Ripon man who "lost his independence" when he was unable to find a place to live with his dog
Justin spent over a year trying to find a place for him and Winnie to stay
Last updated 22nd Sep 2021
A man from Ripon has said he would never give his dog up after being told by dozens of landlords that pets aren't allowed.
Justin had lived in Tenerife for over half a decade and adopted Winnie as a puppy, but when he chose to move back to Ripon he didn't want to leave her behind.
He was met with the difficulty of being unable to find a landlord which would allow him to rent with a pet, so for over a year lived with his parents.
Justin said he felt like he'd "lost his independence" when he had to move back home.
He said: "It took me a whole year to find somewhere but before that I had to move back home. I'd lived on my own for years and had to go and live with my parents again at my age. I felt like I'd lost my independence.
"Unfortunately for me when I did find somewhere it was on the third floor which was difficult for Winnie. Going up and down three flights of stairs three times a day for walks is hard on her and she's not getting any younger.
"There are sometimes where I've had to carry her down the stairs which she doesn't like but it's what I have to do.
"There is no way I would let her go. She's like my child, in fact she is my child. I'd much rather live on the streets than be without her."
More than 3.2 million pets were added to households during the coronavirus crisis. However, with fewer than 5% of rental properties in the UK accepting tenants with pets, millions of pet owners are having to hide their pets from landlords or give their pets up.
Justin's calling for better legislation to make renting with pets more accessible.
Currently, it's illegal to charge a larger deposit to rent with a pet, but landlords can charge higher rents instead.
Justin said the higher rent option is something he's been offered in the past.
He added: "Legislation needs to change. If they are saying it is illegal to charge a larger deposit then I'd much rather do that instead.
"That way I can prove that my dog isn't going to make any mess and when I choose to leave I can get that deposit back rather than paying more each month and it just being dead money to me.
"It's so time consuming trying to find somewhere because there is no way to filter property searches. There are filters for everything else I just don't know why they can't just add one for pets.
"So I'd spend hours a day looking on websites, find the perfect place and then scroll to the bottom of the listing for it to say 'We don't accept pets'. It's really unfair."