Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, has welcomed the findings of the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee’s report that concluded that more needs to be done to address the need for pet-friendly housing in Wales.
Published today, the report into the Private Rented Sector in Wales looks at the crucial role the private rented sector plays in providing homes, and gathered evidence from a number of organisations, including Dogs Trust.
The charity, which has rehoming centres in Cardiff and Bridgend, has seen the number of people in Wales needing to relinquish their dog due to accommodation issues increase by almost a third when compared to the same time last year.*
Claire Calder, Head of Public Affairs at Dogs Trust, says: “We welcome this report by the Local Government and Housing Committee which concluded that more needs to be done to tackle the issue of pet-friendly housing. Dogs Trust has been campaigning on this subject for many years as we believe that the joy of pet ownership shouldn’t be exclusive to homeowners, but open to private and social renters as well.
“But further to this, the shortage of pet-friendly housing is having a major impact on charities across the pet welfare sector. We receive hundreds of calls each week from desperate owners forced to rehome their dogs due to a lack of pet-friendly accommodation, and meanwhile potential owners are unable to adopt from us as many landlords do not allow pets in their properties. We look forward to working closely with the Welsh Government to implement the Committee’s recommendations and ensure that pets and owners have a place to call home.”
John Griffiths MS, Chair of the Local Government and Housing Committee, said: “Today’s report is calling for the Welsh Government to do more to ensure that people renting privately can live comfortably in high-quality, affordable homes.
“During our inquiry, we heard many instances of people being discriminated against and being unable to secure a home. One consistent reason was that they had a pet, which often forced people to make the awful decision whether to move into a home or give up their pet.
“With the evidence showing that landlords can make more money by renting to pet owners as they are likely to stay in a property for longer, we recommend the Welsh Government launch a myth-busting campaign with landlords.
“We believe that as long as a property is suitable, tenants should not be prevented from having pets. It’s time for this discrimination to stop and for the Welsh Government to explain how they will extend tenants’ rights to have a pet.”
Around half of all households in Wales are shared with a pet, and one in three households own a dog**. Despite this, joint research from Dogs Trust and Cats Protection found that just 8% of renters in Wales say their home was advertised as pet-friendly.
The research conducted by Dogs Trust and Cats Protection also revealed that landlords are currently split on whether they currently allow pets, with 46% saying they allow pets. The same research revealed that, in over a third of cases where cats or dogs have not been allowed by a private landlord, the landlord did not proactively decide this based on the individual tenants or pets, but either followed advice or a used a standard template.
Allowing pets in rental properties is not just good for the tenants; there are advantages to landlords too as it could increase the length of time tenants choose to rent a property. Research by Dogs Trust and Cats Protection found that 26% of tenants would stay longer in a property if they were allowed to keep a pet.
To increase the availability of pet-friendly properties, Dogs Trust has been providing advice and resources to pet owners, landlords and letting agencies for more than a decade through its Lets with Pets scheme. For tips and advice on how to become a pet-friendly landlord and how to find pet-friendly accommodation, visit www.letswithpets.org.uk/.
