Pets in your council home

This page offers guidance on pets in Council homes across Sheffield.

What are your responsibilities

Generally, unless stated otherwise in your tenancy agreement, it will be up to you to:

arrange care for your pets when away
ensure your pet is always kept under control
making sure your pet doesn’t attack anyone or damage property
ensure that your property isn't being badly affected by your keeping of pets

Your tenancy agreement will outline what the requirements are in order to keep pets in your property. You must adhere to this.

XL Bully dogs

The government has added XL Bullys to the list of dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. This is following a rise in attacks and fatalities caused by the dogs.

The change came into force from 31 December 2023 and will affect all of England and Wales.

GOV.UK: Prepare for the ban on XL Bully dogs

From 1 February 2024, it will be illegal to own an XL Bully unless your dog has been exempted.

You can apply for a certificate of exemption to legally keep your dog. Information about how to do this can be found on GOV.UK.

GOV.UK: Apply to keep an XL Bully

This process currently costs £92.40 per dog.

As part of the process to exempt your dog, you will need third-party liability insurance, which is insurance against your dog injuring other people. Your dog must be microchipped (which is already a legal requirement).

Your dog will also need to be neutered. If your dog is less than one year old on 31 January 2024, they must be neutered by 31 December 2024. If your dog is older than one year old on 31 January 2024, they must be neutered by 30 June 2024.

Once your dog has been exempted you must adhere to the conditions otherwise you could be committing a criminal offence and your dog could be seized. You must inform us that you have an XL Bully in your home. We will then ask you for a copy of your Certificate of Exemption and proof of Third Party Public Liability Insurance. If you fail to provide this, we will report this to the police and follow our own enforcement procedures.

If you believe that a dangerous dog is being kept by one of our tenants illegally, please contact us to report this after you have contacted the police.