20th July 2026
Often yes, and it is one of the first things people ask when they are weighing up a move. For someone who has had the same cat for nine years, the answer decides everything else.
The honest position is that it depends on the tenancy agreement, the landlord’s policy, and whether the home is shared. There is no blanket rule across supported housing, and anyone who tells you there is has not read their own paperwork.
There is also a change in the law from May 2026 that a lot of coverage has got wrong for supported housing tenants. Falcon Housing Association is a registered provider of social housing, so this one matters. Here is the real picture.
Key takeaway
- Ask before you commit to anything. Get the answer in writing, in the tenancy agreement or a written pet policy, not as a verbal “should be fine” from someone at a viewing.
- The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gave tenants a statutory right to request a pet from 1 May 2026, with landlords unable to refuse unreasonably. That right applies to the private rented sector and does not apply to social housing tenants (Source: House of Commons Library).
- So in supported housing provided by a registered provider, pets come down to the tenancy agreement and the landlord’s own policy. Many providers say yes. They are not required to.
- Assistance dogs are a separate question entirely. They are not pets in law, and refusing one can amount to disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.
- In a shared home, other tenants’ allergies, phobias and safety come into it, and a reasonable no in that situation is not a landlord being difficult.
What changed in May 2026, and why it may not help you
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, and its main provisions took effect on 1 May 2026.
Section 11 of that Act inserts new sections 16A and 16B into the Housing Act 1988. Together they give tenants a statutory right to make a written request to keep a pet, require the landlord to respond in writing within 28 days, and stop landlords refusing unreasonably or applying blanket no-pets bans. Landlords can require pet damage insurance, and disputes can go to the First-tier Tribunal.
It is a genuinely good change. It also does not reach you if your landlord is a housing association or other social landlord. The House of Commons Library states plainly that the new right to request a pet does not apply to tenants in the social rented sector, and law firm commentary confirms social housing tenancies are expressly excluded.
The reasoning is that social landlords generally already have pet clauses and wider pet policies in place. Which is true, and does not much comfort someone whose policy says no.
The practical takeaway is simple. Do not assume the headlines apply to you. Ask your landlord what their policy is.
Assistance dogs are not pets
Worth separating out, because it gets muddled constantly.
An assistance dog trained to support a disabled person is not treated as a pet. Refusing to allow one, or applying a general pet ban to one, can be a failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
That covers guide dogs, hearing dogs, and dogs trained to assist with physical disability, medical alert, autism and mental health conditions. If a dog is doing a job connected to someone’s disability, raise it as a reasonable adjustment question rather than a pet request. The conversation goes differently.
You will usually be asked for evidence of training or registration, which is reasonable.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can a housing association refuse to let you have a pet?
A: Yes. The new statutory right to request a pet under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 applies to private rented sector tenants and does not extend to social housing tenants, so the position depends on the tenancy agreement and the landlord’s pet policy.
Q: Can you have a dog in supported living?
A: Sometimes. It depends on the property, whether it is shared, the garden and space available, and whether there is a workable plan for daily care and cover. Ask before choosing a home rather than after.
Q: Are assistance dogs allowed in supported housing?
A: An assistance dog is not a pet in law, and refusing one may be a failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. Raise it as a disability-related request and expect to provide evidence of the dog’s training.
Q: Will support staff look after my pet?
A: No. Care and support packages cover support for you, not animal care. Any plan needs to cover who feeds, walks and cares for the animal, including on days when you cannot.
Q: Can you bring an existing pet when you move into supported living?
A: Often yes, with permission agreed in advance. Raise it during the property search so you are only viewing homes where it is possible.
Q: What pets are usually easiest to get agreed?
A: Smaller animals that do not need outdoor exercise or shared space, such as fish, caged birds or small caged animals, tend to raise fewer questions than a dog in a shared house. Ask what is possible rather than assuming a blanket no.
Q: What happens to my pet if I go into hospital?
A: This is one of the first questions a landlord will ask, and having a named person or paid arrangement lined up in advance makes a request far more likely to be approved.
Why a shared home changes the answer
In self-contained supported living, a pet largely affects you. In a shared house, it affects everyone.
Genuine reasons a request might be turned down in shared accommodation include another tenant’s serious allergy, a tenant with a real fear of dogs, a tenant whose own behaviour would put an animal at risk, or an animal whose needs cannot be met safely in that household.
None of those are the landlord being awkward. They are the same duty of care that protects you being applied to somebody else. A house of five people cannot say yes to everything.
Where the answer is no in one home, it may be yes in another, which is another argument for raising pets before you choose a property rather than after.
The questions that decide it in practice
Care and support staff are there to support you, not to look after an animal. That is not a policy position, it is the commissioned service. So the questions are practical.
Who walks the dog on a day you are unwell? Who feeds the cat if you go into hospital for a fortnight? Who pays the vet bill when it arrives, and is there insurance? What happens if your support hours change?
Answering these honestly is the difference between a pet request that gets approved and one that gets declined. A plan that names a family member, a friend, a neighbour or a paid dog walker for the gaps is far more persuasive than good intentions.
It is also fairer on the animal. Pets in unstable arrangements end up back in rescue centres, and that outcome hurts everyone.
Why it is worth asking anyway
Pets do real things for people. Routine, company, a reason to go outside, something to talk to. For someone who has moved home, changed support workers and left a familiar area all in the same month, a familiar animal can be the one thing that stayed the same.
That is precisely why it should be raised early rather than smuggled in. A pet approved properly, written into the tenancy, with a plan behind it, is secure. A pet that arrived quietly and was never agreed is a breach of tenancy waiting to become a crisis.
Some providers allow smaller animals where a dog would not work. Fish, a caged bird, a rabbit or guinea pigs in a suitable outdoor space. If the answer to a dog is no, ask what the answer is to something else before assuming the whole subject is closed.
Ask us early
We would always rather have the pet conversation at the enquiry stage than after someone has fallen in love with a property. If an animal matters to you, tell us at the start and we will tell you honestly what is possible in which homes.
Call 0191 406 4857 or email hello@falconha.org. You can also read about self-contained supported living and shared supported living.