A dog welfare charity wants proposals to make it easier for tenants with pets to be made even more radical.

Dogs Trust, which calls itself the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, believes the Housing (Scotland) Bill is a step in the right direction for renters with pets. However, it insists the Scottish Government should go further.

It claims that currently, many renters across Scotland face significant barriers when trying to secure pet-friendly accommodation. Around 15% of handover enquiries received by Dogs Trust cite accommodation issues as the reason for needing to re-home their dog.

The charity, which re-homed over 600 dogs across Scotland last year, has welcomed the inclusion of pet-friendly provisions in the Bill, which completed Stage 2 in the Scottish Parliament last week.

It will give tenants in both the private and social rented sectors the right to request to keep a pet in their property without fear of the request being unreasonably refused by their landlord or housing provider. The Bill also includes a time limit within which a landlord must respond to a tenant’s request to keep a pet. 

The charity says it’s particularly pleased that the Scottish legislation has gone further in extending these rights to those in social housing than the UK government’s Renters Rights Bill.

However, Dogs Trust believes stronger protections and clear guidance are needed and is calling on dog owners and supporters across Scotland to write to their Members of the Scottish Parliament asking them to support amendments to the Bill that will better safeguard the rights of renters with pets. 

These amendments include: 

• A reduction in the number of days in which a landlord should respond to a tenant’s request to keep a pet;        

• A protection that if a landlord fails to respond to a tenant’s request to keep a pet within the response period, it can be treated as unreasonable refusal, which would allow a tenant to make an appeal; and  

• The inclusion of pet ownership as a provision under a written tenancy agreement once consent to keep a pet has been granted. 

Owen Sharp, the charity’s chief executive, says: “The Housing (Scotland) Bill is a huge step forward in addressing the need for greater availability of pet-friendly accommodation in Scotland. Sadly, the struggle to find suitable accommodation is still very real for many dog owners. Too often, people face the heartbreaking decision to give up their beloved pet simply because they can’t find a home that allows dogs. We hope MSPs will support amendments to strengthen the Bill and that once passed, the Bill will mark the start of a culture shift in attitudes towards renting with pets, meaning no one is denied the joys of dog ownership simply because they rent a home.”