It’s very difficult to get a blue badge ! I have a rare blood disease and took 3 years and the amount of verbal abuse I get is astounding.
So when you say you see many abusing the system then you know nothing about the difficulties in getting a BB and the problems we entail!
No, but I do know that when the 34 year old who plays squash at our club and sometimes takes his elderly mother out in the car is out in town on Saturday night, his mother isn’t with him in the nightclub at 2am
I would have thought someone who has a legitimate right to a blue badge would be even more insenced than I am about those who abuse the system
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disability is not always obvious. We have all seen the big burly man park in a disabled parking spot ,with badge or without and then walk briskly to the store. This then colours our judgement
Hi Simon, I do hope you find somewhere suitable. Out of the four tenants I have rented to, the two with dogs were by far better at paying rent, maintaining the property and leaving it in excellent condition. Yes I do know this is too small a sample to be relevant.
Government has been bashing private landlords financially and the media bash us as greedy and uncaring, but all the L/L I know are good and caring.
I think your current renting problem is due to the lack of available property because of these factors. I have just sold one of my two properties because I no longer want the hassle and worry.
What many forget is for example I may be able to walk into Asda but after 10mins I would struggle to get back .
It took me 3 years to get a BB and my mum has dementia and the council were not helpful at all .
It is reckoned that 25% of the UK have a disability ,hidden or otherwise. That is a staggering amount.
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Not surprising as the population is getting older and there is more people over 55 than below !
Wonder how many of those are premier league benefits scammers who have advanced their skills.
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Always the bad guys who make it harder for the good ones in all walks of life
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So Simon48 thinks that you should put your allergy to one side in favour of him. Your needs are less important than his
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I think the bottom line here is that a guide dog is a dog. A dog moults, gives off odours,picksup dirt when outside, has claws and pads that damage surfaces and they wee and poo.
What “reasonable adjustment” can anyone make to overcome all of these things, any why should they when they have applicants who dont bring this problem.
I have let to dog owners and suffered the consequences, never again.
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I’m afraid you are misunderstanding the requirements of the Equalities Act.and what a reasonable adjustment is!
If you used those ground for reasonable adjustment your case would fail in a court of law
First of all be sure you dog falls under the legal definition of Assistance Dog in the equalities Act
The Act defines assistance dogs as those which have been either:
- trained to guide a blind person
- trained to assist a deaf person
- trained by a prescribed charity to assist somebody who has a disability such as epilepsy that affects mobility (or similar), or
- trained to assist somebody with another prescribed disability
These are not regarded as pets or other animals but as a mobility or hearing aid, etc.
Emotional support animals are NOT covered by the equalities act - nor are animals without official training by a recognised body (a self trained pet would usually be regarded a continuing to be a pet) -
You can take any Landlord who discriminates you on this ground to cour, t but it can be hard to prove.
So you may choose not to not mention the assistance Dog until after you have been offered the property and the landlord has accepted a holding deposit .
Any refusal after that unless you fail referencing checks is clearly discriminatory - and a court would order the landlord to compensation and the landlord suffer reputational damage…
Hope this helps
False declaration from the offset doesn’t lay basis for a good long term T and LL relationship.
This could force landlord to be unwittingly in breach of their own lease if a lease hold property.
Landlord will evict first available opportunity.
Better off finding a landlord who wants the tenant and their circumstances.
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Gosh exhausting just reading this long thread! I’ve had a few tenants with dogs and they destroyed my properties and there is insufficient insurance or deposit to claim from them so what are we to do? If there was specific insurance that the tenant agrees or offers to pay which includes replacing carpets, replace door frames and flooring which has been scratched and a clean that covers removing all pet smells and hairs then it would be fair. But the UK system is not fair to Landlords so yep back to the Council then or Shelter - but as someone said all Shelter does is give bad advice, which lead to more homelessness and CCJ’s. And yes My and my portfolio manager friends are selling up. I’ve stopped renting on AST’s completely.
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That’s a very helpful post @Mark107. I wasn’t aware that Assistance Dog was defined in the Equalities Act. It helps answer my question about how a landlord can tell the difference from a regular pet as if the animal is claimed as such, it would be reasonable for a landlord to ask for evidence.
I think Shelter and Generation Rant (not Rent) should provide accommodation to people with disabilities and the ones cannot afford to pay rent. The CEO pays themselves £150k to £250k by just ranting that it is all LL’s responsibilities to provide social housing. As stated here, there are not sufficient properties available and it is also the LL’s choice who they allow into their properties. If the politicians change the law, that does not mean it is a fair system. The LLs have worked hard and sacrificed some wants to purchase the properties and they as owners should have right to select who can stay in their properties and how long. The tenants should turn to charities or council, who should buy properties from LL or from open market. Those properties need to be used only for social housing and not sold ever in the future. There will always be increasing needs for social housing and decreasing private rented properties. LL’s have already started to sell properties and will go on, as that is what the government wants but not buying any properties. They talk about building more properties, but where is the money coming from. Why build, when they can purchase from the LLs and see how they feel about maintenance, all the certificates, administration. We all know councils do not care or listen to their tenants. Tenants find it easier to communicate with the private LL’s, as they respond. I have had tenants with cats and the house was left in a bad state, carpets needed replacing, the walls and furniture scratched. The smell and hairs left, opening the windows for weeks before have a normality in the property. People who have dogs need to ask the charities to provide them with a home. Charities obtain funding from public, councils, other organisations. Private properties are individuals’ properties for their pensions. Placing money in pensions, one gets relief, no such relief for people buying properties for renting.
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How would you dispose of the dog poop?
All these discrimination claims come form entitlement. TT expect LL to accept them, and when it doesn’t happen, they play discrimination card. Let’s see how far it will get you finding a property. Blaming somebody else feels good in the moment. But then you’re still with your problem and without a rental contract. Good luck.
This is not a “false declaration” - and no court would consider it so! A Landlord cannot legally do anything to refuse an assistance dog.
I suggest you remove the post as I am replying to as it could be used as evidence, by any of your tenants who later felt you had discriminated against them on these grounds.