The Best UK Cities to Rent with Dogs

If you’re a dog owner, you know that finding a pet-friendly rental property can be a challenge. But it’s not just about finding a place that allows dogs; you also want to make sure that the city you live in is a great place for your furry friend.

To help you out, CIA Landlords have compiled a list of the best cities in the UK to rent with a dog 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.

Whether you’re a long-time resident or considering a move to a new city, our research will help you find the perfect place to rent with your four-legged friend – as well as which areas to avoid if you want to provide the best possible quality of life for you and your pet. 

London is the best city in the UK to rent with dogs, with over 2,000 pet-friendly rental properties available

London is crowned the best city in the UK for renters with dogs, boasting the highest number of rental properties that allow pets (2,213 at the time of writing), as well as the greatest number of pet shops (1.3), pet-sitters (0.4) and kennels (0.4) available per 250,000 people. 

London’s abundance of pet-sitters and kennels makes it a particularly attractive option for owners who travel often; with so many options to leave your pet in capable hands, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re well taken care of.

The city also received a remarkable 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 companion.

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 very low 1.3 per 250,000 people. The quality of Nottingham’s parks and green spaces is also impressive at 70.5, which is still high 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. 

Landlords don’t 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. 

The top 10 best UK cities to rent with dogs

Bradford and Newport are the UK’s worst cities to rent with dogs

Bradford ranks as the worst city in the UK for renters with dogs, scoring low across the board for dog-friendliness. 

There are a low number of services and facilities for canines available across this northern city, with only 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 receive a low quality score of only 42.9. 

Newport 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 discussed above, this doesn’t necessarily mean there aren’t more options available. 

Rounding out the bottom five cities are Southend-on-Sea, Stoke-on-Trent and Sunderland. 

The bottom 10 worst UK cities to rent with dogs

Renting to tenants with pets

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. 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.”

Methodology & sources

We created an index to determine the best cities in the UK to own a dog, based on the top 30 most populated cities (not including London boroughs).

The metrics considered for each city were:

• Quality of green spaces and parks
• Number of vets
• Number of dog groomers
• Number of pet-sitters
• Number of kennels
• Number of pet shops
• Percentage of people per region that own dogs
• Number of properties that allow pets

Each city was awarded an overall index score based on these metrics, then ranked from highest to lowest score.