'Every rental listing said cats were not allowed'

When Samantha Day received a section 21 eviction order from her landlord, she had two months to find a new home for herself and her two cats, Cali and Ellie.

However, as she began browsing the listings she was horrified to find nearly all of them stated no pets were allowed - and landlords she spoke to became cautious when she mentioned her cats.

Ms Day, from Derbyshire, was considering temporarily housing her furry friends with family members before receiving help from a pet-friendly organisation.

She is now calling on landlords to be more open-minded about tenants with animals.

Ms Day said she had found the lack of rental options for herself and her felines "scary and frightening".

"It got to the point where I was asking family members if they could take them in temporarily in case I got kicked out," she told the BBC.

"It's sad knowing that there was a possibility that I might have had to give them up."

Luckily a breakthrough came with the help of AdvoCatsEastMids, a non-profit voluntary organisation that helps tenants with pets find homes.

Jennifer Berieza, the group's founder, helped Samantha create a pet CV - designed to set out their breed, medical history and best qualities with the aim of demonstrating the owner's responsible approach - and a new home was found.

Ms Berieza says she started the organisation because she saw a "real need" in the market - property website Zoopla estimates that only about 7-9% of rental properties are pet-friendly.

"I think that landlords should consider that while it's their property, it's also a tenant's home," she said.

"It's important for people to feel safe, secure and happy in their homes and for a lot of people that means having a pet."

Ms Day said she understood the concern a landlord might feel but felt it was unfair to lump together responsible renters with "bad tenants."

"A lot of people do look after their rented homes well, even with pets," she said.

Change could be round the corner with the proposal of the Renters Rights bill, which seeks to give tenants the right the request a pet and states the request cannot be unreasonably refused by landlords.

The government has yet to publish a guideline of what a reasonable refusal would be.

It would also allow damage to rented properties to be covered by pet insurance.

Ms Berieza called the planned legislation "a very good step' but said there was still more that could be done.

"I think it will help tenants but they have to know that they still need to request permission and they can't just automatically think 'I have a right to a pet' and go and get one," she said.

However, some landlords have raised concern at the bill's possible implications on the market and their businesses.

"There could be a mass exodus of landlords from the market," said Paul Rowland, a Nottingham landlord.

He also warns of "massive reductions" of rental properties on the market due to the bill.

"It's about making sure there are consequences in case anything goes wrong," he said.

He cited a previous tenant who had moved out and left their cats in the property.

Mr Rowland was eventually able to rehome the cats but had worried that he would have to take an "unfortunate trip to the RSPCA".

The bill is currently in the House of Lords, in its committee stage, but Mr Rowland is not expecting to see any amendments to help landlords.

"The tin has been kicked down the track for far too long," he said.

"What we've got, is what we've got."

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.