The Responsibilities of Pet Owners
To ensure that no pet fouls any internal or external parts of the building or grounds, and if this does occur, to clean it up, remove and properly dispose of immediately.
Pets must be kept clean, with any identified bad smells being dealt with immediately.
Pet bedding or clothing must not be washed in the communal washing machines.
Pets must be kept free of fleas, ticks, or any other infestation which could be a health risk to residents, employees or visitors and may impact on the condition of the property.
Pet owners may be liable for the costs of any cleaning which may subsequently be necessary due to any of the above.
No pet is to be left in a flat unattended for extended periods of time.
All pet owners must provide details of people able to care for the pet in the event of the resident’s absence (known as temporary pet carer). The resident’s listed temporary pet carer will make arrangements to ensure the welfare needs of the pet are met at short notice if the resident is unable to care for the pet or is absent from the accommodation (planned or unplanned).
Housing 21 reserves the right to enter a resident’s accommodation if a pet is left unattended (or an appropriate agency if required) – refer to ‘Accessing a Residents Home’ Policy and Procedure.
If the pet owner can no longer properly care for their pet on a long term or permanent basis, they must make arrangements for re-homing. The Court Manager / Housing Manager / Housing and Care Manager may assist with this.
The pet owner must ensure that the pet is not a nuisance or threat to any other resident, colleague or visitor to the scheme, and that complaints of nuisance are addressed and prevented from re-occurring.
If the pet displays threatening behaviour or nuisance, an Anti-Social Behaviour case may be opened. This will introduce tools that either insist that the resident controls the pet’s behaviour, or the potential removal of the pet.
The resident’s home may also be at risk as a last resort in matters of an extremely serious nature and/or the resident’s refusal to address the issues.
The pet owner must do all that is reasonable to ensure the welfare of their animals. This duty extends to ensuring an animal’s welfare needs are met by ensuring:
• a suitable environment (place to live)
• a suitable diet
• normal behaviour patterns
• appropriate housing with other animals
• protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease
Dog owners legally must ensure that their dogs from the age of eight weeks are microchipped, that the web-based data provider is kept up to date with their current address and that they wear an ID tag with the owner’s name and address on when outside of the home. More information can be found here: Get your dog microchipped - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Owners can be fined £500 if this is not adhered to. If a resident cannot afford to have their dog microchipped, the Blue Cross and Dogs Trust will do this for free.
