Pets Policy Consultation

Thank you to all the residents who took part in our Pets Policy workshops that took place during March. There were some really interesting discussions and points raised by our residents.

We are working with Calm Mediation who facilitated the workshops to bring together a summary of the feedback so far, which will help us design the next steps. Key early points from residents that we will be taking on board include providing residents with a detailed information pack in advance of our survey, which will include things such as how any changes would be managed, if any are voted for approved. We will also be ensuring that a paper survey goes through every residents door after the information pack with plenty of time to return responses.

Please keep an eye on the newsletters, this webpage and estate noticeboards for updates on the next steps.

We are asking residents for their views on our current Pets Policy, which sets out the rules for pet ownership for those living in homes managed by the City of London.

While the whole policy is being reviewed, perhaps the most important issue is dog ownership. This part of the policy tends to be the most discussed and gives rise to the strongest views from residents.

We have received a growing number of requests from people to have a dog, as they want to enjoy the benefits that having a pet can bring to their happiness and wellbeing. However, we are aware that some residents prefer the current policy and would like their estates to remain dog-free.

We welcome views on any aspect of the current policy, which you can read below.

The Pets Policy was last approved in 2021 and is now due for review again.

Previously we asked residents to vote on the issue of dog and cat ownership. After the last consultation, we said we would carry out a more detailed consultation on dog ownership the next time this policy came up for review.

The current Pets Policy says that dogs are not permitted, except registered guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs.

Residents living in properties with their own private garden are also permitted to keep a dog “provided that the breed, size and temperament of the dog is suitable”. If you share a garden, you cannot currently keep a dog.

The main options are to keep the policy on dogs as it is or change the policy to allow residents to keep a dog.

As part of the consultation, we would like to discuss with residents how dog ownership could be managed if we were to change the policy. How do you think that dog ownership could be managed if it were to be allowed? What sort of issues do you think might arise and how could these be dealt with?

These are questions that we would like to discuss as part of this consultation.

The City of London’s estates are located in the City of London itself, plus Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham.

Council tenants and leaseholders living in these boroughs are permitted to keep a dog. In most cases, residents must seek their landlord’s permission first. They must also ensure the dog is well cared for and does not cause a nuisance. Some breeds of dog are banned by law because they are deemed to be dangerous and are not permitted.

Landlords in these boroughs normally require their residents to sign an agreement that they will abide by rules to care for the dog and ensure it does not cause a nuisance. Permission to keep the dog can be revoked if the agreement is broken. Allowing a dog to cause a nuisance to others is also a breach of tenancy.

We have surveyed residents on our Pets Policy on several occasions previously. On the last occasion in late 2020, 49% of residents said “no” to dog ownership, 45% said “yes” and 6% said “don’t know”.

However, on some estates, a majority supported dog ownership; on others, most people did not support it.

There will be a number of workshops open to all residents across our estates, as well as two online workshops which any resident can attend (dates below).

Calm Mediation will facilitate these workshops. During the workshops, residents will be able to share their views on the consultation and discuss together what the options for the future might look like. There will also be a final survey after the workshops for residents to share their opinions.

We will collect everyone’s feedback from the consultation events, and share our findings with a survey and vote to all residents. This result of the vote will inform the final policy, which will then be presented to the Housing Management and Almshouses Sub-Committee (scheduled for July), which will decide whether to approve.