Keeping a pet in your home

Pets can be a lovely addition to the family and give many of us great companionship. However, it is important to make sure they are being kept in a home that is suitable for them.

That’s why you’ll need to ask our permission to keep a pet in your home. You can do so by calling the Customer Service Centre on 01403 220440 or emailing service.centre@shgroup.org.uk. We will help you complete a pet request form and answer any questions you may have.

We’ll look into things such as if there are any pet restrictions where you live, whether the pet is likely to cause any nuisance to neighbours and whether there is access to a garden or not.

We generally give permission for an assistance pet which has been professionally trained to support customers with a disability, for example a guide dog.  Please contact our service centre if this applies to you or someone in your household on the above contact details.

Some things to consider when keeping a pet:

Owning a pet is a big responsibility and there are many things to think about before making the decision to do so, including:

• How long will the pet live and how big will it grow?
• What are the extra costs – such as food, equipment and vet bills?
• Are you able to give the constant care, attention and exercise it will need?  What about what will happen when you are not at home or go on holiday?
• How will it impact your home – taking up space, making noise and creating mess?

There are certain pets you don’t need to ask our permission for:

• Fish (in small aquariums)
• Hamsters or gerbils, kept in a standard cage, or
• Smalls birds, kept in a standard cage.

What happens when we give permission for a pet?

If we give permission to keeping a pet, you will be asked to sign an acceptance of terms form which sets out the conditions and rules for keeping a pet in your home.  These include:

• Keeping your pet appropriately housed and under control at all times,
• Not allowing your pet to cause nuisance, annoyance or threaten other people,
• Not allowing your pet to cause any damage to your home or any communal areas,
• Not allowing your pet to foul in any area that we own or manage (and immediately clear up any mess if it does!)
• To not use your pet for commercial breeding at your property.