CARLISLE has been named the worst place in the country in terms of landlords not allowing their tenants to keep animals.

This can force renters into giving up their beloved pets - a moment which one family described as 'horrendous' and 'extremely distressing'.

Nationally, just 7 per cent of private landlords advertise pet-friendly properties, meaning many people struggle to find suitable homes.

Now, Oak Tree Animals’ Charity is attempting to work with landlords to help them see the benefits of having pet-owning tenants.

Whitehaven News: REHOME: 68% of rental properties in Carlisle do not allow petsREHOME: 68% of rental properties in Carlisle do not allow pets

 

Oak Tree’s General Manager, Caroline Johnson explains: “Carlisle has the highest proportion of 'no pets allowed' rental properties in the UK at 68 per cent.

"Unfortunately, this means that we regularly see the distressing results where owners are forced to give up their much-loved family member as they are unable to find accommodation that allows them to take their pet.”

Sharone and Ewan Winterton from Whitehaven described how devastating it was to have to give up their much-loved cats for adoption.

They shared: “After numerous calls to estate agents for various properties we were told strictly no pets.

"We quickly realised we were going to have to re-home some, if not all, our cats which was a horrifying thought.

"Our cats are our babies, they are part of the family. How can we do this?

Whitehaven News: HEARTBROKEN: The Wintertons were made to rehome their catsHEARTBROKEN: The Wintertons were made to rehome their cats

“We offered landlords to come and see our house to show our cats hadn’t damaged anything, they had not messed anywhere, the house isn’t smelly but still we got told ‘no pets’.

"Our landlady had been to the house recently and has offered a reference stating the house is spotless and no damage or smell from our cats. However, we were still unsuccessful.

“Unfortunately, we ended up rehoming them and that day was horrendous, extremely distressing.

"It has caused an awful lot of stress and upset which has caused some health issues.”

Whitehaven News: ADVICE: The charity are encouraging property owners to consider pet ownersADVICE: The charity are encouraging property owners to consider pet owners

Caroline continued: “Unfortunately stories like the Wintertons are all too common.

"We are working with letting agents to encourage rental property owners to consider pet owners as tenants as they can be longer term and more reliable tenants.

"With an estimated 59 per cent of UK households owning pets, the client base is huge.

“Oak Tree has produced support packs for landlords and prospective tenants including Pet CV templates, advice about pet references and insurance policy options and our partnership with letting agents seeks to improve our 'pet-friendly' status in the UK for tenants without negatively impacting landlords."