Responsible Pet Ownership Policy

1. Introduction

Norwich City Council recognises that pets can bring joy, companionship, and improve wellbeing for many residents. We want to support responsible pet ownership while ensuring our homes and communal spaces remain safe, clean, and comfortable for everyone. 

This policy explains how you can keep pets in council homes and council owned buildings and what steps you need to take to make sure your pet is well cared for and does not cause problems for your neighbours.

1.1 Who can keep pets and what can they keep?

Most council tenants are allowed to keep pets in their home, subject to the conditions in this policy. 

You do not need permission to keep a pet if you are: 

• A tenant living in a council-managed house. 
• A tenant living in a council-managed bungalow. 
• A tenant living in a council-managed maisonette. 

You must obtain permission before keeping a pet if you are: 

• A tenant living in a council-managed flat. 
• A tenant living in a council-managed tower block. 
• A leaseholder living in a council-owned block of flats. 

This policy does not apply to: 

• Sheltered Housing tenants, who are subject to separate arrangements. 

More information about the types of pets that may be kept is set out below. 

Assistance animals, such as guide dogs, are always allowed under the Equality Act 2010. We will always aim to make pet ownership possible wherever it is practical and safe, but we also need to balance this with the needs of other residents.

You may keep;

• Dogs (those not listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991- unless a Certificate of Exemption is held).
• Cats (Domesticated)
• Rabbits (Domesticated)
• Guinea pigs
• Rats and mice (Domesticated)
• Hamsters, gerbils and other small rodents
• Fish
• Lizards
• Snakes
• Other reptiles and amphibians
• Ferrets
• Chinchillas
• Hedgehogs (Domesticated- not wild caught)
• Parrots, canaries, finches and budgies

All animals must be suitably housed in a way that meets their needs, please see below for responsible ownership guidelines. Before getting a pet, please ensure you research proper care for the animal to ensure you can fully meet their needs for the duration of their life span. 

Animals such as rabbits and lizards can live much longer than people realise, cost large amounts of money at the vets and have very specific care needs.

1.2 Do I need permission?

In most council managed homes you don’t need permission to have a pet, but we do expect all residents to follow our responsible pet ownership policy. If you are a council tenant or leaseholder living in a tower block, you must obtain written permission before keeping a pet. This is because high-rise living may not be suitable for all types of pets, and there can be additional considerations relating to animal welfare, noise, shared communal areas, and the impact on neighbouring residents.

To help ensure our tower blocks remain safe, clean and pleasant places to live for everyone, we carefully assess pet requests on a case-by-case basis before granting permission. We will only grant permission for a maximum of one medium sized dog or one cat in tower block homes.

For leaseholders who sublet their homes, responsibility for complying with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will sit with the leaseholder as the landlord. This includes considering requests from sub-tenants to keep a pet in line with the legislation.

Therefore, if you rent from a private landlord in one of our blocks, you need to make your request for a pet to your own landlord.

Leaseholders are expected to ensure that any sub-tenants understand and comply with this policy.

1.3 How do I ask for permission?

You can apply for permission to keep a pet by completing the online form.

As part of your application, you will need to tell us:

• What type of pet you wish to keep.
• Whether you currently keep any other pets.
• Any specific needs, circumstances, or concerns relating to the pet.

Once we have considered your request, we will write to you to confirm whether permission has been granted or refused. Our letter will explain the reasons for our decision and, where permission is granted, any conditions or requirements that apply to keeping the pet.

If you disagree with our decision, you may request a manager's review within one month of the date of our decision letter.

Any pets that were already being kept in a tower block before this policy came into effect will be deemed to have retrospective permission. Provided the pet owner continues to comply with the requirements of this policy and the conditions of their tenancy agreement, no action will be taken in relation to the continued keeping of those pets.

2. Rules for keeping pets

To make sure everyone enjoys their home, we ask you to follow these simple rules:

• You are responsible for the welfare of any pets you keep, including ensuring their needs are fully met and that they are kept in a safe, suitable environment.
• You must adhere to the Welfare requirements under 2.1 of this policy.
• Pets of all residents must not cause nuisance, such as loud barking or chirping, fouling, or aggressive behaviour.
• Dogs must be kept on a lead in communal areas, and you must clean up after them straight away.
• You are responsible for the behaviour of your pet in shared spaces, this includes pathways, entrances and communal gardens. If your neighbour is uncomfortable with your pet, please act considerately.
• You must not prop open a communal security door to allow your pet in and out of the block, these doors are for the safety of all residents and must be used correctly. You must not allow your pet to walk around freely and unsupervised in communal areas.
• You cannot have a dog or cat in certain Sheltered Schemes where there is carpet in the communal areas and your home does not have an external entrance way. This is due to the difficulties around keeping these carpeted areas clean. Your Sheltered Support Officer or your Housing Officer can discuss this with you.
• Pets may be transported in lifts; however, pet owners must be considerate of other residents and visitors. Before entering a lift with your pet, you should check that any other occupants are comfortable sharing the lift. If they are not, you should wait for the next available lift.
  • You are responsible for ensuring that your pet does not cause a nuisance or create hygiene issues within communal areas. If your pet urinates, defecates, or otherwise soils a lift or any communal area, you must clean it up immediately. Where you are unable to do so yourself, you must report the issue to the site's Caretaker without delay so that appropriate cleaning can be arranged.
  • Any costs incurred by the council as a result of cleaning, repairing, or dealing with damage caused by a pet may be recharged to the tenant responsible.
• Do not breed, board or sell animals from your home.
• Make sure larger pets such as dogs are not left alone for long periods (more than four hours) without care. Other pets can be left with appropriate arrangements in place.
• Keep your home clean and repair any damage caused by your pet.
• If you live in a flat above ground floor, please ensure that you either have carpet or good quality underlay beneath laminate flooring. The sound of an animal running on laminate flooring can be very disruptive to neighbours below and could be investigated under our Antisocial behaviour policy. Please see our Good Neighbourhood Management policy for more suggestions about being a Good Neighbour.
• There are certain types of animals you must not keep;
  • Any farm animals such as chickens, ducks & cockerels, pigs, cows, goats, horses, donkeys, alpaca’s and lama’s- this list is not exclusive. This is based upon their welfare needs and damage to our homes.
  • Any wild animals such as muntjac deer, foxes, wild rabbits, hares- this list is not exclusive. This is based upon their welfare needs, the suitability of the property and the potential for wild animals to carry diseases.
  • Animals such as monkeys, or those with specific needs which cannot be met by the person responsible for their care.
  • Any animals listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 that require a license.

