Pets and council housing policies

delboy1
delboy1 Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
edited October 2018 in Housing and independent living
Hi all, hope all is well, I don’t know if any one can help but I was looking up my rights on keeping my little dog in a council accomdation and this site came up, I’m registered disabled and and get disability allowance, I have full time care, my little gizmo keeps me carm down when I have sezers, and my disfuncthiony movements, I’m in council tempary accommodation and have just been offered a permanent place but was told my dog can’t come, does anyone help, do I have rights, it’s tearing me apart, I’ve had him 4 years now and the help from him is Un real,

Comments

  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,761 Championing
    Hi @delboy1, and a warm welcome to the community!

    Thanks for sharing this with us, and I'm so sorry to hear about your troubles- it sounds like your dog is a huge part of your life and wellbeing and I hope this can be resolved.

    Hopefully our other members will be able to advise, but it may also be a good idea to seek advice from the housing charity Shelter, who are likely more knowledgeable about laws and policies around this issue. Here are their contact details. Wishing you the best of luck, and please do keep us updated.
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    HI,

    Unfortunately some social housing will not allow pets, i have the same problem in the area that i live. The social housing will not allow pets in some of the properties but they will in others.
  • feir
    feir Online Community Member Posts: 394 Empowering
    edited October 2018
    Just lie and say a friend is taking your dog in for you. Move into your house. If the dog is there when the landlord is round just say it's at yours while your friend is a work and they are picking him/her up later.
  • topshoes
    topshoes Online Community Member Posts: 436 Empowering
     sorry to hear this ,yes this is right what @poppy123456 has said.  
  • alibabi67
    alibabi67 Online Community Member Posts: 22 Connected
    Hi, my Aunty had to move accommodation and she had a cat and a dog. She was agoraphobic, severely depressed and her pets were her life but she wasn’t allowed to take them. Personally I wouldn’t take the advice to lie and keep the dog anyway because if it is no pets allowed you can guarantee someone will hear the dog and report it and then you could be in a pickle. 
  • topshoes
    topshoes Online Community Member Posts: 436 Empowering
    I know it is hard @delboy1 but could you not ask someone you know who can take your dog in for you and ask them if you can go round and see it now and then to see it is .
  • delboy1
    delboy1 Online Community Member Posts: 2 Listener
    Thanks everyone I will contact the advice lines you have mentioned 
  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Online Community Member Posts: 64,463 Championing
    feir said:
    Just lie and say a friend is taking your dog in for you. Move into your house. If the dog is there when the landlord is round just say it's at yours while your friend is a work and they are picking him/her up later.
    I'm sorry but that's terrible advice to give anyone. Not sure why you would lie about something like this because it can breach a tenancy agreement and it could be terminated because of this.
  • feir
    feir Online Community Member Posts: 394 Empowering
    poppy123456 said:
    feir said:
    Just lie and say a friend is taking your dog in for you. Move into your house. If the dog is there when the landlord is round just say it's at yours while your friend is a work and they are picking him/her up later.
    I'm sorry but that's terrible advice to give anyone. Not sure why you would lie about something like this because it can breach a tenancy agreement and it could be terminated because of this.
    There's no tenancy to break if they don't lie anyway as they have a dog that isn't allowed to live in the property.

    But if you're genuinely inerested in why i advised that it's because i don't like being homeless. You only get a couple of offers of housing and then you're on your own. if neither allow dogs then they are gonna have to get rid of their pet or become homeless.
  • tru88le
    tru88le Posts: 200 Contributor
    delboy1 said:
    Hi all, hope all is well, I don’t know if any one can help but I was looking up my rights on keeping my little dog in a council accomdation and this site came up, I’m registered disabled and and get disability allowance, I have full time care, my little gizmo keeps me carm down when I have sezers, and my disfuncthiony movements, I’m in council tempary accommodation and have just been offered a permanent place but was told my dog can’t come, does anyone help, do I have rights, it’s tearing me apart, I’ve had him 4 years now and the help from him is Un real,
    See if you can get the dog some status such as an assistance dog... then get this verified or backed up by someone with knowledge of assistance animals such as a letter saying this dog is essential to your care and wellbeing during seizures and other efcects of y our illness.
    Councils like a letter from such a person or organisation due to them  assuming everything we say is a lie and a trick. 
    It doesnt have to be provable as long as they agree that your dog helping you as it does is an assistance dog.
    Also enquire at the place these  dogs come from as not all assistance dogs are from official places there must be a way of giving dogs from other sources that status. Even if you trained it yourself. If it does that job ask those people to give you a letter to back u p your eszential need to have the dog with you a nd that you will be in danger without it.
    Or just wait for a place that allows dogs.
  • Jean_OT
    Jean_OT Online Community Member Posts: 511 Empowering
    Hi @delboy1

    As a dog lover myself I have empathy with the difficult dilemma you are in.

    Following on from the post by tr88le above.

    It is highly unlikely that the housing provider will accept that your pet is an assistance dog unless it has been issued with a 'yellow passport' , which is only given to assistance dogs from specific organisations.

    There have been efforts to broaden the criteria of what is an assistance dog but as far as I am aware the 'yellow passport' is still the normal proof that a dog is a genuine assistance dog: http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/law/

    Whilst you can formally request that your housing provider make an exception for your pet because of your individual medical circumstances I doubt they will be willing to consider it unless you can back up your claims with creditable evidence from professionals.

    Unfortunately, you may well find that you are left with the unpleasant choice of having to choose between accepting the tenancy or keeping your pet.  Accepting the tenancy in the knowledge that you intend to breach it is a high risk strategy, as if you get caught it may result in eviction, although it is to be hoped that you might first receive a warning and be given opportunity to rehome the dog. If you are evicted as a result of breaching the tenancy the local authority may decide that you have made yourself 'intentionally homeless' and refuse to assist you further.   

     If you decide that housing has to be your priority The Dogs Trust may be able to assist: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/rehoming/faqs/ Unlike some other rescue organisations they do not put healthy dogs to down and do make a genuine effort to rehome. However, they are often oversubscribed so if you need their help it would be best to contact them as soon as possible.

    Best Wishes

    Jean
  • tru88le
    tru88le Posts: 200 Contributor
    Personally i would ring some irganisations aa mentioned and see if you blag it maybe with a letter from a health person who can verify your reliance on your dog.
    Maybe that alone will do surely the gp or practice nurse will verify that the dog is essential.

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