We are excited to launch our new pet policy.

Our new policy recognises that having a pet can be very beneficial for wellbeing. Pets can contribute towards improving mental health, reducing loneliness and helping maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Key changes:

• All residents, including those in independent living schemes, can request permission to keep a pet. We will consider applications based on the suitability of the property and the type and size of pet.
• We recommend that residents speak to us before getting a pet. We won’t refuse permission to get a pet without good reason.
• We have launched our new pet page on our website with guidance about deciding to get a pet and how to request permission for a pet.

Please use our Pet Application Form if you would like to keep a pet, or additional pets for which you don’t already have permission.

If you live in an independent living scheme, you can request permission using our Pet Application Form (independent living).

Resident influence

We made several key changes to the policy in response to resident feedback.

You said, we did:

What happens if a pet causes a nuisance?

We have updated the policy to say that we will deal with pet nuisance under the Anti-Social Behaviour Policy.

Do residents need to take out pet insurance?

We added to the policy that we strongly recommend residents take out pet insurance to cover any vet bills or damage caused by the pet.

The Pet Application form is difficult to find.

We have created a new pets page on our website.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

This policy has been developed in line with our Equality and Diversity Policy to ensure that it’s inclusive.

We identified that age and disability, including mental health conditions, may impact on someone’s ability to look after a pet. In response, we have updated the policy to ensure that we identify support needs and signpost individuals to available support so that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from the health and wellbeing benefits of keeping a pet.