Lockdown Pets - How are they being managed?

A recent study carried out by the University of York and the University of Lincoln found that having a pet was linked to maintaining better mental health and reducing loneliness.

However, 68 per cent of pet owners reported having been worried about their animals during lockdown, for example due to restrictions on access to veterinary care and exercise or because they wouldn't know who would look after their pet if they fell ill.

Lead author, Dr Elena Ratschen from the Department of Health Sciences University of York said: "Findings from this study also demonstrated potential links between people's mental health and the emotional bonds they form with their pets: measures of the strength of the human-animal bond were higher among people who reported lower scores for mental health-related outcomes at baseline.

"We also discovered that in this study, the strength of the emotional bond with pets did not statistically differ by animal species, meaning that people in our sample felt on average as emotionally close to, for example, their guinea pig as they felt to their dog.

"It will be important to ensure that pet owners are appropriately supported in caring for their pet during the pandemic."

Co-author, Professor Daniel Mills from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln said: "This work is particularly important at the current time as it indicates how having a companion animal in your home can buffer against some of the psychological stress associated with lockdown. However, it is important that everyone appreciates their pet's needs too, as our other work shows failing to meet these can have a detrimental effect for both people and their pets."

Dr Ratschen added: "While our study showed that having a pet may mitigate some of the detrimental psychological effects of the Covid-19 lockdown, it is important to understand that this finding is unlikely to be of clinical significance and does not warrant any suggestion that people should acquire pets to protect their mental health during the pandemic."

Letting Properties to Tenants with Pets

Over the last almost 7 months, many tenants either moved in with a pet or bought or adopted a pet. Lockdown was an opportunity for a four legged-friend to be bought into a household, however, whilst the TFA 2019 does not permit landlords to take an increased deposit, many landlords have been increasing rent slightly to accommodate these creatures.

It is important to ensure that any additions to the household are covered by “Pet Clauses’ which provide the tenant a very clear outline of what the landlord expectations are. No one knows exactly how an animal will behave, so it is important to ensure that strict boundaries are in place, for example, any mess caused by the pet in question should be removed from the garden, regular vacuuming to prevent a build up of pet fur, the pet owner should be regularly de-fleaing pets to avoid infestation.

Both the Kennel Club and the Cats Protection League have been concerned about the number of pets being purchased and adopted since lockdown and post-lockdown, primarily because many new pet owners made their decisions on impulse.

Having a four legged friend is a benefit, however, abiding by the terms of a contract is very important for both landlord and tenant.