Dog in leasehold flat - freeholder permission

splenetic

eddddy said: Obviously, the worst case scenario is if another leaseholder complains to the freeholder about the pet out of spite ...

I’d be surprised if one of our current neighbours were inclined to quarrel in this fashion or had a chip on their shoulder about us. But appearances can be deceiving, so I would probably have sounded the waters a bit before. One never knows! Thanks for the input on what the FH can and should legally take into account when considering the case, very good to know in the case of a dispute.

splenetic

ripplyuk said:If the freeholder doesn’t respond, you’ll either have to go to a tribunal which will be time-consuming and expensive or just go ahead and get the dog. ...

We were looking into simply taking the risk ripplyuk, on the basis of ‘no plaintiff, no judge’, but as we were hoping to raise a puppy it would then be both unfair to the animal and sad for us if we were then forced to give it away later. About the greyhounds, good idea – we did a lot of research into different breeds etc. to figure out what would be best for us. Yes, larger dogs tend to be more agreeable and less energetic than small ones, but ultimately I think the individual character and good training can make a huge difference. Space is an important factor for us. I was also thinking of a whippet at one point, as a colleague of mine had two of those and they were as quiet and docile as it gets. Will be looking into the greyhound trust. Cheers!

splenetic

m4x1ne said: ...bengals are basically dogs in cats bodies ...

Thank you for the kind words m4x1ne, Bengals are absolutely adorable and we’d be lucky to find one one we can keep in our flat.

TheJP

I would advise you to seek guidance from the other leaseholders as well. I rented a flat a number of years ago and the owner above us got a small dog that made our life in the flat unliveable. We could hear it running around all day and night, its barking was so annoying and it would wake us up in the early hours with its whimpering.

The owner in the end had so many complaints about the noise the freeholder asked them to find a solution. We moved out so unsure what happened.

FYI - I love dogs 

GDB2222

splenetic said:

the 'no pets' clause.

There is no blanket 'no pets' clause, pets just require permission from the freeholder. The FH's stated policy is to consider every such request on an individual basis.

But each to their own – fair enough, some people don’t like dogs no matter what. In my mind there is a world of difference between a small, docile dog that I don't even notice and a massive dog that barks incessantly and constantly fouls in the communal areas. It seems wrong to tar both with the same brush.

I am afraid that our neighbours have quite a small dog, and it barks like crazy! It’s not at all frightening, but it is noisy. It’s not been maltreated, and they do look after it, but it’s just being a dog.

fewcloudy

splenetic said:

But each to their own – fair enough, some people don’t like dogs no matter what. In my mind there is a world of difference between a small, docile dog that I don't even notice and a massive dog that barks incessantly and constantly fouls in the communal areas. It seems wrong to tar both with the same brush.

I have 2 medium sized dogs (I think, not sure what classes as a Massive dog tbh!).  One 12r old Black Lab, and a 2 or 3 yr old rescue mongrel.

They bark.  Of course they do.  But I can assure you and your fellow leaseholders will most certainly notice small dogs, as they are very rarely docile. I do not say that out of meanness either.  It is the small dogs that bark incessantly as for many of them it's in their nature.  Just look up the various breeds, the temperaments and personalities are quite well known and predictable.
I love dogs, but the small ones can be a real challenge, and bark/yap much, much more than larger dogs.  They're the ones we watch out for most on our walks!  They're the ones we hear when sitting in our garden.