds a Pet Request Response Deadline management date to the tenancy, covered in Tracking pet request deadlines below.

Updating a pet request

As a request progresses, you can open it to record further correspondence, add documents and keep the deadline accurate. Each date you add is stored against the request, building a record of how it was handled.

To open a request, click Edit request on the relevant row of the In Progress table.

Asking the tenant for more information

If the landlord needs more detail to make a decision, such as the size of the pet or where it will be kept, record when you asked and when the tenant replied. Alto extends the deadline in line with the Renters' Rights Act.

1. Tick Requested more information
2. In Information requested date, select the date you asked the tenant
3. Click Save

When the tenant supplies the information

1. In Information supplied date, select the date the tenant replied
2. In Notes, enter any other information the tenant supplied
3. Click Save

The Final response deadline updates automatically, and the request shows a More information status in the Information Status column.

If you need to ask for more information again, click Edit request on the relevant row, then click Add more dates and complete the new pair of dates. Alto recalculates the deadline from the latest dates you've recorded.

Recording contact with a superior landlord

If the property is leasehold, the freeholder or the terms of a superior lease may restrict pets, so the landlord may need permission before they can agree to a request. Where applicable, record when the superior landlord was contacted and when they responded.

1. Tick Contacted Superior Landlord
2. In Superior Landlord contacted date, select the date you contacted them
3. Click Save

When the superior landlord responds

1. In Superior Landlord responded date, select the date they responded
2. Click Save

Adding supporting documents

Store the tenant's written request, pet references, vaccination records or any other evidence against the request, so everything relating to the decision is kept together.

1. In the Documents panel, click Upload files
2. In the Upload documents window, select the files to upload
3. Click Upload documents

Uploaded files are listed in the Documents panel on the request, where you can view, download or delete them.

Recording the landlord's decision

Once the landlord has decided, record the outcome in the Pet Request Outcome section. If a request is refused, the tenant must be told why in writing, so recording the reasons here keeps the justification alongside the request.

1. Click Edit request on the relevant row of the In Progress table
2. In Pet Request Outcome, select the Landlord decision, either Approved or Rejected
3. If the request is rejected, tick each Rejection reason(s) option that applies:
   • Superior Lease Restriction
   • Property Suitability
   • Health And Safety
   • Animal Welfare
   • Other
4. In Outcome notes, explain the decision. When rejecting a request, use Outcome notes to explain the specific reason for this property and this pet, not just the category ticked. A clear, specific reason is easier to justify if the tenant challenges the decision
5. In Response sent date, select the date the response was sent to the tenant
6. Tick Mark Pet Request as completed
7. Click Save

The request moves to the Completed table on the Manage Pet Requests page.

Reasonable and unreasonable reasons for refusing

The Government's guidance for landlords gives examples of when refusing a pet request may or may not be reasonable. Use these as a starting point when the landlord is deciding, and always check the latest version of the guidance.

It may be reasonable to refuse where:

• another tenant has an allergy
• the property is too small for a large pet or several pets
• the pet is illegal to own
• the landlord is a leaseholder and the freeholder doesn't allow pets

It's usually unreasonable to refuse because the landlord:

• doesn't like pets
• has had problems with tenants' pets, or pet damage, in the past
• has general concerns about possible damage in the future
• thinks a pet might affect future lets
• knows the tenant needs an assistance animal, such as a guide dog

Once a landlord agrees to a pet, they can't change their mind later. If the tenant wants another pet, they need to make a new request.

A tenant who keeps a pet without the landlord's permission may be breaking the terms of their tenancy agreement. If a tenant believes a refusal is unreasonable, they can challenge it by complaining to the landlord or applying to court.

Viewing or deleting a pet request

Completed requests stay on the tenancy as a record of what was asked, when, and what was decided.

To view a completed request, click View request on the relevant row of the Completed table.

To delete a request that was added in error:

1. Click Edit request on the relevant row of the In Progress table
2. Scroll down and click Delete request
3. Confirm when asked

Tracking pet request deadlines

Each pet request's final response deadline is added to the tenancy as a Pet Request Response Deadline management date, so it sits alongside your other tenancy dates and appears on the dashboard. This lets you see every pet request that's due across all your tenancies, not just one tenancy at a time.

On a tenancy

1. Click Dates on the side menu of the tenancy

Each in-progress pet request has a Pet Request Response Deadline event, marked as Critical, with the request's final response deadline as its due date.

Across all tenancies

1. Click the Alto Logo (Home tab) on the main navigation bar
2. Click Property Management Dashboard on the Home screen side menu 
3. In the Event Dates widget, click Pet Request Response Deadline

The Date Events window lists the pet request deadlines across your tenancies, with overdue deadlines highlighted. From here you can also Email All Tenants or Email All Landlords.

For more information on managing event dates, see Property Management Dashboard - Event Dates widget.

FAQs

• Can I add more than one pet request to a tenancy?

Yes. Add each request separately. Each one has its own final response deadline and management date, and all of them are listed on the tenancy's Manage Pet Requests page.

• Is there a pet request progression in Progressions?

No. Unlike Rent Review and Property Possession, pet requests aren't a progression, so they don't appear in Progressions and there are no milestones to customise. You manage each request from the Requests side menu of the tenancy, and track deadlines from the Dates side menu or the Event Dates widget.

• Does Alto send the decision to the tenant?

No. Pet Requests records the decision and the date the response was sent. Send the written response to the tenant in your usual way, then upload a copy to the request.

• What if the tenant doesn't send the information I asked for?

Leave the Information supplied date blank and record what happened in Notes, so the request shows that you asked and didn't receive a reply. Government guidance says a landlord doesn't have to consider the request if the tenant doesn't respond to a request for more information.

• Why can't I save my pet request?

Check the required fields are completed: an Official requested date is always needed, an Information requested date once Requested more information is ticked, and at least one Rejection reason(s) option when the decision is Rejected. Then check the dates on the request are in order. For example, an Information supplied date must be after its Information requested date, a Superior Landlord responded date must be after the Superior Landlord contacted date, and the Response sent date must be after the other dates. To tick Mark Pet Request as completed, you'll also need a Landlord decision and a Response sent date.

• I was tracking pet requests with a custom management date. What should I do now?

If you've been recording pet requests with a file note and a custom management date, add any requests that are still open to Pet Requests, using the date the tenant originally made the request as the Official requested date. Then mark your custom management date as Complete, so the same deadline doesn't show twice in the Event Dates widget.

• Related Help Centre articles that you may find useful.

  Renters' Rights Act: Key changes

  Renters’ Rights Act: Updates to Alto

  Renters’ Rights Act: FAQs and troubleshooting guidance

  Rent Review for Assured Periodic Tenancies

  Landlord Possessions (Section 8)

  Property Management Dashboard - Event Dates widget