Renting with a pet in Liverpool
The local picture
Liverpool is two rental markets wearing one postcode. In and around the city centre and the Baltic Triangle there are large apartment blocks run by management companies, often with a head lease and a written pet policy. In Wavertree, Kensington, Anfield and along Smithdown Road there are streets of Victorian terraces owned by individual landlords.
The city has also run landlord licensing schemes over much of its housing, so a lot of Liverpool landlords are used to the council, to conditions, and to being asked for things in writing.
The law, which is the same everywhere in England
The right applies across England
Since 1 May 2026, section 11 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives every tenant in England, Liverpool included, the right to formally request consent to keep a pet. Your landlord must give or refuse that consent in writing within 28 days, and must not refuse unreasonably.
They cannot require you to take out pet insurance, and they cannot take a larger deposit. The full explanation of how the right works applies anywhere in England.
Work out which market you are in
In a block, the landlord may not be the one who decides, and the Act allows for that: if they need a superior landlord’s consent and ask for it within the 28 days, they get a short extension after the answer comes back. Ask which clause of the lease restricts pets, and offer to help with whatever the freeholder or management company needs.
In a terrace, the decision is personal, and the request should read that way: the yard, the walks along Sefton Park or Calderstones, who is home during the day, and an offer to meet the animal.
Practical notes for Liverpool
- In an apartment block, ask for the building’s pet policy in writing before you send the request.
- If there is a managing agent, they usually answer faster than the landlord and hold the lease.
- In a terrace, describe the yard honestly; most are small, and a landlord knows that.
- Shelter runs a Merseyside service, and Citizens Advice covers the city.
What there is to buy
The letter, written on the Act, with a one-page summary of your pet an agent can file. Or copy our free template and write it yourself. We would rather you sent a good letter than no letter.
One payment, current for 18 months. England only.
Not a legal document. UK ESA Register is a private service, not a government body, and no official UK register of emotional support animals exists.
Not a legal document. UK ESA Register is a private service, not a government body, and no official UK register of emotional support animals exists. This page is general information about renting in England, not legal advice.