Thanet council has agreed a new pet policy for people living in local authority temporary accommodation.
Cabinet members at a meeting last week approved changes to allow pets in council-owned Temporary Accommodation to keep households together.
Permission is also no longer needed for smaller pets such as hamsters or gerbils. For other animals such as cats and dogs permission needs to be requested.
The changes bring pet policy for TA in line with that for other council housing.
A report to councillors said: “Generally, our external temporary accommodation providers are unable to house pets, and the council is not obligated to do so. In such cases, applicants will need to arrange alternative accommodation for their pets, and the council will discuss available options.
“However, if an applicant has a pet, Thanet District Council will consider housing both the applicant and the pet in line with our TLS pet policy.
“If the Temporary Accommodation is owned by Thanet District Council tenants must ask permission from the council before introducing a pet into their home, this would include fostering of animals.”
Tenants would need to make an application and the council will then consider it along with the type of accommodation, type of pet and the person’s circumstances.
The revised policy says: “We will not refuse permission unless the pets are causing health, hygiene, neighbour nuisance, anti-social behaviour issues etc, are kept in breach of any legislation, or not kept in accordance with RSPCA guidelines.”
Posting to social media about the pet policy, deputy council leader Helen Whitehead said: “We can’t change the policies for external TA providers; but we can change ours, and it’s yet another part of why in house TA is so important.
“Our pets are part of our family; losing them for an undefined time at one of the most stressful times in anyone’s life is a burden that residents should not have to carry, and we will do everything we can to remove that burden.”
The policy also aligns with the incoming Renters Rights Bill- in force from May 1- which includes a clause that tenants will have the right to ask for permission to keep a pet. The landlord can only say no if they have a good reason.
Other changes nationally from May 1 are:
| Before 1 May 2026 | From 1 May 2026 |
| You landlord can evict you for no reason with a section 21 notice. | Your landlord will need a legal reason to evict you with a section 8 notice. |
| No limits on rent in advance. | Your landlord can only take or accept 1 month’s rent in advance. |
| Your landlord might pressure you to agree to a rent increase at any time. | Your landlord can only put the rent up once a year. They must give at least 2 months’ notice. |
| It can be hard to leave a fixed term tenancy early. | You will have a periodic tenancy which makes it easier to leave by giving notice. |
| You can often give 1 month’s notice to end a periodic AST. | You will have to give 2 months’ notice to end an assured periodic tenancy, unless a shorter notice is agreed in writing. |
| Your landlord can refuse permission for you to have a pet. They do not need a reason. | You will have the right to ask for permission to keep a pet. Your landlord can only say no if they have a good reason. |
Find more about the Renters Rights Bill at: https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/private_renting/renters_rights_act_changes_for_private_renters
Thanet council homes and temporary accommodation
In July 2023 Thanet council approved an affordable homes delivery target of at least 400 homes by 2027. This target included a mix of new build acquisitions, refurbishment, and a council construction programme.
Currently 294 homes have been secured and two schemes at Eaton Place in Margate for 65 units at the former Southern Housing site and 25 accessible homes at Highfield Road in Ramsgate will bring this to 384 homes – 14 away from the initial target for 2027.
The anticipated cost of the 294 units excluding the discount from developers is £68.137m, an average unit cost of £231.76k. The cost of 400 units will be around £93m.
In December 2024 the council also agreed to buy 170 additional units for temporary accommodation using £48.8m of prudential borrowing. So far 128 units have been secured and 27 are completed and in management (excluding 8 flats previously completed at Foy House, Margate). A total of £33.2m has been spent and committed to date to deliver 128 units. This represents an average unit cost of £259k.
Based on average nightly rate the 27 units have saved just over £570k per annum in the cost of nightly paid accommodation to external providers.
As of 2nd February 2026, there were 215 Thanet households in TA, with 39 of those outside of Thanet. This compares to 309 in TA last year and, at its highest, 169 placed outside of `Thanet – meaning a reduction of 78% in those moved out of area.
