Landlords in the Island should hear the new guidance on pets and have the courage to slacken the reins on their tenants a bit

By Hannah Esnouf

I WROTE with great enthusiasm late last month about the publication of the guidelines for keeping pets in rental homes.

As a pet owner, what pleased me the most about the new non-binding guidance was the overly positive attitude towards keeping animals in rented homes. The emphasis in the Pets in Rental Properties document was very much on how tenants can and should keep pets unless there are clear and agreed terms with landlords that prevent that from happening.

Going forward, and speaking as a likely future tenant in Jersey’s rental sector one day, I think this step forward in clarity on pet ownership will help bridge gaps between tenants and landlords in Jersey.

It’s been proven time and time again that animals have a positive impact on humans’ mental and physical health. They can reduce stress, provide companionship and improve mood, as well as get people outdoors (depending on the animal) and improve the immune system and emotional and cardiovascular health.

The above can also be especially seen in the improvement of children’s emotional, physical and social needs.

Landlords of families should be aware that a lack of a pet clause in a rental agreement could really restrict a child’s development and reasons to get off their phones and out in nature.

Most renters, as there will always be a few who let the side down, will be stalwart examples of good pet ownership and compliant tenants. I hope, anyway.

That said, if a tenant’s animal had a particularly dodgy stomach one day or got a bit excited with the lounge rug, that is not an immediate reason to remove that tenant’s slice of happiness when they come home from a long day. Landlords who have their own pets should already understand that.

People in rented properties should be allowed to make their home theirs, albeit owned by someone else.

If this is done in an adult and respectful way, tenants and landlords should be able to move forward with a clear understanding of where they stand on pets, and renters should be able to trust that their landlord won’t U-turn on that position. Trust is a two-way street.

Jersey’s children should not also be deprived of the love of a house pet because they live in a certain type of property (separative rules never work well) and adults should be respected enough to be trusted by their landlords. They don’t want to be treated like they’re naughty school children if they want and can provide a loving home for a dog or cat.

I’m particularly enthusiastic on this subject because not only am I an animal lover, but I understand the difference a pet can make to a home and a person.

At university, I was at times extremely lonely. More so than during the pandemic at home. I was away from anything familiar, found it difficult to make friends, and was searching for reasons to look forward to things apart from my next visit home to my family and pet dogs.

Like most student properties, I wasn’t allowed pets (fair enough, really, as the humans in a city student high-rise are feral enough), but when I moved into a smaller private place, I got myself a hamster (I know, pretty special).

Dogs or cats, which had always been around my house growing up, were out of the question, as my new landlord had a very non-negotiable outlook on all pets and those options were too obvious. A hamster was the next best and cheapest option, so I got one, and wanted to prove a point.

Although it fitted into the size of my hand and I had to hide its cage when any cleaners came in, for the first time I heard natural noise in my boxy flat that looked over the Liverpudlian bin courtyard. I had something to care for, clean out every week, and although I couldn’t take him on a walk, my hamster, Doug, made me smile.

And I stand by the fact that there was no reason whatsoever that I was not able to keep a pet in my student flat. My landlord probably just didn’t like the idea or was scared that any animals in the house would mutate and deem it unsafe… who knows. But they still did nothing about the rat problem, rats which weighed probably ten times my illegal hamster… the irony.

Pets, whether scaled, feathered, furry or shelled, can make a real difference to a child’s or adult’s life. But they don’t come in one size or shape; so shouldn’t be treated as such. Landlords in the Island should hear the new guidance and have the courage to slacken the reins on their tenants a bit.

I’d also hope that any pet clauses drafted following the guidance were not seen to be taken from a dictator’s rule book.

If harmony can be reached about pets in rental homes, I bet it would create friendlier relationships in the sector in the Island. Allowing pets from the start of a tenancy may also make properties more attractive on the rental market in future, with a clean in between. Although one would hope a good scrub takes place before new humans move in…

Related