Manor Estates owns more than 1000 properties across Edinburgh and Fife, and many of its tenants are pet owners. Over the last nine months, the housing association has worked closely with Dogs Trust to enhance its pet-friendly offer to tenants and has updated its pet policy. Whilst tenants have always had the automatic right to keep one pet within their home, there is now a focus on tenants keeping Manor Estates up to date on any changes in pet ownership so that they can provide support and advice on caring for their pet. 

Staff have also attended training delivered by the Dogs Trust Canine Behaviour team, equipping them with skills and knowledge to help them interact safely with dogs while out and about in communities and homes.

Thanks to Manor Estates’ work to become more pet-friendly and increase pet-friendly housing availability, it has become the first landlord in the UK to receive the Dogs Trust accreditation. The policies introduced are expected to positively impact pet-owning tenants and those living nearby who don’t share their homes with a pet.

The charity now hopes this project will be used as a blueprint for other social landlords and has worked with Manor Estates to create a toolkit that others can use to help them become more pet-friendly, increasing the availability of pet-friendly housing across Scotland and the UK. This exciting project, made possible thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, is designed to improve the experience of anyone accessing housing with a pet or those wishing to add a pet to their family home.

This comes as Dogs Trust is receiving a high number of enquiries from people who are being forced to rehome their dogs. More than 15% of the people contacting Dogs Trust cited issues with housing as the reason for needing to rehome their dogs. This includes people forced to move or downsize as rental prices increase but cannot find suitable, affordable, pet-friendly properties. 

Jennifer Leonard from Dogs Trust’s Pet-Friendly Housing Team said: “Every day, we hear from desperate owners who are sadly forced to rehome their much-loved dogs due to the lack of pet-friendly housing. To address this, we have been working with Manor Housing over the last few months to pilot pet-friendly policies, and thanks to the great work the team at Manor Housing has done, we are delighted to be able to give them this accreditation. 

“We hope that other social landlords, and those in the private sector, too, can learn from the work Manor Estates has done and remove barriers that prevent tenants from having pets. Dogs bring a huge amount of joy into people’s lives, and for many owners, being separated from their pet is no different from being separated from a family member, so this work will go a long way in helping to keep more owners and their pets together.”

Alasdair Fraser, housing manager from Manor Estates Housing Association, added: “We were excited about the opportunity to partner with Dogs Trust on this project and we thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for enabling its delivery. We are always looking for opportunities to develop our existing services and policies and we are happy to become a more pet inclusive organisation. As a registered social landlord, it is our mission to provide excellent homes and services that support inclusive communities. We are a people-focused organisation and recognise that this partnership supports our values and leads to a brighter future where our tenants and their pets can live happily.

“We’re delighted to be the first housing provider in the UK to be accredited under the Dogs Trust scheme, and that our work to become more pet-friendly has been recognised in this way.”

Maxine, who rents a property from Manor Estates and lives with her two dogs, commented: “My dogs are such a huge part of my life. They are my companions, play a big role in my daily routine and are a great company. I have previously tried to find private rented accommodation but have found most landlords have a blanket “no dogs” policy and weren’t willing to compromise despite my dog being well-behaved. This is such a shame, especially today when so many live alone; dogs are a great source of companionship and good for mental health.

“Manor Estates has always been so warm and welcoming towards dogs. There were no objections to me moving in with my first dog, and when I requested permission for a second, there were no issues. I like that they support tenants keeping dogs and even include information specifically for dog owners in newsletters, which is a nice touch.”

Since 2013, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £26 million for Dogs Trust. This crucial funding, awarded through Postcode Animal Trust, is helping to support Dogs Trust’s work towards improving pet-friendly accommodation for everyone.