Dog owner looking to rent in Eastbourne calls out '˜no pets' policy

Keith Johnston has been looking for a place to share with little Piglet for weeks and says every flat he has looked at bans pets.

The 58-year-old, who works with electric cars, said, “The indiscriminate blanket no pets policy in Eastbourne is so widespread that it is ridiculous.

“100 per cent every flat I have looked at in my price bracket it’s either in the lease or the landlords are saying ‘no pets’.”

Keith wants to find an ideally two-bedroom apartment near the sea for himself and four-year-old Piglet, who is a chorkie – a Yorkshire terrier crossed with a chihuahua.

He said of his pet, who weighs just four kilograms, “She’s called Piglet because when she was born she had a very curly tail.

“She’s completely well behaved, never chewed anything, she just follows me around. She’s the size of a cat and just as clean.”

A landlord himself, Keith says he understands why some have the ‘no pets rules’ but thinks animals should be treated on more of an individual basis.

He said, “If you spent money to make your property nice I can understand why they have no pets rules. I get it if you are a landlord and you don’t want big dogs coming in off the beach or barking in the property.

“Some pets can be terribly behaved, but it’s just like human beings, there should be some leeway.

“The same way you have criteria for which people are acceptable you can have criteria for pets. Or charge pet deposits to financially protect yourself.

“I’m a trustworthy person. I’m a professional social entrepreneur helping fight climate change.

“Piglet is fully house trained and non-shedding. To have this blanket ban just seems a little crazy really.”

This comes as Labour has unveiled plans to give tenants the ‘right to pets’ under its new 50 point animal welfare manifesto.

Current rental laws enable landlords to specify that tenants are not allowed to keep pets in a property. But the new proposals would mean tenants would gain the automatic right to house their animals unless it can be proved they are a “nuisance”.

• If you are a landlord and would be happy to rent to Keith and Piglet, contact the Herald on 01323 414492 or email [email protected]