A Dog's Life with Anna Webb. Landlords and No Pets Clauses. Gabby Kuehn Founder of PAAW House talks why Pets Are Always Welcome!
In episode 12 of A Dog's Life I was joined by Gabby Kuehn, Founder of a social hub called PAAW House
We chatted about the omnipresent threat from private landlords to evict dogs from their loving homes.
If the health and welfare of a Lockdown puppy wasn’t enough, there’s concern that many could face homelessness either because people haven’t thought through dog ownership, or received written confirmation from a landlord or leaseholder that a puppy is ‘allowed’.
As private landlords continue to discriminate against pet tenants, they fly in the face of Government guidelines in its ‘Model Tenancy Agreement’.
In a bid to protect tenants and encourage pets for lets, Government changed its clause about pets in its ‘model tenancy agreement’ in favour of tenants with well-behaved pets in 2016.
Despite the Government’s statutory pet clause, Landlords still either misinterpret or simply issue a blanket ‘no pets’ policy. Shockingly the National Landlords Association concurs that 55% of landlords exclude pets.
The devastating impact on pets losing their forever homes due to Landlords’ illogical perception is at odds with the Model tenancy agreement, clearly stating that written consent should not be delayed or withheld.
Adding to the post lockdown doggy dilemmas, a recent study analysing the impact of Lockdown on dogs shows that increased barking is a consistent symptom not only in the UK, but also in Spain and Italy.
It also revealed that 60% of owners found their dog a great comfort, whilst 37% owners said dogs were not coping well, showing signs of nervousness, frustration and attention seeking. Another 20% owners admitted giving their dogs lots more treats!
As we’re adjusting to a ‘new’ normal, the concern is that dogs are now so used to having their ‘people’ at home 24/7, doggy anxieties and behavioural issues are forecast to soar.
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