DUNSTABLE, HOUGHTON REGIS AND LEIGHTON BUZZARD PETS GIVEN LIFELINE AS RECESSION CONTINUES TO BITE
Belvoir Dunstable lends support to Dogs Trust ‘Lets with Pets’good practice scheme
Letting agency Belvoir Dunstable, which has its shop on Church St, Dunstable has pledged its support to Lets with Pets, a scheme run by charity Dogs Trust. Lets with Pets works with letting agencies and private landlords, encouraging them to take a ‘Pets Considered’ approach, rather than enforcing a blanket ban on pets.
Recent Dogs Trust research revealed that it takes pet owners up to seven times longer to find pet-friendly accommodation. Many are forced to keep pets secret while others have gone to more extreme lengths to stay with their pets, such as living in a caravan, or moving hundreds of miles away from friends and family.
Belvoir Dunstable is supporting the Lets with Pets good practice scheme by offering practical tips and advice to both landlords and tenants.
Daniel Bourke of Belvoir Dunstable explains:
“We frequently receive requests from people looking to rent with their pets so it made good business sense to support Lets with Pets.
There is a real need for more pet-friendly rentals in this area and we hope that by following Lets with Pets’ advice, we can improve the situation. We’ll work with landlords and responsible pet-owning tenants to add pet clauses into contracts. Through simple steps advised by Lets with Pets – such as taking a higher deposit and regular checks – we hope to help lots of pet-owners find homes.
Any landlord seeking more information on the benefits of the scheme is welcome to contact us” and more information can be found here Pets – Landlord and Tenant Information
The website http://www.letswithpets.org.uk/ offers downloadable advice booklets and practical tips for landlords, letting agents and tenants. It also includes a directory of current campaign supporters and information on how letting agencies can sign up to support the scheme.
Clare Kivlehan, Outreach Projects Manager at Dogs Trust, explains:
“There are relatively few pet-friendly properties available in the rental market so owners who need to rent privately are either forced to live in unsuitable properties, give up their pets, or keep them without consent from their landlord.
However, pet owners tend to sign longer rental contracts because it simply is so hard to find anywhere – so landlords are missing out on responsible, long-term tenancy opportunities. We set up Lets with Pets to help resolve this situation.”
