Pets are being Mistreated in Rented House

Cptralls

Hi All, 

My uncle has some neighbours who have two dogs and innumerable other pets inside their home. The dogs bark continually. Upon closer inspection the the two large dogs are locked up outside in two small cages, there are several other animals inside that don't get out including cats. The owners are often away and the RSPCA has been out and have deemed the conditions unacceptable although no further action has been taken. It appears the house is rented out, my question is who is liable for the mistreatment, tenant or landlord? Also can the RSPCA do anything beyond deeming the animals to be living in unacceptable conditions? 

AFF8879

If the tenant is the one mistreating the animals then why would the landlord be responsible? 

I’m no expert but I believe the RSPCA have no right to remove any animal without the owners consent, unless it’s so bad that they get the police to do this.

Rosesgirl

If the RSPCA deem the conditions to be unacceptable then surely it's a case that they need to act it doesn't make any sense at all. Can't you follow up with the RSPCA the outcome of the visit , they have a helpline and voice your concerns it's not acceptable they can't do anything if they have deemed the conditions unacceptable. 

LippyDoodle

Ask another animal organisation what the RSPCA should be doing. You could send a private message to the RSPCA on fb if you use it. See what they say. I don't understand why they haven't taken any further action if they have been and assessed the situation and deemed unacceptable, but I'm not a big fan of them to be honest. 

canaldumidi

Why on earth would the landlord be responsible for the actions of his tenants?

If the tenants speed, does the LL get points on his licence? If they smoke weed in the house, does he get prosecuted for possession?

As for the RSPCA, how do you know they've deemed the conditions unacceptabl? If correct, it seems strange they are taking no action. More likely they have served a notice on the owner (the tenant) warning him to improve conditions. If that fails, then I imagine further action would follow.

Cptralls

I don't know enough of the details, my uncle is angry with himself for not acting on this issue now that the condition of the animals is becoming known. The RSPCA questioned some of the neighbours as to the whereabouts of the tenants, this was on Tuesday. It was then that the RSPCA advised that the condition of the animals was unacceptable and that they had posted a letter to the tenants.

Since then nothing has happened and my uncle wonders if that is the matter closed? 

sheramber

I think the owners are given a number of days to improve conditions. The RSPCA  should come back and check it has been done. If it has not , they can then decide what further action to take. 

They can ask the owner to hand over the animals voluntarily. Failing that they need to get a warrant to remove the animals. This  might mean  getting a vet involved and the police, if they need to enter the premises and take the animals, without the owners permission.

How that all works in practice, I don't know,

They certainly cannot just walk in and take the animals.

 

Cptralls

sheramber said:

I think the owners are given a number of days to improve conditions. The RSPCA  should come back and check it has been done. If it has not , they can then decide what further action to take. 

They can ask the owner to hand over the animals voluntarily. Failing that they need to get a warrant to remove the animals. This  might mean  getting a vet involved and the police, if they need to enter the premises and take the animals, without the owners permission.

How that all works in practice, I don't know,

They certainly cannot just walk in and take the animals.

 

Thanks, I think this is what my uncle wanted to know. I was out today at my uncles and listening to those dogs in clear distress is distressing in itself. 

youth_leader

So sorry for the animals Cptralls, poor creatures, they have drawn the short straw as far as ownership goes.  I hope your uncle can ring the RSPCA again and ask for an update, the inspector should have informed him what he'd done. 

 In the meantime if the people are away can you see if they have any food?  Could lob some dog biscuits through the cage bars?  Hope their cages have cover in this awful weather too. 

If someone broke in and stole them, I doubt the owners would care, but unfortunately they would get two more.

eddddy

If the RSPCA are aware of the situation and dealing with it, there probably isn't really anything more your uncle needs to do.

The RSPCA will know all the relevant legislation. If somebody needs to be held responsible - for example, somebody needs to be prosecuted for animal cruelty or neglect - the RSPCA will deal with that.


But if your uncle has any relevant information or evidence which the RSPCA doesn't already know, he could pass it on to them.

gozaimasu

Your uncle is being impatient regarding the action. The dogs barking must be really annoying. Maybe the tenants have died and will never return. As mentioned previously, the RSPCA will have given the tenants a timeframe in which to make improvements, and if they aren't made, then the animals will be seized. They would have to get the police present if the property was still empty and the tenants were missing, or in this case I suppose they would be able to get the landlord to allow access since they're aware of the situaton.

LippyDoodle said:

Ask another animal organisation what the RSPCA should be doing. You could send a private message to the RSPCA on fb if you use it. See what they say. I don't understand why they haven't taken any further action if they have been and assessed the situation and deemed unacceptable, but I'm not a big fan of them to be honest. 

Why aren't you a big fan of the RSPCA?