Savills Portugal

April is National Pet Month, designed to celebrate and raise awareness of responsible pet ownership.

For many people, cats and dogs are part of the family but historically private landlords have been reluctant to accommodate tenants with pets. That could be because there’s an increased risk of damage to furniture, for example, or because properties with no outside space might simply be unsuitable. It’s always been especially difficult to find pet-friendly apartments, particularly in London.

Of course, animals aren’t universally refused, but it is typically up to the landlord to decide and there appears to be a disconnect between the increasing number of people renting and private rentals that market and label themselves as pet friendly.

The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association estimates that 17 million households have pets – that's just under 60 per cent of all households. Meanwhile, the number of people living in private rented accommodation is growing and our research team expects this trend to continue, with private rent becoming ever more significant in years to come.

Build to Rent developers have begun to wake up to this opportunity and some are now designing entire buildings to be pet-centric.

Developers with pet-friendly Build to Rent portfolios include Vertus, Greystar, Quintain Living, M&G, LaSalle and Hermes. In recent years I’ve seen developers host 'cutest pet' competitions, events for pet owners and animal-friendly moving-in presents. And at Greystar’s Tillermans Court in Greenford, London, for example, there’s a grooming/washroom for dogs where they can freshen up after a muddy walk.

Depending on the scheme you may have to pay a pet premium (at Tillermans Court it’s £75 per pet), but not only do they enable you to move with your faithful companion, there’s another key advantage: residents automatically have something in common with their neighbours – though of course, you don’t actually have to have a pet to live in pet-friendly accommodation.

As the private rented sector grows and our love of animals remains as strong as ever, the Build to Rent market may well be barking up the right tree.