Pet Friendly Accreditation Scheme
Manor Estates Housing Association becomes the first social housing provider to be accredited as pet friendly!
With over 1,000 properties spanning Edinburgh and Fife, many of Manor Estates' tenants are proud pet owners. Over the past nine months, the housing association has worked hand-in-hand with us at Dogs Trust to enhance its pet friendly policies, creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for tenants and their furry companions.
Working alongside us, they have updated their pet policy, provided tenants and staff with new information packs containing animal welfare advice and resources for support and promoted responsible pet ownership through their social media channels. 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. We are very proud of this work and delighted that Manor Estates have become the first social landlord to receive our pet friendly accreditation award!
We worked with Manor Estates, as well as the wider animal welfare and housing sectors to create a pet friendly housing toolkit that we are now using to take the work of the Pet Friendly Housing Pilot across Scotland. The toolkit will be used by other social landlords and better support social tenants both with and without pets. Through the pilot, we aim to improve the experience of anyone accessing social housing with a pet or wishing to add to a pet to their family home, and are now a massive step closer to achieving this!
Jennifer Leonard from Dogs Trust’s Pets and Housing Team says:
“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
“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 we hope 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 says:
“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-focussed 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, says:
“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.”
Thankyou to Manor Estates staff and tenants! Thankyou to our colleagues in Scottish SPCA, Blue Cross, Cats Protection and PDSA who have supported us throughout the pilot!
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.
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