Manor Estates Housing Association has been officially accredited as Scotland’s first pet friendly social landlord as recognised by Dogs Trust. The accreditation has been awarded through a six month partnership as part of its Pet Friendly Housing Pilot.

Through the pilot, Dog's Trust aim to improve the experience of anyone accessing social housing with a pet or wishing to add a pet into their home, while promoting responsible pet ownership and high animal welfare standards. Dog's Trust is now ready to expand this work across Scotland. 

Dog's Trust has created a Pet Friendly Housing Toolkit which outlines the steps housing providers take to become accredited. It provides resources and support free of charge to assist in the steps being taken and accredit at the end of this process. Once accredited, a housing provider will receive a certificate, banner/sticker for their website and potential PR opportunities. The support and timescales for accreditation can be flexible and tailored to suit each housing provider’s needs and other priorities.

If pets are already welcomed into your homes, becoming accredited can be the recognition of the work you are already doing. Accreditation can tighten up processes and policies around pet ownership to ensure pets, tenants, staff and neighbours are kept safe and happy. Accreditation can also help housing providers get ahead of the requirements contained within the Housing (Scotland) Bill and ensure tenants and staff are equipped to deal with pet ownership and any related issues. 

To sign up or find out more, please visit the Dog's Trust website or email directly at pfhpilot@dogstrust.org.uk.