The government’s removal of the pet insurance clause wasn’t just a U-turn. It was a signal: policy cannot outrun infrastructure.
Without scalable products, shared standards, or reliable evidence frameworks, forcing landlords to accept pet insurance made no sense. So it was dropped.
But the risk hasn’t gone with it.
Landlords are still exposed. Agents are still guessing. Tenants are still hoping the next landlord says yes.
That’s not sustainable. But it is solvable.
The Market Opportunity (If the Industry Moves First)
With the clause withdrawn, insurers are no longer boxed into an impractical mandate. But the demand for protection on all sides is only going to rise.
There is room now to design the right products, on the right terms, and build them around how damage is actually evidenced and settled.
Here’s what’s possible:
- Voluntary Pet Damage Insurance
Optional cover for tenants or landlords. Built with embedded documentation protocols, linked to condition reports and check-outs. - Bundled Tenant Insurance with Pet Add-Ons
Streamlined for affordability, credibility, and simplicity. Paired with certification or screening for responsible owners. - Enhanced Landlord Insurance
Adjusted to reflect pet exposure with premiums tiered by evidence quality and condition audit data. - Pet Liability and Certification Services
Offering lower excesses and better pricing for tenants who demonstrate training, registration, or behavioural assessments.
All of these products are commercially viable. But only if the risk inputs are trustworthy. And that is where the challenge lies.
Why Pet Risk Needs More Than a Policy
The industry does not just need a new insurance product. It needs a way to manage disputes.
Insurers want clarity on damage attribution.
Landlords want fast recovery without formal claims.
Agents want a consistent process they can trust and explain.
Tenants want transparency and to avoid being penalised for someone else’s pet.
This is not just about pricing risk. It is about proving it.
Inventory Base is already the documentation layer used by thousands of agents, landlords, and deposit schemes.
Our platform:
- Captures pre-tenancy condition with timestamped, geo-located reports
- Supports check-in, mid-term, and check-out inspections
- Embeds media, damage descriptions, and user comments
- Produces audit-grade reports ready for dispute resolution or claims processing
- Integrates with CRM and tenancy platforms for smooth implementation
In short, we don’t need to build new behaviours. We just need to activate the data that’s already being collected.
Why Now?
This is a rare moment where legislation, tenant demand, and operational risk have converged but no one owns the standard yet.
There is no dominant product. No adjudication protocol. No embedded pathway.
That is not a gap. It is a blueprint waiting to be drawn.
The insurer that leads here will not just sell a policy. They will define the category.
We are ready to help make that real.
Explore more at inventorybase.co.uk or talk to our leadership/partnerships team about co-developing a pet tenancy product that works for the whole ecosystem.