Pets In Social Housing – New Guidelines Launched By Pet Advisory Committee

The Pet Advisory Committee (PAC), a coalition of animal welfare charities including Dogs Trust, PDSA and the RSPCA; veterinary organisations; and environmental health, local authority and trade organisations has launched an innovative guide to encourage housing professionals to allow pets in social housing.

The free resource is aimed at social housing policy officers and enforcement staff and highlights important points for them to consider when introducing and implementing a pet policy, including

* New advice regarding ‘status dogs’
* How to deal with unauthorised pets and tenants who ignore pet policy rules
* How to tackle common problems such as fouling, noise and damage
* Detailed guidance on how many pets should be allowed in any given home
* Recent case studies of housing providers where successful pet policies have been put into practice.

The guide was initially launched in 2007 following research that found many housing providers do not have a clear pet policy and around half did not explicitly state their pet policy in their tenancy agreements. The Pet Advisory Committee found this ‘blind eye’ approach increases the likelihood of problems for both residents and housing staff.

Andrew Stunell MP, Chairman of PAC, explains:

“Many housing providers believe a blanket ‘no pets’ rule is the easiest route to take, especially when it relates to the keeping of cats and dogs. Yet aside from the trouble involved when tenants keep pets without permission, research shows that pets help their owners develop social skills and increased responsibility as well as providing real psychological and physiological benefits through regular exercise or interaction with others.”

One council is already reaping the rewards of adopting a responsible pet ownership initiative. In 2009 Wrexham Council worked with Dogs Trust to promote responsible dog ownership to their tenants by setting up a voluntary responsible dog owner agreement.

The agreement is offered to all new and existing tenants and includes clauses on not allowing their dogs to cause nuisance, including fouling and barking. As part of the agreement dog owners are eligible to access free microchipping, paid for by Wrexham Council; and a £30 neutering offer funded by Dogs Trust and carried out at participating local veterinary practices. The initiative was promoted to residents through the council’s newsletter and to staff through training workshops delivered by Dogs Trust.

With 23% of UK households owning a dog this scheme could potentially help up to 3,220 of Wrexham’s 14,000 tenants.

A free copy of Guidelines on Pet Management for Housing Providers has been sent to every Local Authority and Housing Association in the UK and is also available to download at www.petadvisory.org.uk.

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Tags:  Animal Welfare, Pet Advisory Committee, pets in social housing, Social Issues