To ask for a pet?

[Purplerain16]

Sorry if this is long, I don't want to drip feed!

Me and DP moved into our house a year ago, we rent in a city center. On the ad it said no pets, which is fine as we don't have any.
However, my depression has been getting worse and worse lately. I'm in 150mg Sertraline and still not 100%. It's been suggested that a pet would really help.
I'm waiting for counselling (it's been 7 months and could be up to 4 weeks wait now, I am top of the list).

In May this year, we asked our estate agents if they could ask the landlady if we could get a dog. I have always lived with a dog & am finding it very lonely here. I work from home 99% of the time & find it difficult leaving the house most days.

We haven't had a response from the landlady so we checked our tenancy agreement & it says in regards to pets "a reasonable request should not be denied" and "a response should be given without unnecessary delay".

Now, the carpets in the house aren't in great condition, but downstairs is all wood flooring. I am only asking for a small dog (lhaso apso size) and it would be with me every where I go.

I know that I could go to the doctors and request a letter for an emotional support animal, but I don't want the landlady to feel like we're forcing her into letting us have one.

Basically, WIBU to request this letter and just get a dog?

@Cerseilannisterinthesnow not our house, true. But it's out home. We live here, we pay over the odds to live here in fact.

@Cerseilannisterinthesnow I am prepared for a no, I've been thinking it's a no since we first asked.

We've proposed the question again and given our reasons, so let's wait and see

Where are you planning on getting an adult dog from, you may well be refused.
An “ emotional support dog” is meaningless in the U.K.

Emotional Support dogs are not recognised by law in this country in the same way as other assistance dogs ie guide dogs so are not allowed in shops or places that anyone’s normal dog would not be allowed so it’s impractical to say the dog will be with you all the time .

@Purplerain16 - of course all dogs are different, hopefully you'll end up with one who house trains fast. Our's took my DP (experienced dog owner) by surprise with how long he took to become reliably house trained. There's always been at least one of us at home with the dog from day one, but he would still have accidents even if we left him for say half an hour to go to the Doctors. He would also howl continously until we got home. Luckily our neighbour is lovely and he's a very quiet and generally well behaved dog now.

I also pay over the odds for my house and consider it our home but still wouldn’t just do whatever I wanted regardless of what the landlord had stipulated

Meh I’ve rented in London with dogs lots (with landlords permission). If you’re a good tenant and live in a house, they may well say yes. If it’s on a new build estate they may be checking headlease. It does depend on the landlord - I find that whether “professional landlords” or those who have pets themselves tend to be more amenable.

Not all landlords are anti-dog, and no they cannot take an additional deposit anymore either. Good luck.

I think you are being unrealistic, as you cannot possibly take a dog everywhere with you. I am also confused as to why you think the landlord can only charge you an extra £30?

The new Tenant Fees Act caps deposits at 5 weeks rent and is only valid if signed after 1st June 2019. However they are then entitled to set your rent at a higher level to cover and wear and tear pets may cause.

From another point of view if you struggle to leave the house every day how do you plan to exercise a dog? Dogs that don’t get enough exercise are more likely to have accidents inside the home & become destructive.

If I was the landlord I would refuse.

It isn't unreasonable to ask, and set out the sorts of accomodations you would make to your landlord to 'sweeten' the deal.

However in the UK an 'emotional support dog' isn't a thing, you can call your dog that if you like, but he/she has no more rights than a pet dog, a Dr cannot write you a letter that will get you one or force your landlord to permit one.

I am a professional trainer/behaviour consultant, I am also disabled and train assistance dogs so I am absolutely aware of the law regarding assistance dogs.

To be considered an assistance dog, firstly you need to be considered disabled - then your dog must perform physical tasks that you need and cannot perform yourself.

Emotional support is not considered a physical task, and so emotional support dogs are not assistance dogs and do not have access rights nor is it discriminatory for your landlord to not permit you to have one.

Re the charging £30 extra, I'm i my going by what my agents have told me.

It's something I've discussed with a doctor and they've advised that it is. I had my friends dog over, whose classed as a support dog and she has been allowed in shops/museums as any assistance dog has. I suppose this is down to the managers discretion.

I didn't mean in my OP that I would just go ahead and get a dog, I meant would I be unreasonable to get the letter my Dr has said I can request.

I would never just get one without permission, that's not what this is about.

Also, I am considered disabled

What I would do is go on Borrow my Doggy and help someone with theirs- you get some snuggles, and they get help and might be good for both of you. Or Cinnamon Trust. It might be easier anyway than having a dog full time. Might be an idea?

Also if you get anything like PIP be aware they use stuff like looking after pets / dogs in assessment to deny you points. So if you had one sometimes that would be better regarding that also.

By all means request one.

But don't say its a support dog, emotional support dog etc, because those are not recognised things in the UK.

What is currently happening is people are using business owners fears of public reprisals, to allow them access with untrained non-assistance dogs.

That really damages the case for trained assistance dogs, it blurs the lines, when it comes to light, it actually worsens the situation for those who owner train their assistance dog.

If you NEED an assistance dog, ie a task trained, highly trained public access dog - fine, get one, either via a charity or owner trained. There are long waiting lists for charity supplied dogs, owner training will take around 3 years from starting with a puppy (and you don't have automatic access rights with an ADiT).

An emotional support dog is not, never has been and almost certainly never will be, a thing, in the uk.

If your friend has been granted access with her 'support dog', that is because owners of business don't know the law and are being generous and kind, or ignorant. It is not because the Equality Act gives them any rights to public access.