Renting with dogs in the UK isn’t as easy as some other countries where renting is the norm. So where are the best cities in the UK if you’re a dog owner? If you are looking to rent a property and own a dog, if you had your pick, Southampton is the city for you.
Officially named the pet-friendliest city in the UK for those wishing to rent with pets, Southampton might be getting an influx of dog owners looking to rent a home.
The study by insurance firm Towergate Insurance, analysed 25 major UK cities against 10 various criteria points to determine the most ‘pet-friendly’ locations for renters and their furry friends.
These factors included pets per capita, as well as various aspects to determine the locations with pet-friendly rentals, such as: rentals with a private garden; rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’; affordable rent prices; and lack of neighbour complaints regarding pets.
Data: The 10 Most Dog Friendly Cities in The UK
| RANK | CITY |
| 1 | Southampton |
| 2 | Nottingham |
| 3 | Manchester |
| 4 | Derby |
| 5 | Birmingham |
| 6 | Plymouth |
| 7 | Coventry |
| 8 | Stoke-on-Trent |
| 9 | Bristol |
| 10 | Leeds |
Southampton performed well across all 10 categories, laying claim to the top spot in the UK overall. The southern city performed especially well for lack of rent price ‘penalties’ for pet owners (pet owners in the city can expect to pay just 71% of the average monthly Southampton rental price), as well as having a low estimated number of neighbour complaints regarding pets.
Nottingham and Manchester made up the rest of the top 3 ‘pet friendly’ major cities in the UK for renters, coming in second and third place respectively in the overall index ranking. Derby and Birmingham followed close behind, ranking at fourth and fifth respectively.
Alison Wild of Towergate Insurance, says:
“Ticking an array of pet-friendly boxes, Southampton stands head and shoulders above other cities, and our research helped crown the coastal city as the most ‘pet-friendly’ city for renters in the UK.
“It’s a shame to see that pet owners living in Wolverhampton, London and Leicester have the biggest risk of rent ‘penalties’, with these cities typically paying between 26-42% more than the average rental price in each respective city. In better news, animal loving renters can find affordable pet-friendly accommodation in Bradford, Belfast and Kingston upon Hullâ€.
The UK’s Most Pet Friendly Cities For Renting
Top 3 cities for number of available rentals with a garden:
- Leeds
- Coventry
- Birmingham
Top 3 cities for percentage of available rentals with a garden:
- Derby
- Wolverhampton
- Newport
Top 3 cities for number of available rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’:
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Sheffield
Top 3 cities for percentage of available rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’:
- Newport
- Plymouth
- Belfast
Top 3 cities for affordable rentals listed as ‘pets allowed’:
- Bradford
- Belfast
- Kingston upon Hull
Top 3 cities for lack of pet owner rent price ‘penalty’:
- Leeds
- Belfast
- Edinburgh
Top 3 cities for lack of neighbour complaints regarding pets:
- Leeds
- Edinburgh
- Southampton
When broken down into winners per category, the research revealed that Leeds performs best on various points, including for number of rentals on the market with gardens, for not having a rent price ‘penalty’ for pet owners (pet owners in the city can expect to pay just 53% of the average monthly Leeds rental price), and for having the lowest estimated monthly search volumes for pet complaint terms of all cities analysed.
Bradford has the highest number of affordable pet friendly rentals, with an average monthly rent of just £417.50. On the other hand, Derby has the highest percentage of rentals which included a garden (56% of live listings).
Manchester has the most available rentals that were listed as ‘pets allowed’ (119 live listings), whereas Newport in Wales has the highest percentage of rentals that were listed as ‘pets allowed’ (13%), a huge 10% more than the average across all 25 cities analysed (3%).
Looking at Scotland specifically, Edinburgh narrowly missed out on the top 10, ranking in at number 11 overall, tying with Preston. The Scottish city was found to have the second biggest lack of rent price ‘penalties’ for pet owners of all cities analysed – pet owners in the city can expect to pay just 68% of the average monthly Edinburgh rental price.
London came last in the list overall, performing poorly across all 10 criteria points. As well as London, the worst performing cities overall also included Swansea, Glasgow, Cardiff and Leicester.
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