Keeping animals as pets, it hardly needs to be pointed out, is a big part of British identity – but for those living in social housing, having a pet isn’t always straightforward. Neil Merrick explores the issues.

At times, it was heartbreaking watching people who were homeless being forced to make such an agonising decision.

Should they accept the flat on offer to them from Stonewater Homes, which meant giving up their pet, or did they put their animal first?

A surprising number of people would choose their animal over a permanent home, recalls Holly Edwards, Stonewater’s assistant director of customer experience. “They were choosing to sleep on a sofa or in a car to keep their pet,” she says.

Thankfully, would-be tenants no longer have to take such decisions. Two years ago, the housing association drew up a new policy that means, by and large, tenants in flats as well as houses can keep whatever animals they choose.

No permission is required for small animals such as fish and hamsters, but otherwise tenants must first apply to the association. Generally, permission is granted without conditions. Only dangerous animals are banned.

The new policy is designed to demonstrate that, as a landlord, Stonewater does not seek to micro-manage tenants’ lives. “We are moving away from a parent-child relationship,” says Edwards. “If landlords want long-term tenants, they need to allow people to live as they wish and treat it as if it’s their home.”

“If landlords want long-term tenants, they need to allow people to live as they wish and treat it as if it’s their home”

According to the RSPCA, pet owners often make the best tenants, taking proper responsibility for their home as well as their animals. It’s also widely recognised that pets can have a therapeutic effect and provide important companionship, especially for elderly people who live alone.

Housing 21, which has 23,000 residents in retirement or extra-care accommodation, advertises itself as a pro-pet landlord. Tenants can keep any pet they wish, providing they apply for permission.

Bruce Moore, its chief executive, says it would be fundamentally wrong for the association to separate residents from their animals, especially as they bring wider benefits in retirement properties. “It helps with social connection,” he says. “If people are shy it can be a conversation opener.”

In 2021, while the UK was still in lockdown, the government unveiled a new model tenancy agreement for private landlords that warns against blanket bans on pets.

The right for tenants to request to keep pets is likely to be included in the Renters (Reform) Bill, still waiting to make progress in parliament (and the Scottish government has included keeping pets in its landlord and tenant engagement questionnaire). For now, however, rules remain at the discretion of landlords.

Some social landlords have reviewed pet policies, or devised new ones, so tenants are more aware of where they stand. Stonewater received about 1,500 responses to its consultation, which invited tenants to suggest the type of animals they might wish to keep as pets.

This threw up some interesting suggestions, including chickens, bees, micro pigs and reptiles. In rural areas, tenants were keen to keep cattle and other livestock. “There were some animals that I’d never heard of,” admits Holly Edwards.

Tenants are advised how best to look after animals, such as making regular visits to vets, but welfare decisions are ultimately left to owners. “We made it clear that we wouldn’t police people’s pets,” she adds.

“Other residents had previously complained of barking and howling noises. The case ended up in court, with the dog owner nearly £1,500 poorer”

Complaints from other residents about problem animals are rare, says Stonewater, but that’s not the case everywhere.

In June, Stockport Homes took out a community protection order against a dog owner that broke the rules and kept a dog in his flat. Other residents had previously complained of barking and howling noises. The case ended up in court, with the dog owner nearly £1,500 poorer.

Another arm’s length management organisation, which does not have a policy on pets, spent months arguing with a tenant who kept two chickens in contravention of her tenancy agreement.

Eventually, the woman got rid of the noisier chicken but argued that she needed to keep the other bird as it helps with her son’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to the Society for Companion Animal Studies, bans on keeping pets in rented homes is one of the main reasons for animals being taken to shelters or rescue centres by their owners.

For private renters, the situation was exacerbated by the 2019 Tenant Fees Act, which removed the right of landlords to request a pet deposit in case of damage. This means landlords are more likely to ban pets completely.

In 2010, a private member’s bill proposing that people in care homes and sheltered accommodation should have the right to keep a pet was talked out by MPs. But attitudes have changed, with more landlords happy to hear the occasional bark or squawk coming from inside properties.

Last year, Anchor reviewed its pet policy in conjunction with residents, its wellbeing team and tenancy managers. Residents without pets were also asked their views.

“It’s important to have a policy that everyone is happy with and creates a harmonious balance,” says Pru Choney, Anchor’s compliance and policy officer. “It’s their policy as much as it is ours.”

Anchor’s work in promoting animal welfare has been recognised by the RSPCA for the past six years [see below]. If it’s impractical for a resident to look after a pet, they can join a pet therapy group, or spend time with communal pets.

These include Regee, a tortoise who resides at Eric Morecambe House, a care home in Lancashire, and which won Anchor’s much-sought-after pet of the month prize for October 2023.

As residents in retirement accommodation get older and struggle to look after their pets, cat feeding or dog walking may be included in care packages. At Housing 21, it’s not unheard of for a snake to be kept in an apartment, though cats and birds are more common. Rules apply in communal areas, including gardens.

A successful policy, says Bruce Moore, should encourage responsible pet ownership that benefits both animals and other residents. “It says you have a right to have a pet unless we can show it could cause problems for other people,” he says. “If a pet becomes a nuisance, then that’s an issue we have to address.”

Successful pet ownership among renters depends on a positive two-way relationship between landlords and tenants, says the RSPCA.

Instead of blanket bans, it advises landlords to have a clear, written policy that allows tenants to request to keep pets on a case-by-case basis, providing they can meet an animal’s welfare needs.

Ideally, the policy should set out the owner’s responsibility, along with a definition of each species of animal and how many are permitted in a property. There should be clear procedures for managing complaints or concerns raised by pet owners or by neighbours. Breeding of animals for business purposes should be prohibited.

The RSPCA discusses pet issues with social landlords on an individual basis, and runs an annual PawPrints award scheme that recognises excellence. For the past six years, Anchor Housing Association has won a gold (and more recently platinum) award for its pet policy, meaning it provides advice on pet care as well as discounted pet ID and neutering.

Lee Gingell, the RSPCA’s public affairs manager, points out not all accommodation is appropriate for animals, and pets should only be permitted where the home and immediate environment are suitable. “Landlords should engage with the community over a policy that works for residents and animals,” he says.