General Approach
We do not operate blanket bans on applicants with children or pets. All applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account:
- Property size and layout
- Health and safety considerations
- Legal or contractual restrictions (including headlease terms)
- The rights and wellbeing of existing occupiers
Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)
HMOs involve multiple, unrelated tenants sharing facilities, and therefore require careful management to ensure all occupiers can live comfortably and safely.
Applications involving children or pets may be declined where there is a clear and proportionate justification, including:
- The shared nature of the accommodation and risk of disturbance to other tenants.
- Health and Safety considerations including the rights and wellbeing of existing occupiers (e.g. could other potential tenants residing in the property have allergies or phobias of particular pets? Is there a high risk of damage or disturbance?).
- Limited space within individual rooms
- Licensing requirements or HMO management obligations
- The overall suitability of the property for family occupation
All decisions are based on the specific property and circumstances and are not made on the basis of personal characteristics.
Self-Contained (Non-HMO) Properties
Children
Applications from households with children will be accepted unless:
- The proposed occupancy would result in statutory overcrowding (e.g. the property is not suitable for the number of occupants)
- There are legal or contractual restrictions preventing occupation
- Health and Safety considerations (e.g. is the property unfit for children, such as lacking communal play areas in high-rise blocks or having structural dangers that cannot reasonably be mitigated)
Pets
Pets will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Applications may be declined where:
- The headlease or superior landlord prohibits pets
- The property is not suitable for the type or number of pets
- There is a clear and evidenced risk of damage or disturbance
- Property size and layout (e.g. is the property too small for a large pet or several pets?)
- Legal or contractual restrictions (e.g. is the pet illegal to own? Is there a restrictive covenant forbidding all/certain pets?)
Where appropriate, reasonable conditions may be applied.
Assistance Animals
We recognise that assistance animals are not considered pets. Requests involving assistance animals will be handled in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and reasonable adjustments will be made where required.
