Penny Jackson: Love your tenant, despite their dog

It is really quite surprising how many landlords are sniffy about taking tenants who have animals. Obviously, some properties are either completely unsuitable or there may be a pet ban for the entire development, but there seem to be plenty of cases where prejudice is the only factor.

Not a few letting agents have been pointing out to their clients that they could be losing good corporate tenants on the basis of this ban – and at a time when they can least afford to be choosy.

Until recently, landlords have not found pet owners to be particularly demanding, so grateful are they to find anyone prepared to offer a roof to them. But with the growth of the "pet passport" initiative it might not be so sensible to send dog and master packing in the future, particularly if they come from the US.

American tenants have done more than any others to improve the quality of rental properties in Britain because landlords have learned that they will only get top dollar rents if they meet exacting American standards. It is doubtful whether they will get away with lowering these standards just because a dog or cat is in tow.

When the passport scheme was extended at the end of the year to include the US and Canada, the Richmond lettings department of Hamptons International had a rush of applicants from those countries looking for a place they could bring their pets. With all the correct paperwork in place, there should have been nothing to stop them – until they came up against the implacable landlord, that is.

Tanya Thompson, manager in Richmond, found a couple with a cat for a flat owned by an investor in Singapore. "At the very last minute the landlord withdrew because his wife had a bad experience with a cat when she was a child.

Thompson recognises there are genuine concerns about the increase in allergens but where a lease covers all the possible consequences of having an animal around, it can be shortsighted to take such a firm position. "The wording in a pet clause is quite specific and the responsibility for repairing any damage as well as cleaning, de-fumigating or de-fleaing is entirely that of the tenant. Just saying 'no pets' does not always allow us to market a property to its full potential."

It was tough lobbying from North America that persuaded the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to include the US and Canada in the group of qualifying countries. Apparently, company employees and families of those serving in the armed forces are reluctant to come to the UK without their pets.

With pets, as with so much else, size matters. For PKL relocation agents, the breed of a dog can be the decisive factor. They cite the example of a German banker who could not find anywhere for his two large dogs. In the end, he kept on his flat in Frankfurt and went back every weekend to visit them.

For anyone planning to take their hound on a transatlantic plane trip, however, be warned. The only official route that has been agreed so far is to Orlando, with Britannia Airways. Dogs who wish to settle down elsewhere in the States must wait – unless, of course, they belong to the American ambassador in Britain who paid a New Year visit to the US. No problems there, of course.