2.1 Animal welfare

As the owner of the pet you are responsible for their welfare, this includes;

• You must consider the size and suitability of your home when deciding how many pets to keep and what types of animals are appropriate. If you are unsure, you should contact your Housing Officer for advice before taking ownership of a pet.
• We may not give permission for certain breeds of dog or other animals if we do not believe that your home is suitable for the animal. This will be based upon accommodation size and type, animal size when fully grown and specific welfare needs. For example a breed of dog that is classed as large would not be suitable for a top floor, one bedroom tower block flat due to their exercise and space requirements.
• As part of your personal emergency planning, you should consider the arrangements required to safely evacuate any pets in your care during an emergency. Whilst the Council may work with you to develop a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEPs) where appropriate, responsibility for the care, handling, and evacuation of pets remains with the pet owner. You should also make advance arrangements for the temporary care of your pets should you become unable to look after them due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances.
• You must meet the needs of your pet and not neglect or mistreat them. You must not hoard or acquire an unreasonable number of animals at in your home which you are then unable to take adequate care of. If we find that you have too many pets in any of our council homes or have hoarded them, we will work with you in the first instance, however we will take tenancy enforcement action against you if necessary. Large numbers of animals in properties can not only be a welfare issue for the animals, but can also cause significant damage and nuisance to neighbours, both of which are breaches of our tenancy agreement and leaseholder agreement.
• It is strongly recommended that you arrange insurance for your pet to ensure you can meet the cost of vet bills, there are specialist providers for animals such as reptiles and small animals such as rabbits. You should also ensure that in cases of dogs that your policy covers public liability insurance.
• You must comply with any legal requirements such as microchipping your pet.
• If you are a tenant and are evicted from your home you must ensure that someone is able to adequately care for your pet.
• If we attend your home and find animal(s) abandoned and we cannot reach you, we will take immediate steps to ensure the animals are taken care of. This may include, contacting the Police, RSPCA or Cat Protection and/or collecting the animals and transporting them to a shelter. If we report you to the RSPCA, you may be prosecuted for Animal Cruelty. We are not liable for the return of your pet if you have left the animal without adequate care.
• You may be charged for costs incurred and may lose your tenancy.
• If officers have any welfare concerns for animals at your home during their visit, then they will report this to the relevant service such as those mentioned above. For more information on how to meet a pet’s needs please refer to the RSPC website. 

2.2 What happens if rules are broken?

Our aim is always to work with you to resolve issues first, but we will act if necessary to protect other residents and our homes.

If your pet causes noise nuisance or other antisocial behaviour concerns, we may take action under our Anti-Social Behaviour policy. We may issue a Community Protection Warning or Notice (CPW/CPN) as detailed in the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2015, an abatement notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, or, in the most serious cases, take tenancy action and seek possession of your home.

If you are a leaseholder, we may take legal action against you for breaching the terms of your lease.

If we suspect that you have neglected your pet, we may report you to the RSPCA and you could be prosecuted for Animal Cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act.

If your pet causes damage to the building, repeatedly fouls communal areas without the waste being cleared up, or if we have any other concerns about pet ownership, property condition, or the way communal areas are being used, we may take enforcement action. This could include serving a Community Protection Warning, a Community Protection Notice, or taking action for breach of tenancy conditions.

Our tower blocks are covered by CCTV and are regularly monitored by on-site Caretakers and Council staff. Where concerns are reported, we may use available evidence to identify those responsible and take appropriate action.

Residents who keep pets are expected to ensure that their pets do not cause nuisance, annoyance, damage, health and safety concerns, or cleanliness issues for other residents, visitors, or Council staff. Failure to do so may result in permission to keep a pet being reviewed and further tenancy enforcement action being considered.

We will take any complaints and concerns seriously and where it falls within the council’s remit we will investigate the concern thoroughly. Animal welfare concerns outside of the scope of this policy should be directed to the RSPCA.

2.2 Exceptions

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 apply.

2.3 Why these rules?

These rules are designed to make pet ownership possible while keeping our homes safe and pleasant for everyone. They help prevent damage, reduce allergy risks, and ensure pets are cared for properly.

2.4 Need help? 

You can visit our pet ownership hub which has this policy, links to other agencies with advice or guidance and the forms to request permission or report a concern.

If you have any questions, please contact your Housing Officer or email tenancyservices@norwich.gov.uk We’re here to help you enjoy your home and your pet responsibly.

2.5 Legislation

• Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
• Animal Welfare Act 2006
• Equality Act 2010
• Control of Dogs Order 1992
• Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953
• Animal Welfare Act 2006
• Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018
• Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976
• Environmental Protection Act 1990
• Road Traffic Act 1988
• The Micro Chipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023

Policy information

Title: Responsible Pet Ownership
Owner: Charlotte Woodward
Version: 1.0
Published date: 15 October 2026
Review period: 3 years
Review date: October 2029
Relevant legislation or regulation: Included in the policy

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