Keeping pets

The Charter for Social Housing recognises that domestic pets bring joy, happiness and comfort to people’s lives, helping their owners through difficult times and improving their mental and physical wellbeing.

The Regulator of Social Housing encourages all social landlords to set out how tenants could seek permission to keep a pet or animal depending on the location, provided they are well looked after and do not adversely affect the lives of neighbours and those living nearby. 

All dogs and cats must be chipped and records kept up to date. Looking after their welfare is important and can be expensive. There are some subsidised veterinary services such as Blue Cross bluecross.org.uk/veterinary  

This Guidance outlines Westward’s (WHG) approach to keeping pets and animals by its tenants and their households. Our aim is to provide a pet-friendly and common-sense approach to keeping a pet.

A responsible pet owner will be aware of their responsibilities in making best efforts to ensure their pet does not cause a nuisance to neighbouring households or damage to the property or neighbourhood.

If your pet causes a persistent nuisance this could be a breach of your tenancy agreement, which we would work with you to address. However, should the nuisance persist, this could lead to formal action being taken against you and you could be asked to rehome your pet.

It is recognised that some buildings may not be suitable for certain pets such as cats and dogs and in these circumstances, we may say that those buildings are classed as ‘pets with express permission only’. Anyone applying for a tenancy with us will be informed at the application stage if the property has been designated as “unsuitable for pets” so that they can decide if they wish to take on a property with this restriction.

We define the following as domestic pets

• Dog (excluding any breeds highlighted by the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, including XL Bullies)
• Cat
• Bird (such as a budgie or cockatoo)
• Fish
• Small caged rodent or house trained rabbit
• Small non-poisonous caged reptiles

What are my responsibilities if I have a pet?

You’re responsible for caring for your pet. They shouldn’t roam unsupervised, be a nuisance to neighbours or foul any communal, shared area or any other property, including shared garden areas.

• All animals must be kept under control and (if pet appropriate) kept on a lead.
• Pets are only allowed in communal/shared areas to gain access to your home.
• Pets must be kept under control when our staff, agents or contractors are visiting your home.
• All dogs must be secured behind a closed door in a separate room before we arrive. Otherwise, we may not be able to carry out any necessary work. This may also stop your pets potentially getting distressed about us being there.
• If you have a garden, you must keep the garden boundaries secure to stop your pet(s) escaping.
• You must make sure your pet doesn't damage any property. If it does, we’ll have to recharge you the cost of any repairs. If you allow the nuisance or damage to continue, we may take legal action against you.
• Commercial breeding from our properties is not allowed.
• Responsible disposal of any dog fouling, leaving communal areas clean for others.

What happens if someone complains about my pet(s), or I don’t keep up my responsibilities?

If we have reason to contact you about any of the following, we’ll expect you to work with us to find a solution to the problem:

• The condition of your property (including garden and shared areas)
• The welfare of your pet(s)
• Justified complaints from neighbours If we can’t find a solution, then you may have to rehome your pet(s). This means you’ll no longer have permission to keep your pet(s) at home. If you choose not to rehome your pet, we may take legal action to enforce this.

What happens if I don’t agree with a decision on my request for a pet?

If you have had to request permission for a pet because of the restrictions of the property or the pet being outside of our definition of a domestic pet and we have refused permission you may make a request to appeal the decision. You need to clearly outline your reasons for the appeal and this will be reviewed by a housing services manager within 28 days of your request.

PLEASE NOTE YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR PETS AT ALL TIMES

You need to complete the Pet Permission Form below, where you provide details of the pet and agree to be responsible for the pet to ensure it does not cause a nuisance to neighbours.